How You Can Benefit From Blog Jealousy

February 23, 2015

I’m no stranger to blogging jealousy.

Of course, I love the people in my blogging community, but it doesn’t stop from me from feeling pangs of jealousy when I see a blog’s coolness factor rise while mine sometimes feels stagnant.

If you’ve ever asked yourself “How did they do that?” or thought “I wish I could’ve come up with that!” after seeing the quality of content on another blog, you also know the feeling all too well.

So let’s do something about it.

To start, jealousy isn’t a bad thing if you know what to do with it.

It’s about making jealousy work for you.

What can jealousy reveal? A lot, actually.

I have a short exercise that I use on a monthly basis which allows me to record the blogs I’m crushing on and what I’m feeling envious of. I’m sharing this process today because I think you could benefit just as much as I have from this activity.

Want to see what I mean? Let’s do the exercise together.

The Blog Jealousy Activity

Take out a pen/pencil and a piece of paper or open a new document on your computer.

On each line, jot down a blog name you are jealous of. Do this until your well of names dries up.

Then create two columns at the top of the page: one labeled “What I’m Jealous Of” and the other “What This Means.”

Under What I’m Jealous Of, list all the reasons why you envy that blog. It could be because of the founder, the large community, the beautiful visuals, whatever it is, write it down. It’s important not to self-censor yourself here. Record anything that comes to mind.

After making a list of these reasons, go through them with a fine-tooth comb and ask yourself the most important question: “Why?” Your answer to this will then go under the What This Means column. This area will highlight a part of your blog that you may want to change or tweak.

It’s really that simple!

To have an idea of what this will look like, I’m giving you some examples of some blogs I envy and how I’m turning that jealousy into action on my own blog. (I used bullet points instead of columns for this because that’s how I roll.)

• ByRegina:
  • What I’m Jealous Of: her ability to make a living from blogging full-time, how quickly she can create great content, her easy actionable tips
  • What This Means: I need to create more actionable content at a faster pace.

• Whitney Blake:
  • What I’m Jealous Of: her branded visuals, her handlettering skills, how talented she is at web design, her overall aesthetic
  • What This Means: I need to focus more on enhancing my own blog’s aesthetic and incorporating more visuals
• The Alisha Nicole:
  • What I’m Jealous Of: her ability to create a business from more than one niche (jewelry and blogging), her audience’s participation
  • What This Means: I need to let my multi-passionate freak flag fly more.

I think you see what I mean. I’m glad you’ve stuck with me because now we’re going to get to the value of this exercise.

Jealousy gives you clarity.

This clarity can then guide your blog in the right direction because its path is determined by what you truly desire.

The next time you find your green monster coming out of its cave, you can do something productive with it. Use it to drive your blog forward and discover what your blog can be.