Share this...

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Linkedin

Blogging seems to be becoming a super popular profession, the kind of job that the next generation dreams about, and it’s awesome. When I started blogging in 2009,  I was among the 1st generation of mainstream travel bloggers, it seems so recent yet so much has changed in those 7 years. Now people are making 6 figures a year, working with big brands, getting paid to travel, scrawling are travel memoirs down on our well-worn macbooks, then hit publish, only to be  read by tens of thousands of people. Reaching corners of the globe that few of us know exist, it’s crazy, and the opportunities are endless.

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

But how do we get there. How do we go from “Mylittleblog.wordpress.com” to having a $10k dollar designed website and hundreds of thousands of followers? Like everything else, it starts with the little things. Courage to make a start. Consistency to keep it going. Finding your voice, choosing your niche. Staying motivated. Working for free before the sponsors, brands and paydays. Put all of this together and you have a great chance.

Still, though, it seems like yesterday I just started. It still seems like I’m making it up as I go along. I’m on my journey just as you are on yours. But now people are asking me how to do what I did? What do get to where I am? It’s mind-boggling. I did a lot of external reading on these emotions and came across ‘imposter syndrome’, where one struggles to internalise their achievements. If I managed to do it, anyone can. And thats’ where I stand today, both suffering and benefitting from this damn imposter syndrome.

The downside is of course wondering if you deserve to be on stage presenting about topics, if you are the right person that people are asking how to be successful blogger, how to build a brand online, how to invest their money, how to travel the world. It’s a constant battle to remember that you have achieved what you have achieved, it’s done, proved and completed. There are no imposters there, it’s reality. If people look up to it, be honoured, be flattered and give back.

The beauty of it is that I don’t get caught up in the technical jargon, I don’t try to impress people with my excessive knowledge. How I got here? It’s really not so complicated, so I break it down in all its simplicity. So perhaps that’s the best way to provide knowledge to others. We don’t want to overawe them, leaving them thinking how amazing we are, but doubting their ablitity to reach the same stage. That’s ego-massaging bullsh*t. We can do anything we set our minds too, I did it, you can to. We can be imposters together.

SPEAKING AT BLOGGERCONF, Dublin. November 12th, 2016

So now I’m getting invited to speak at conferences all over the world,  packing my ‘imposter syndrome’ into my backpack each and every time I accept. Actually I turn down 9 out of every 10 requests unless the message fits my narrative, and the country fits my travel plans. BLOGGERCONF Dublin was perfect.

Ireland’s number 1 blogging/digital media conference, in Ireland’s funnest city. Sweet. The event is aimed towards content creators, influencers, bloggers and marketers. Whether you’re already doing it full time, or want to become a blogger, the event is targeted at us. It’s an amazing opportunity to network with the UK and Ireland’s top brands and bloggers, and to learn how they got where they are now. New skills, insights and road maps about how you too can succeed. And I get a chance to speak to an audience of engaged people, wanting to do something with their lives. That’s a humbling opportunity, and one I grabbed with both hands.

So here I am. I fly back to Dublin on November 11th for a couple of TV interviews, then the conference on the 12th, then I’m taking my mum on holiday for a few days to escape the Irish winter, Gibraltar is waiting for us!

Tickets for BLOGGERCONF are ALMOST sold out, 15 left! Check them out here, let me know if you can make it to Dublin, hope to see you there!