There are many lessons to learn from watching the 2010 Winter Olympics that you can easily tie into blogging. Today, Chris Palmer from Angle of Attack goes over a few of those things. Want to write for us too?
Every few years we get to witness one of the most incredible and inspiring events; the Olympics. In this gathering with nearly every country in the world represented, individuals that have dedicated a large part of their lives compete for the coveted Gold Metal.
This event, dating back to B.C., brings nations together and, it never disappoints.
What can we as bloggers learn from these Olympians?
I have compiled a list I believe describes Olympians. I would now like to go through these in order of importance and share with you how I believe we can all take inspiration for these amazing specimens of human greatness.
- Equipment
- Speed
- Agility
- Training
- Perseverance
- Hard Work
- Heart
Equipment
It’s fair to say that Olympians use the best equipment out there. Equipment is certainly important, but it falls low on my list because I believe the greatest asset to an Olympian is heart and spirit.
With that said, us bloggers can use a lot of tools from a nearly endless toolbox that is the internet.
At least on this blog, I’d dare say that one of those tools is WordPress. I have personally found WordPress to be one of the most amazing open source programs I have ever come across, and it’s extended community support through plugins is second to none.
WordPress really speaks for itself.
What are some other great tools that you may not know about? Here are some that I use.
CrazyEgg is a tool I use to track how people interact with my web pages. Now, Google Analytics does a great job, and I have that too. But to tell you what, I’m a visual person and I don’t have a highly analytical mind. Therefore, it’s difficult to build pictures in my mind with GA.
CrazyEgg on the other hand has heatmap and confetti features at a very affordable price. I have found CrazyEgg is one of the best indicators of how people are interacting with my content. I just love it.
Gmail is something that certainly isn’t new, but I have really taken it to a whole new level in the past 6 months. Maybe this is old news to a lot of you, but I now port all of my emails into Gmail to where I can send and receive from any of those accounts.
This benefits me in a few key ways:
- Storage
- I can access it anywhere
- I save time not having to check other places
- Integrates flawlessly with my Google Phone
- Tags my emails based on their account
- Best spam filtering in the world
Those really sold me on keeping my email remote with Gmail. It has saved me a ton of time and headache. I don’t have to worry about using a program like GoToMyPC to access my email at home anymore. Now it’s just right there on the internet!
Oh yeah, and no more viagra ads in my inbox. Double Awesome!
Mac is King. ***Opinion based on heavily supported facts***
‘Nuff Said.
I could go on and on about equipment, but to wrap things up I’d just like to say that your platform can be pretty important. Also, things like CrazyEgg will allow you to tweak your design and get the right interaction for your users.
Speed
Just think of Usane Bolt in this category. Man, was that guy fast! You know, an interesting thing is that a lot of NFL teams were seeking this guy after he pretty much obliterated the world sprinting record.
Why does speed matter for a blogger like you or I?
I personally believe that at times we have to move pretty quickly to get some content up, get an issue fixed, or hit a topic while it’s hot. If you know your stuff and you can really get in the zone on writing quickly, you’ll be much better off as a blogger.
Agility
Agility is something that a lot of us need more of. It’s the skill of being able to move here or there quickly and with ease.
In blogging, we need to be able to see data, see comments, see trends, and be able to act on them with the all-too-important speed that I mentioned before.
We also have to be willing to change our business model as the times change. Being open-minded as a blogger, or anyone interested in the technology world, is key. We have to be able to move to and fro with the times.
If you can’t be agile in this business, you’re toast; you’ll end up in last place.
Training
Olympic athletes go through a tremendous amount of training. In fact, it’s fair to say that few other people go through as much training as these people do.
Just think about the young gymnasts that start training when they are just 3 or 4, or likewise, figure skaters. As much as these events in the olympics might seem like girl events, it’s impressive to witness the kind of skill required.
As a blogger it is important to continually change yourself. This wraps into agility quite a bit as well, because we need to be willing to let go of our hardcore beliefs and our ways of thinking to make our writing and blog succeed to its greatest ability.
