Free and Fearless Lidiya Kesarovska

Whoever you are, find whatever you’re into!







Facebook just showed me that I’ve posted this as my status back in 2016. That’s 8 years ago.







I believed in this piece of life advice then, and I believe in it even more today, after living by it religiously. This made me feel so good.







It was a reminder that I’m on the right path, and what was just a piece of advice I got from other people back in the days, is what I can give to everyone today, after having followed that myself. So, this inspired me to talk about it on the blog.







It has to do with finding your passion and turning it into your career, and most people say they want this, sure.







Some of them don’t believe it can be profitable, so don’t even try. Others are actually more comfortable with their day job, even if they hate it, and with complaining about it, than with the discomfort you need to overcome to get in business, and the emotional challenges that come with staying in business, no matter what.







Some of those people who say they want to find their passion, don’t actually invest the time it takes to define it, don’t try different things to see what feels good, and what their talents are, so they don’t see any progress with this.







Others have limiting beliefs, such as thinking they are not worthy of living a good life, and getting paid to do what they love, or that it’s too good to be true, or that only the lucky few out there get to do that, but for some reason, not them.







Because of those beliefs, they don’t take the action necessary to make change happen.







Some, unfortunately, really, really want to find their passion, and monetize it, but they’re in a terrible position in life, and have so many problems to deal with, or live in a third world country, and they don’t even have the time or privilege to think about that and do something about it.







But let’s get back to the people who have it easy, and yet don’t really find what it is they love the most, and never see where it can take them.







As I said, some of them will stay this way forever. It can become your norm to feel dissatisfied with your current reality, and yet to be told by everyone around you that this is real life, and everything else is an illusion.







Just a heads up though, you’re not in the right room for growth, or to start a business.







But I wasn’t either, so I ignored everyone in my real life 10 years ago, I created a vision in my head that was more powerful than my current reality back then, and I found inspiration and mentors online. People who were doing what I aspired to do, people who were the proof I needed that this is indeed possible, and not crazy at all.







They were usually Americans, they had already seen some success, they were location independent, they were growing their business. But they started from nothing, and they shared their story in such an authentic way, without ego involved, because I believe there is no place for ego in business. And I could resonate.







They didn’t make me feel that they are more than me, or that I’m in any way less skilled than them.







No, they reminded me that if it’s possible for them, it’s possible for me too.

Fearless Bloggers is our community and membership for bloggers who are ready to take action in their blogging business and finally find motivation and build discipline and consistency so they can actually grow their blog traffic and income.







You might know the membership as Blogger Playground because I’ve talked about it quite a lot on the podcast, but now it has a new name – Fearless Bloggers – and is stepping into its new chapter.







There are changes in the curriculum coming and the price increases from July 1st, but you can still enroll for the lower one till then and keep it forever.







Today I felt inspired to share with you how the fearless blogger thinks and acts.







That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be like that before you join us inside the membership but it’s how you might end up being after you’ve been in it for some time. That’s my vision for it and that’s how I aspire to be. Or, according to some people, it’s how I already am. It’s a mindset, it’s a lifestyle.







Let’s dive into the list of traits of the fearless bloggers who want to take action in their business and actually grow it.







1. The fearless blogger has a vision and takes action with that in mind.







Vision.







It’s all I had back in the days when my reality was completely different than what I wanted it to be. When I was still living in my home country and with my parents. And it was that vision that kept me going.







The vision of earning enough from my business to be able to move to another country. To live on my own, to help people with the content I create, to be a full-time blogger and to have time freedom as well as location freedom. To be in charge of my time and work whenever I feel like, to not be told what to do by anyone, to do work that matters and get paid for it.







Well, that’s what I’ve been doing for a long time now and I’ll never get tired of it. But in the beginning, it was just a vision.







Manifesting it by keeping it in mind at all times, by taking steps towards it, by waking up early every day and doing the work even if I was working on the wrong things. By reading about others who’ve achieved that and proving it to my subconscious mind that it’s totally possible for me too until eventually my reality changed.







That vision has now grown, of course, and it changes over the years but I still have it. I set goals related to it and I take action towards it.







It’s a beautiful thing to be a visionary but there are many obstacles in the way.







Many distractions trying to take your focus away from it. Many naysayers who try to convince you that this won’t work.







I created the Fearless Bloggers membership with many things in mind. One of them being that I want to motivate you and to keep you motivated day after day to work on your blog. That’s how growth comes.







