译者 暖盈929
10 Hard Truths About Blogging
关于写博客的十大确凿真相
With job satisfaction rates at record lows and more and more people looking to enjoy a higher quality of life, millions of people are desperately trying to leave their miserable jobs and are flocking to the world of blogging and Internet marketing.
随着人们的工作满意度降到了有史以来的最低点，并且越来越多的人想要追求高品质的生活享受，因此数百万人不顾一切地离开令他们痛苦的工作，聚集到博客世界和网络营销之中。
If you're already a blogger, chances are you've heard of Darren Rowse, Brian Clark, and Leo Babauta. These names are synonymous with blogging success and the dream of living the "Internet lifestyle".
如果你已经是位写博人，有可能你早就听说过达雷·劳斯、布莱恩·克拉克和利奥·巴布塔。这些人名就是成功写博以及“网络生活”之梦的同义词。
On the surface, blogging as a business seems like a dream job. You get to set your own hours, work from anywhere with little more than a laptop, connect with fascinating people from all over the world, and potentially have an impact on the entire world.
表面上看，以写博做生意似乎是个梦想中的工作。你可以安排自己的时间，只要一台笔记本电脑就可以在任何地方工作，与世界各地神奇的人们联络，而且很有可能会对整个世界带来影响。
Now THAT'S a job!
如今，那就是一种工作！
The Truth
真相
Don't get me wrong, blogging does offer all these things and more and beats the hell out of sitting in a cubicle working for the man every day of the week.
千万别误解我，写博客所带来的不仅是这些，还猛击了那种坐在小隔间里终日为某个人效力的工作。
Given how many people are drawn to this lifestyle, the competition to stand out and become noticed is enormous. Millions of blogs are started each day and cover every conceivable topic imaginable.
考虑到会有多少人被这种生活方式所吸引，因此想要脱颖而出并倍受关注还是会有很大压力的。每天都有成千上万的博客更新，涉及到能够想象的到的任何话题。
What often begins as the thought of a life working on your iPad while sitting on a sandy beach, slowly transforms into the harsh reality of what goes into building a successful and profitable business from your blog.
人们通常会在最初设想着坐在沙滩上手持ipad工作，这种想法渐渐地会转变为严酷的现实，那就是以你的博客来经营一场成功的有利可图的生意。
Before you embark on a journey to quit your job and become the next pro blogger, you need to fully understand what goes into creating a sustainable business.
在你着手辞掉工作成为下一个专业写博人之前，你需要全面了解开始打造一场可持续的生意所需要的东西。
10 Things To Consider Before Committing Yourself To Blogging For A Living
在致力于写博为生之前要考虑的十点
1.Time
1. 时间
Blogging takes time, A LOT of time. If you want to get rich on the Internet, it can be done for sure. However, blogging is not the quickest way. Not even close. Be prepared to spend months or even years just learning the basics, building significant traffic, and becoming an authority in your niche.
写博客是要花费时间的，许多时间。如果你想在网络上发财致富，这肯定是能够实现的。然而写博客不是最快的方法，甚至也不是离成功最近便的方法。准备好用几个月或者甚至几年的时间仅仅学习一些基础知识，建立起重要的流量，在你的专门领域中成为权威。
You need to really think long and hard and be completely honest with yourself about whether you are going to be wiling to invest your precious time into building your blog. The statistics show that most bloggers quit within the first 6 months and I think one of the main reasons is that the time required of them is too demanding.
你必须真正地去思考得长远并坚决一些，对于是否愿意将你的宝贵时间投资在打造你的博客上，你必须完全听从内心的想法。统计资料显示，大多数写博人在最初的六个月内就放弃了，我认为主要原因之一就是写博对他们时间上的要求太苛刻了。
2.Patience
2. 耐心
If you were not blessed with an inordinate amount of patience, then you need to learn how to become so quickly. Blogging success will not come easy and if you think it will, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Does rapid success happen?
如果上天没有赐予你极大的耐心，那么你需要很快地学会如何变得有耐心。写博成功不会来得那么容易，如果你认为很容易，你将会有强烈的失落感。快速成功会发生吗？
Yes, there is always the chance you will hit the lottery and your story will be picked up be some huge player, but that's a rarity. Plan on the process of becoming successful as a long journey and if it happens quickly, then all the better.
是的，总是有那么种可能，你会碰上好运，你的故事会被发现，你会成为巨大的赢家，但是这种情况很罕见。准备好把成功的过程当做一场长途旅行。如果成功来得很快，那么反而更好。
3.Commitment
3. 承诺
If your goal is to blog part-time and you just want to build it when you have the time, then that's just fine. Blogs can certainly be turned into profitable businesses by taking this approach; it just takes much longer.
如果你的目标就是兼职写博客，仅仅想要在你有时间的时候去经营它，那么这也可以。通过这种方法，这些博客肯定会被转化为有利可图的生意，只不过所花的时间要更长一些。
However, if your goal is like mine, which is to build your blog into a full-time income producing business and leave your job, you may want to consider making a stronger commitment.
然而，如果你的目标跟我的一样，就是全职写博客来从中获取收入并离开已有的工作，那么你可能要考虑作出更坚定的承诺。
With this type of commitment, I'm talking about jumping in with both feet. And that often means living, breathing, and sleeping your blog. Personally, I think this is instrumental to blogging success. The funny thing is that when you really love what you're doing (which hopefully you do), you want to be completely enveloped in your blog.
这种承诺，我指的是全心全意地投入其中。这通常是指同你的博客一起生活、呼吸、睡觉。就我个人而言，我认为这对于写博成功是有帮助的。有趣的是，当你真正爱上你正在做的事情（有前途的事情）时，你想要完全沉浸在博客之中。
It doesn't even feel like work when you are passionate about it. Just remember, this is YOUR empire you're building, you should be committed like none other.
