This is a guest contribution from Ryan Biddulph.
7 years ago I was a broke, depressed, recently-laid-off security guard.
My life had no direction.
I had no purpose.
My self esteem was in the toilet.
I was lost, swaying to and fro on a sea of circumstance.
Today, I am a pro-blogging island-hopper. My wife Kelli and I blog from paradise. We’ve traveled the world for 51 months straight, living in places like Fiji, Bali, Thailand and Costa Rica. I am an Amazon bestselling author. I’ve written too many Blogging from Paradise eBooks to count. I publish a podcast. I may even start Blabbing after seeing Darren’s inspiring Blab sessions.
I’ve lived my dreams because I discovered the secret blogging weapon years ago.
This secret weapon helped me to gain recognition in a crowded, star-studded blogging field.
This secret weapon levels the playing field for every blogger on earth.
Yes….even you!
The Secret Weapon?
My story.
Your story.
Every blogger’s story.
No two human beings are alike, just like no two snowflakes are alike. Every creation is unique. This miracle of life does not exclude bloggers. Nor does it exclude their stories.
Nobody has lived your story and nobody can tell your story in your voice. Only you have lived your special, inspired life, and only you can write in your special voice.
This is why storytelling levels the playing field for every blogger.
Nobody has lived Ryan Biddulph’s life and nobody in human history can tell my story in my voice, as I can. Which is why I’ve lived a neat life in paradise. I use the one branding tool, the secret weapon, that makes me stand out from all bloggers: telling my story in my voice.
What if Your Story Has Been All Struggles So Far?
Tell your struggle-laden story. Then share your dream.
If you’re new to blogging your story needs to include a dream. Nobody wants to follow a pity party. We’ve all been through nightmares but we’re all inherently hopeful. Share your dream. Hook readers.
Your story becomes your secret weapon, leveling the blogging playing field, if it ends with a dream. I want you to inspire me. I want to root for you. I want to watch you overcome the odds. I enjoy watching you crush obstacles.
Once you add your dream to your struggles, you have set the stage for a happy ending that we all want to see. You’ve whetted your blogging dagger. You’ve hammered your blogging scythe.
Billion Dollar Industry
Readers and viewers buy into stories. Literally. Books, movies and TV shows are billion dollar industries. Everybody has a billion dollar story within them just screaming to be told. Be bold. Tell your story.
Practical Tips for Telling Your Story
- Write for at least 30 minutes daily. Writing regularly helps you to find your voice. Writing regularly also inspires you to let go the self conscious “my story is not significant” limiting belief.
- Read voraciously. Skilled novelists can teach you how to write emotional, inspired stories. I am reading George R.R. Martin and Lee Child now. These two bestselling authors inspire me to become a better storyteller through their masterful writing skills.
- Tell your story regularly, offline. Get comfortable chatting up your story with strangers. For example: I drop my blog name and personal story casually into conversations with strangers I meet during my world travels. Doing so gives me greater confidence to tell my story regularly through my blog.
- Surround yourself only with confident, inspired bloggers. Allow their transparency and faith in self to rub off on you. Bloggers like Darren freely share both their successes and failures. If he only spoke of his successes his story would be boring because good stories need highs and lows. Learn from him. Follow one of his great success secrets: transparent blogging.
- Weave some part of your personal tale into every blog post. Blogging from Paradise readers often comment that they love when I share my personal travel stories. My stories are unique. Nobody on earth can re-create my experience with my writing voice. I remember this before I publish any blog post.
Do You Think that Nobody Cares about Your Story?
7 years ago I was a nobody. I didn’t even know what a “blog” was.
Today I am a fulltime income-earning, island-hopping blogger.
My metamorphosis started with one story. One day I just decided to blog about how I became a pro blogger. I thought for years that nobody cared about my story. Who would really be interested in a security guard turned blogger? It turns out, a lot more folks than I initially thought. Everything changed the moment I opened up. I had to speak up. It took courage to tell my story. It took a willingness to accept criticism. But I am so happy that I chose to tell my tale.
We care about your story.
We want you to tell it.
You have the great equalizer in your blogging arsenal. It’s begging to be used.
Tell your story.
Your Turn
Are you telling your story?
Why?
Why not?
Ryan Biddulph is an Amazon best selling author, blogger, world traveler and the creator of Blogging from Paradise.
Great tips!
It is important to keep your story in mind as you blog. I think too often (myself included) people worry too much about showing their personality.