2. The fearless blogger doesn’t leave their blog behind for weeks or months at a time.







That’s one of the reasons most bloggers don’...

Today I want to share with you some changes that are coming to the membership and community for bloggers that I run.







You can get all the details here.







I created it for the blogger looking for more support in their business, the latest strategies, a look behind the scenes of my blogging business, the motivation to keep growing their blog and the community to find like-minded people, to feel validated and understood and be able to ask me any questions and share any ups and downs in their business.







1. New Name







The first big change is the name. You may know the membership as Blogger Playground but we are now called Fearless Bloggers. 







Rebranding and name changes are quite common for digital products and it’s usually when the creator knows it’s time for the next level of that offer.







I believe that each offer, business idea and project in general is like a living being. It has a soul, it can transform, it can die, it can grow and touch the lives of many people and it can make the world a better place. 







It’s something that was meant to be created and the person creating it is just the one through which this is being manifested. So I never take full credit for my offers. There is always a bigger universal plan. I just follow the intuitive nudges and I put in the work.







What I was guided towards is the next version of the membership and the changes include a new name, a new curriculum that will bring more structure as every learning environment can benefit from that, and a new pricing plan. 







So a bit more about the name. Blogger Playground was something I came up with rather quickly last year. But it’s because I had so much to do to get things started and create content regularly as well as decide how to best structure the membership, to launch it, get people in and actually engage with them and get their feedback.







The idea behind that first name was that we can treat blogging like a game. Everyone was welcome on the playground when we were kids and there were no strict rules. It was the opposite of being at home or in school.







We could scream, get dirty, fall and get back up, go talk to anyone and start playing together. It was the place we could be at daily and where we lose track of time. So we can take that playful and fun energy to our business and day-to-day blogging activities. 







That’s still a nice idea, of course, but also Blogger Playground is a mouthful and it didn’t really fit my idea for the community 100%.







In terms of branding, it wasn’t really consistent with the rest of the things I’ve created. Now the new name is Fearless Bloggers because it takes courage to do what we do and we’re in the membership to keep doing the work. 







Also, fearless is one of the keywords in my life.







It’s part of the name of my podcast as well as one of my courses – Fearless Content – and it describes the mindset it takes to be in business. 

Today I want to share with you the real reasons why I started a business, and how they motivate me to keep working on it every single day.







This might hit differently.







Maybe it’s too intense for some, maybe it comes as a shock to others, or maybe it helps you in a way I can’t even predict. Maybe it gives you the permission to be who you truly are, to finally say no to factors or people or just things in your life that seemed like they are part of who you are and defined you and your reality, but they actually don’t.







You’re in charge and you’ve always been in charge. So let’s dive in. 







Defining your deeper why and using it to gain momentum.







See, I’m not your average blogger and business owner, and it’s no coincidence that I first got into personal growth and then into business.







There are always deeper reasons for why we do what we do, and I’ve chosen to live a life of self-awareness and clarity, so I like to get to the bottom of it, especially when it’s about me and my life. If you’ve been following me for a long time now, opening my newsletters, if you’ve read my About page and maybe listened to some of the podcast episodes where I share some musings, lessons, a bit about my childhood and where I come from and some of the issues I’ve been dealing with, you might have an idea of where this will go. If not, you might be surprised.







But at the same time, it’s not surprising. I always say that you need a very, very good reason for starting a big project, such as a business. It will cost you so much of your time and effort and will probably last for the rest of your life. So, things like, “I want to make money.”, or “I want freedom.”, or “I want to be my own boss.”, simply aren’t strong enough.







Many people say that and yet they don’t mean it. They don’t really have those needs or those desires in their heart, or they aren’t very specific. 







We all say we want freedom, but freedom from what? Or freedom to do what? And why? 







This exercise – defining your deeper why and using it to gain momentum – can be one of the most powerful practices.







It can also be the reason you stay in business. If the why is so strong, a day won’t go by without having it on your mind. It’s the thing that’s on your mind when you wake up and when you go to bed.







It’s what you can put above everything else. It’s what motivates you to avoid short-term pleasure and put long-term results first instead. It also often has to do with the impact you provide, with something bigger than you.







And it’s something that might be connected to pain, shame, anger, discomfort, guilt, or any other of the strongest emotions that we can use to our advantage and turn into fuel for growth. 







This is usually the case with the business owners I’m following online and learning from. I like the self-made people, the ones who struggled and knew nothing about business, but who had a vision and still do.







