What Are You Willing To Do To Get Ahead?

Blogging can be very competitive. We want to grow our audience. We want to impact lives. We want the chance to change the world.

The question, though, is how far are you willing to go to succeed in blogging?

A listener on Pat Flynn’s Ask Pat Podcast recently asked the question of

How do you stay true to your morals while making business decisions?

This question really got me thinking about my morals and how they relate to my blog and my leadership.

Morals And Blogging

I created this site to help young leaders navigate the dangers of leadership. Especially when they’re young.

There were many missteps I made when I was young and leading. I know where you’re coming from and I want you to be able to skip the pain I felt when I led poorly.

But then I began to think about growing my blog. I asked myself:

Where can I get more readers for my blog?

How can I grow my email list?

Should I write for websites I don’t agree with?

The questions, in and of themselves, aren’t bad questions. Anyone who blogs should look towards building a bigger audience so they can help more people.

However, my desire to grow my audience and email list led me to think about writing for a couple of major websites that has content I would be ashamed to be associated with. Except I wasn’t.

I let my morals slip a time or two and agreed to write for publications that opposed my beliefs.

Once those articles were published, I felt sick to my stomach. I felt like I had done something wrong.

And I had.

When I went against what I believed and tried to please websites that had content I wouldn’t want my mother to see, I failed. I went against my morals.

Since then, I’ve been very selective of what sites publish my content. I check the sites that court my articles. I make sure they are sites I would be proud to show my parents.

Get Ahead The Right Way

Seeking out large publications is fine. They’re a great way to grow your audience.

But are they the right way?

For some, yes. For others, not at all.

For me, some of the larger sites I was pursuing wasn’t right for me. Others were.

After I figured out what sites I’d be proud to be featured on, I began crafting content directed towards their audience. The sites I felt weren’t appropriate? I stopped pursuing those big sites and focused on others.

You’ve got to decide what is right for you and where you’re willing to see your content published.

Choosing the moral path will not be easy. You’ll have to skip some great opportunities. Your rate of growth may not be what you hoped for.

But one thing is true. You can live with yourself in the end.

Set boundaries for who and what you want to be associated with. Decide what is appropriate and what isn’t. Choose wisely where you will be seen.

Question: Have you crossed moral boundaries trying to get ahead? How did that work for you? Let’s talk about this in the comment section below.

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