It is what makes you different! You got to be different. As you said, we are all unique snowflakes!
Love your story, keep rocking on!
Chris
Chris man, you got it. Our stories are OUR stories. Thanks so much bro.
Darren and Stacey thanks so much for handing me the platform for a guest post. Really appreciate it and I hope that more bloggers tell their stories.
Love this Ryan. You are so right that the story each of us has is what makes us different from each other…and really want establishes the interesting part of what we have to offer.
You touched on it a few times in the post but the major issue I’ve seen in my experience is people typically don’t feel as if they even have a story.
They believe their “boring life” wouldn’t entertain people and feel they have nothing to share.
This is a huge mistake people make and I’m glad you pointed it out. EVERY person has something valueable to share based on their life journey. Breaking down that barrier is the biggest thing holding them back.
Thanks again for the inspirational post!
Jeff, we really all have such a fabulous, inspired story to share, all of us. We need just open up. We live exciting, inspired lives, all of us, and by sharing these wonderful journeys we can inspire so many more folks. Thanks much for reading.
Hello Ryan. Ny name is Ben.
Thank you for your inspiring article. I am a fitness and personal trainer living in Germay (well, currently Mexico). As you may know there are many many fitness bloggers out there. I started with the intent to do it better. As a kid I wasn’t really what you consider a sportsmen. But I worked my way out of that and now I studied Sports, I am a trainer, blogger and I also teach other trainers in a athletic academy. So I think I have a little background in exercise science and nutrition. So it was very frustrating to see how people get manipulated by commercials or by fitness bloggers who have absolutely no background. I wanted to change that. When it comes to fitness you have to work. There are no shortcuts. No bullsh*t, no lies, the hard truth and no ideologies. That was my mission.
So I started my blog and I focussed on the basics of fitness. Then I once told my story but since then I failed to do it. Now it becomes clear. It is the personality which matters. WHY I am doing it. Not only the WHAT or HOW.
I drifted from my way and left it. I became a fitness blogger like all others. Often times with the same topics and the same stuff.
Thank you to remind me about my own story. I can see my way again.
Hey Ben, I am a few countries south of you in good old Nicaragua. Love your comment man. I was a personal trainer for years and lifted heavily for like 20 years. No shortcuts indeed. By telling your story and being authentic you’ll tie it all together. Thanks so much for the comment.
Great post Ryan! The one thing I have learned through the years, especially this year, was to not hide your story. Forget about the rules of using words like me, myself and I. If they fit int he story and help connect you to the reader, SO BE IT! Thanks Ryan for the great read here!
David you are doing such a fab job of story telling, and I’m excited to see your blog and brand unfold around that story. Thanks so much.
Ryan,
Thank you! Your tip of writing 30 min daily makes much sense. I know when I’m writing more regularly the words come easier.
Your success story is inspirational, wonderful to hear.
I’ve been blogging for 8 years now, and though I haven’t earnt anything (only just starting to research that area, hence why I’m here at problogger). I have enjoyed telling my story, you are correct, we are each unique and only we can tell our story.
Erin those words flow much more easily with practice, right? Thanks so much for sharing.
Hello Ryan,
Thank you very much for this post. I used to try to write for an hour everyday even during long days but that was pushing it so I’ve scaled it back to half an hour. My writing is a lot better written now that I’ve stopped trying to worry about how much I’ve written and more about the content.
Excellent Wolfgang. Releasing that worry energy is such a biggie. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Hey Ryan!
I still remember the first time I found my way onto your site. What stood out right away was your uniqueness – your unique story, your unique style of writing, your unique personality that comes out in your posts. I would’ve known that this was written by you even if it wasn’t stated anywhere. That’s pretty powerful.
When we open up to our readers and to other bloggers as well, it becomes a lot easier for people to connect with us and really feel like there is an actual person behind the writing. That makes us memorable, and in a space that’s becoming more crowded than ever, doing something to become memorable to your audience is more important than ever.
Thank you for always sharing your stories in your writing. It’s been nice being able to travel the world with you so far.
– James McAllister
James, likewise my friend. You have been open and transparent and have shared your story from Day 1, raising the vibe in your niche. And you inspired me to write 122 eBooks ;) Thanks so much bro. You rock.
There’s nobody that can weave a moment quite like you, Ryan . Another great job sir. Amazing
Patti thanks so much for reading and commenting.