Also,

Today I’m going to share with you the weirdest blogging and business questions I’ve been asked over the years.







This one was on my mind for a while. I knew I wanted to cover it and it wasn’t until a few days ago when I was in the plane, during a flight, that I actually opened my laptop and wrote the outline.







I came up with the questions because I had to recall them from back in the days.







It was really fun to go down memory lane, not for the specific business questions I got, but for the fact that I feel differently about them now and I don’t get triggered at all.







The confidence you form as a business owner is a lifelong journey. It can always evolve. It can always increase, of course. But I wasn’t confident in who I was and what I was doing back then and people could easily get to me. Now, not so much.







Now I’m fine with the fact that they don’t really get what I do. They don’t really get why I do it. They can project their insecurity onto me, especially in terms of income and during economic uncertainty.







But that’s how it usually goes. I work on my mindset. I heal my issues.







But most people don’t, unfortunately. Then you can easily see the discomfort they have when I openly share something about my life or business. Now things are good again, financially speaking and in every other way in my life.







But last year and the year before that, not so much. And what did I do? I dove into personal growth more than ever. I became even more grateful than ever.







I didn’t even consider quitting business, not for a second. In fact, I devoted myself to it more than ever. I took full responsibility for what was happening.







I don’t want to blame the economy. I shifted my focus because at some point I was too focused on some shiny objects, on creating courses and wanting to be a full-time course creator. Now I’m back to blogging, which is sort of my zone of genius.







During those times of uncertainty, people were uncomfortable with me sharing how things are going. So I couldn’t really be honest with everyone. They couldn’t handle it.







But I kept my vision alive. I knew what I was doing, why I was doing it. I just didn’t know when things could get better.







But here we are now and I believe they can only get better. So without further ado, let me get into the questions.







The Weirdest Business Questions I’ve Been Asked







Some are weird, others are annoying, and some are just entertaining. Maybe you’ll get asked the same or have heard it already, but I just can’t forget them. That’s why I want to share them with you.







1. “How do you know you’re not writing an article for a terrorist?”







Number one in the list of the weirdest business questions has remained the same for over 10 years now. And it’s ever since I was writing freelance articles for clients.







I was still back in my home country, in university, and keeping in touch with friends from high school. People were curious about what I do and they didn’t really get it when I tried expl...

Show Notes:









* The content management system I’ve been using from day one;







* Should you pick a niche you’re passionate about?;







* How the topics I cover have changed over the years;







* My experience with having guest contributors;







* My most profitable blog income stream;







* Why focus on impact over money;







* How to be your biggest critic as a blogger;







* Why you can’t overlook SEO;







* What to do instead of obsessing over blog design;







* Can you rely on just one blog income stream?;







* One thing I’m doing that’s slowing my blog growth;







* Why I don’t want to be a full-time course creator anymore;







* How’s affiliate marketing going for me;







* Is social media necessary for a blogging business;







* Why you should never leave your blog behind for a few weeks;







* Your business needs structure;







* What to focus on to grow your blog.









Last month marked my 11th year of blogging. I’m not self-employed since then, it all started as a hobby and I took my time figuring things out, because I knew nothing about online business when I started. But officially, I did start a blog in April 2013.







Even in March, actually. That’s when I set up the site, but I see that the first published articles are from April. The point is, I haven’t stopped writing and blogging and creating written content online ever since. And I believe that’s the single most important reason why I managed to turn it into a business.







Even though there have been ups and downs – financially, emotionally, creatively, and in every other possible way – that little business of mine makes me so happy, even more today than it did before. It allowed me to relocate to my favorite country, travel to different countries, work whenever I want, take breaks – big or small – whenever I want, impact people online, survive the pandemic, earn passive income, and so much more. So, this article is a tribute to that, to the consistency.







I hope it inspires you to keep working on whatever it is you’re creating online, or get that blog started, or focus more on growing it strategically if you’ve left it behind and creating written content. 







Too many people give up before they see results, or they switch direction without allowing their blog to unleash its full earning potential. 







Here’s what I want to cover today. I’ll share a few things that have worked well for me over the years, a few that haven’t, some lessons I learned, and things you can focus on now to grow your blog. Let’s dive in. 















What worked well in those 11 years of blogging







The first thing that comes to mind is that I picked the right content management system.







That’s WordPress, that’s what you’re using to actually distribute the content on your website, to create it, publish it. And there are many platforms,