The second you think you’re doing everything right, you’ve got to be very worried.
Personally, I have a good list of RSS feeds that I take advantage of. Do I listen to and take in everything as gospel? Heck no! I just find the stuff that is really good and I work at things bit-by-bit. Be very mindful of information overload here.
With that said, I owe all of my blogging success to others that trained me. Yes, I do love writing and that does go a long way, but all the other resources I have read and/or watched have made me the blogger I am today.
Perseverance
There’s a saying out there that goes:
‘When the going gets tough the tough get going’.
I remember when I was 16 the Olympics were here in Salt Lake City in 2002.
I had the wonderful opportunity of going to an event. It was cross-country skiing. Boring you may say? Well, it ended up being the most amazing and exciting sporting event I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve been to my share of NFL, NBA, College Football and Hockey games.
But it wasn’t the incredible finish that had an effect on me. Read on.
I remember looking for and trying to cheer for the Americans. They were doing horrible in this event, and they actually never caught up to even come close to metaling.
Although these guys were placing in the high teens, I noticed that they never gave up. Even as the Norwegians and the Swedes were breezing by, they were still soldiering on.
As bloggers, we face some rough go’s here and there. We get in rutts with writing, we don’t get a lot of interaction on our posts, we find it hard to pay the bills and generally just find it hard to keep going.
Well, any good blogger will simply push through and make it happen.
Again,
When the going gets tough the tough get going
Hard Work
Along with training, perseverance, and just about every other catchy word you could give to an Olympian, the one trait that’s easy to say they have is ‘they work hard’.
One of the best pieces of blogging advice I have ever received was to treat my blog like a job. Set a posting schedule and make it happen.
This takes a tremendous amount of hard work, I’m not gonna lie. There are times I want to just go to bed, or times I want to simply skip a posting, and then I ask myself what I’m trying to create on this blog. Why does it matter that I post now, Chris? The answer doesn’t matter. Just do it.
Push through. Work Hard. Make it Happen.
Heart
Some of the most inspiring moments in human history have come from Olympians. It’s the culmination of years of training, lots of hard work, perseverance, speed, agility and… Heart.
Heart. Passion. Patriotism. Out of all the words that describe an olympian, these really dig down to the true meaning. This is the source of that amazing spirit, power and passion. Every other shortcoming can be overcome with more heart.
Your readers are not idiots. They know when you care and when you don’t care. They know when you’re really passionate about something and when you’re not. They know when you’re simply talking with intellect or just flat-out spilling your guts on a subject.
What place do you write from? Your brain, or your heart?
Conclusion
So as you can see, there are a lot of things we can learn from Olympians. This Olympic season, or when you see footage of these events, think of what makes you an Olympian in what you do, even if that isn’t blogging.
Work hard through the good and bad. Have an open mind and learn. Be quick and agile in your dealings.
The Discussion
Leave a Comment Read Again?Excellent insights, Chris. I especially needed those thoughts on having heart…
At the moment, I can’t spend as much time blogging as I really need to in order to succeed, so I’m going to see if I can put what you mentioned about agility and speed into practice.
By the way, my younger brother absolutely loves your blog. Your posts get announced at our house.
Glad to know your little bro likes the blog! That’s really awesome. We’re having a TON of fun with it.
Heart is huge. My words above are more than sufficient on how I feel about it. I would just hate to be non-passionate about my work and just doing it for work sake.
Agility and Speed can really make things easier.
.-= Chris Palmer´s last blog ..Aviator90 Episode 9 =-.
It’s nice to be reminded that even the best bloggers have to persevere. Blogging daily on a subject will keep you pretty sharp, too. It’s not such a bad deal. Now I may try to do this on a schedule, we’ll see. I quit my job because of things like that though.
.-= Ian´s last blog ..Article Marketing Domination: Reviewed =-.
