One of the biggest challenges you will face as a blogger is mastering your mindset. It is one of those things that you will grapple with for a very long time. In fact, I still battle my mindset from time to time.

Just when you think you have figured it out, it will smack you in the face and force you to re-examine and adjust.

There are 2 major mindset traps that you have to be aware of as you enter the world of blogging. Master these and you will be on your way to big things.

Mindset basically means your attitude. How you approach given tasks as they are put in front of you. Mindset can be a huge factor in whether you experience the joy of success or wallow in the mire of mediocrity.

Head Full of Steam

Think about the beginning of a football game. The stadium lights dance as fans are losing their shit roaring for the impending arrival of their gladiators.

In the dark tunnel, peering out from the darkness are grown ass men ready to rip someone’s head off. They bounce from sheer excitement, helplessly trying to manage the raging beast rising within them.

A cry from one releases a wave of furious activity pillaging toward the field. Each one with rabid visions of what they are about to do.

This is exactly how you feel when you start out blogging. Ok, maybe with a little less Ray Lewis dancing and frothing at the mouth, but you get the idea. You are filled with excitement – unconstrained joy, confidence, and idealism.

When you start your blog, you will no doubt have delusions of grandeur. You will tell everyone that you are about to pull in 5 figures a month. It’s easy! If John Lee Dumas can pull in a million a month, you can surely do a few thousand!

You believe you have the best idea and you can’t wait for the money to roll in and fame to knock on your door. The problem? This is a bunch of bullshit.

Sorry, but it’s true. Nobody comes out the gate killing it. It takes time to build up your online business and reach critical mass, if you even get there.

Now, before you get sad and take your ball and go home, there is hope. There is a way to get through it.

How to Fight It

First, you need to recognize what you have in front of you.

Success is not a straight line. It’s a messed up scribble of trials, tribulations, and sometimes tears. In fact, the line may completely break off in another direction or stop for a long period of time.

As long as the line keeps moving, you are more likely to succeed…or at least reach a decision point in your business.

Second, you need to get your mind right from the start. Understand what is in front of you then put one foot in front of the other as you start the process. Having this mental approach to the tasks ahead puts you in position to work efficiently and effectively.

That doesn’t mean you have to completely suppress your overwhelming feelings of euphoria and optimism. Just keep it in check big guy. Understand that you have a long windy road ahead of you.

But hey, that’s part of the fun too!

Everyone is Awesome, and I Suck

This is the second major mindset trap you need to manage when starting. You look around and everyone seems to be killing it online. You then go back to your shell of a website, stare at the page for a moment, then silently get up and go grab a beer and the remote.

I have news for you, at the beginning you do suck. We all sucked when we started. That is the key to this mindset hack. Recognize that everyone starts from scratch.

Do you think Bruce Lee was kicking ass in elementary school? Do you think the Mona Lisa was Da Vinci’s first painting? No.

Now, to really bring this point home…do you think someone was kicking ass when Bruce Lee was in school? Do you think there was an artist that was world famous and acclaimed when Da Vinci picked up his first paintbrush. YES!

But that didn’t stop them. And it shouldn’t stop you.

Don’t get caught up in where people are with their online business and how it compares to you. Get on your grind and start catching them.

Also, realize that there are a large number of people who are actually behind you. Entrepreneurship is a timeline and everyone falls somewhere on that timeline.

Yes there are people ahead of you and they are the rave of the industry. But there are even more people that haven’t even started. The mere fact you are doing something, means you are taking steps toward living a life on your terms.

In summary, get your mind right from the beginning by understanding a shit-ton of work lies ahead of you. Be OK with it. Then, realize everyone sucks at the beginning, and as long as you keep moving you will continue to stretch the gap between you and those not taking action.

The sooner you master these two mindset hacks the quicker you will be in position to start gaining traction and making things happen.