Blogging on a schedule isn’t so bad. Keeps things predictable. But, I usually just have fun with it. Initially it’s important to test and see where the ‘sweet spot’ is in your niche. Then you can come up with a real schedule.
.-= Chris Palmer´s last blog ..Aviator90 Episode 9 =-.
I remember the term.. the Olympian Spirit. Somehow, I believe it applies not just to blogging but to life in general. Though I was amazed on how you made the connections (tying it back to blogging).
.-= Liane´s last blog ..Liane is Back! (and she’s got loads to tell you!) =-.
Totally agree, Liane. I’ve been so amazed at the Olympics, as I always am. The whole experience, even through the TV, is truly touching.
.-= Chris Palmer´s last blog ..Aviator90 Episode 9 =-.
Perseverance is probably the hardest for me. Trying to balance a full time job and other commitments with blogging can be hard. Sometimes I just want to give it up and have one less thing to worry about but then I remember how much I enjoy it. I just have to learn better time management.
.-= Adrienne´s last blog ..Do You Buy Into Celebrity Endorsements? =-.
Hey Adrienne,
)
You may also want to try working on getting some ‘calls to action’ in your blog posts to get more people involved, along with time management. I find that when people are writing in and validating my stuff, it feels a LOT better and makes it easier to punch out some content (not sloppy content, but content with speed and agility
.-= Chris Palmer´s last blog ..Aviator90 Episode 9 =-.
Hi I’m in actuality pleased you to publish this post. Agility step is more important in out of all steps. It’s necessary to always represent with advance technology which will help to engage to reader.
Wow! THis post was awesome and so insightful. One of the rare guest post where author actually puts in cool effort.
Disagree strongly on the ‘Hard Work’ part though.
.-= King Sidharth´s last blog ..A How-to on Hardcore Motivation =-.
Hey King,
Thanks a ton man!
May I ask what you disagree with on the ‘hard work’ part?
.-= Chris Palmer´s last blog ..Aviator90 Episode 9 =-.
Sure Chris,
Though it takes a whole workshop for me to explain that but I will try to do that briefly here:
If hard work was that important or important at all then ‘mill workers’ would be most successful. Most successful people (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Pete Cashmore etc.) don’t work hard. Now you might say that of course they don’t they are successful and they became successful by working hard.
But it’s the other way round, the more they released the idea of hardwork and thought of passion and power of their mind and thought the more successful they became.
I hope that explains. There is a lot of difference b/w hard work and passion. The difference is element of love and eagerness which makes huge difference. I’d replace it with Passion.
Or in your post. I’d keep ‘Heart’ at top and rest would automatically follow. For where your hear lies, there lies your action and every effort and you know what? If heart’s there, it doesn’t even feel like effort.
Cheers!
.-= King Sidharth´s last blog ..A How-to on Hardcore Motivation =-.
Alright, so what you’re saying is actually along the lines of how I feel too.
I don’t believe hard work is directly related to the amount of money we make or the success we get. That is OLD thinking.
I do however know that there are times I have to work very hard to hit deadlines and get my commitments fulfilled.
There’s a saying out there that says
I thought that was really awesome when I read it, but it’s untrue.
Olympians didn’t get to where they are by being lazy and not keeping on their training schedule.
It takes hard work.
And although that IS NOT directly related to success and money and wealth, it’s important to posses.
Also, Heart goes at the bottom
Best for last and ‘In Priority’.
Thanks for the great response.
Now I’ve spoken all this. But who’d know it better than you:
.-= King Sidharth´s last blog ..A How-to on Hardcore Motivation =-.
I would suggest give Clicktale a try. I’ve been using it for 2 months and it is neat to watch what your users do, I learned a lot.
Haven’t heard of it. Is it like CrazyEgg with heat mapping and things of that nature?
.-= Chris Palmer´s last blog ..Aviator90 Episode 9 =-.
It’s all so true, but the hardest part about blogging has to be finding the time to do it. It’s easier for full time bloggers who make a living off blogging. But for those of us who have to worry about juggling school work, jobs and everything else that goes along with it, it’s just so hard to find the time to do it.
I regularly find myself working on my laptop until the earlier hours of the morning, and i’m sure you do as well, there just seems to be a never ending list of work to be done!
Great post by the way
.-= Robert´s last blog ..Facebook Zero For Mobile Phones =-.
Hey Robert,
I’m totally with you, man. This whole process for me isn’t very easy. In fact, I don’t blog full time. My blog is more in support of my greater effort as a brand than it is the main event.
I have a part time (but my #1 priority) job as a pilot. That can intervene at any time and mess things up.
A couple things you may want to think about and study as you go from blog to blog:
1. Find one or two things you need to do today, and nothing more. Don’t focus on anything else. Just 1 or 2 tasks. That could be updating a theme, answering comments, writing a post, etc.
2. Think about doing half as much half as often. For example, if you are writing average 800 word articles, consider writing great 400 word articles. If you are posting 6 times a week, consider posting 3. Even if you are only posting 4 times a week, consider posting 2.
One thing I learned early on is that I had a million GREAT excuses NOT to do what needed to be done on those 1-2 tasks each day. I would often get to the end of the day (in the wee hours of morning) and just be hammered and want to sleep. But then I would remember, ‘Tomorrow is post day, and you need something’.
What I do ahead of time is I punch out a TON of topics and just roll with them when I get in a writing mood. I have a hard time forcing creativity, so I just make sure to jump on it whenever it’s there. With a little forceful effort to get something posted, the whole process FOR ME becomes easy.
Now, it’s worth noting that all of this could be completely different than you. But rather than looking to your blog for answers, look to yourself. Your beliefs, your habits, your likes, your dislikes, and formulate something that works for YOU.
Hope this helps.
.-= Chris Palmer´s last blog ..Aviator90 Episode 9 =-.
Here is a fact Robert:
Life: You will never get it done and you will never get it wrong.
And so is true for blogging. So sit back and enjoy the process. If you won’t have fun then it will overwhelm you but if you’d have fun then I grantee you that It will earn you money too.
I know it sounds ‘airy-fairy’ but it’s true. And it will work for you IF you feel relief in believing it.
Make your truths, cheers.
.-= King Sidharth´s last blog ..A How-to on Hardcore Motivation =-.
Olympics are my favorite…anytime any year…
.-= sted´s last blog ..Mortgage Refinancing No Closing Cost =-.
That need to be assessed from the Olympics is the value of brotherhood among the nations of the world, and adds a sense of love of peace.
Excellent analogy, even if I’m not an Olympics fan, lol. it’s amazing how many real-world things we can equate to our online lives in one way or another.
Thanks for the heads up on crazy egg.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..WANTED – Keyword Research Expert(s) =-.
You’re welcome, Dennis. Let me know how it goes.
You better be crazy eggin’ like an Olympian soon!
Soon is relative but I’ll test it for sure.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..I am Unsubscribing From Your Blog – Again =-.
Wow! This is an awesome analogy between Olympians and Bloggers. Lot to understand from this post.
.-= Anil Gupta´s last blog ..Should You Buy a Premium Wordpress theme? =-.
Excellent info. will definetly use the in my future plans. Thanks for a great site. Will recommend to others.
Awesome Chris,
Really like it the way you compare these two things with blogging but I think now a days we are getting too many posts where every blogger is comparing one thing with blogging.
.-= ZK @ Web Marketing Blog´s last blog ..Thesis Theme Coupon $ 30 – Limited Time Offer =-.
You use of the Olympians analogy is great! To watch these athletes commit to their sport for a metal, has helped me to remain committed to my online business. Thank you for the information about GMail, I will be using that account more effectively and I have been going back and forth as to whether my next computer, which I will be purchasing soon should be a MAC, so thank you for that information. A very informative and motivating article.
.-= Melva´s last blog ..Small Town Business Ideas for Big Time Income =-.
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