这并不像是当你对此充满热情的时候才工作。只要记住，这是你正在建造的帝国，你对此的投入应当无人能及。
4.Passion
4. 热情
You had better be 100% sure that you have a burning passion for your blog and what it's all about before you jump in head first. One of the biggest reasons people fail as bloggers is that they choose a topic that they are lukewarm about.
你最好在一股脑投入其中之前百分百确认你对自己的博客以及关于它的一切都充满着燃烧的激情。人们写博客失败的几大原因之一就是他们选择了自己并不热衷的话题。
That's not good enough if you are going to become the leader in your industry and a sought after expert. You need to love what you talk about, period.
如果要成为你的行业的领军者和倍受欢迎的专家，这还不够好。你必须热爱你所谈论的东西，就是这么回事儿。
Just take a look at people like Gary Vaynerchuk and Tim Ferris, they LOVE what they do. Their passion is contagious and your needs to be as well.
就看看像盖里·维纳查克和蒂姆·费里斯那样的人吧，他们热爱自己所做的事情。他们的热情是很有感染力的，你也要像他们一样。
5.Support
5. 支持
This is something that you need to consider before attempting the long road to blogging success. You will be sacrificing nights, weekends, and sleep in the quest to create an incredible and profitable business.
这是在你试图走上通往成功博客的漫长道路之前需要考虑的问题。为了打造你那了不起的利润可观的生意，你将牺牲掉夜晚、周末及睡眠。
There is also a very good chance you will alienate friends and family in your quest for blogging greatness. If you are single, you should surround yourself with like minded people. If you can, join social groups, become part of a mastermind group, or build a closely knit network of peers.
为了伟大的博客事业，你也极有可能会疏远朋友和家人。如果你是单身，你应该让自己的身边不乏有思想的人。如果可以，加入一些社团，成为智囊团的一员，或者营造一个联系紧密的同僚网。
If you are married or in a committed relationship, you will have a much smoother journey if they are on board with what you are doing. The problem is that many non-bloggers don't understand what we do at all.
如果你已婚或者正处于一段牢固的恋爱关系中，而他们对你正在做的事情有所帮助，那么你的写博之路会更加顺畅。问题是，许多不写博客的人根本不了解我们所做的事情。
Trying to explain all that goes into a building a successful blog is like trying to teach someone a new language. If your significant other doesn't get what you're doing, your job is to show them.
试图解释所有有关打造成功博客的事情就像试图教给某人一种新语言一样。如果对你非常重要的另一半不清楚你在做什么，那么你的工作就是要展示给他们看。
One method is by showing them results. If you start bringing in revenue, they might not even need to understand what you're doing. They might just be happy by knowing that you are making money.
一种方法是给他们展现一下你的成果。如果你开始获得收益了，他们可能甚至就不需要了解你正在做什么了。他们或许因为知道你在赚钱而高兴呢。
If you're not making money yet, you will need to help them understand what blogging entails. Believe me, this is not an easy task.
如果你还没有从中赚到钱，你就要帮助他们了解写博客所需要承担的东西。相信我，这并不是一件简单的事情。
There is a very strong chance that their eyes will glaze over as you start talking about the importance of the placement of your opt-in box. Explain things a little at a time. The language bloggers use makes no sense to most, so take it slow.
很有可能当你开始讲述选择框设置的重要性时，他们的眼神会有些呆滞。每次讲解一点点。大多数人不懂写博人所用的语言，所以讲得慢一些。
6.Balance
6. 平衡
Blogging can be all consuming. It can literally eat up all of your time. If you are in a relationship, it's imperative that you find time for your significant other.
写博客会使人全身心投入进去。这确实会用掉你的所有时间。如果你正在恋爱，你必须要匀给你的另一半一些时间。
I can speak from experience here when I say that a marriage can suffer because of a lack of balance. It's incredibly easy to get wrapped up in your blog and forget about everything else. Don't do it!
我在此要说些经验之谈，一段婚姻会因为失衡而遭受痛苦。当然埋头于你的博客来忘掉其他的一切非常容易，但是千万别这么做！
You must force yourself to spend time away from your blog and spend more time with your family. I have 2 small children who I love more than anything, but I often find myself so intent on working on something that I forget all about spending time with them. Setting a schedule will help with this.
你必须强制自己从你的博客中抽出一些时间来多与家人在一起。我有两个小孩，我爱他们胜于一切，但是我经常发现自己太专注于工作而全完忘记了要花时间陪他们。制作一张计划表会帮你解决这个问题。
For example, set a timer for 2 hours and when time is up, you're done, period. Many choose to blog only at night after everyone is asleep. This is hard to get used to, especially if you have kids who like to get up early, but there is always a way to make it happen! It's all about sacrifice.
举个例子，定时两小时，时间一到，你就结束工作，就是这样。很多人选择只在夜晚所有人都睡觉时才写博客。要习惯于这种方式挺难，尤其当你有了喜欢早起的孩子时，但是总有办法会解决！只要做出牺牲就可以了。
7.Sacrifice
7. 牺牲
Be prepared to sacrifice many of the things you have grown accustomed to if you are truly committed to become a professional blogger. Gone are the nights of playing xBox, watching tv, and partying.
如果真的决心要专业写博，你就要准备好将你已经习惯了的许多事情牺牲掉。在夜晚玩游戏机、看电视、聚会的日子就不复存在了。
OK, it doesn't have to be this way, but you will need to forego many of these luxuries in order to give your full attention to your business. And why wouldn't you?
好吧，其实也不必非要如此，但是你需要放弃许多享受以便全身心投入你的事业中。你为何不去这样做呢？
Ask any business owner who is passionate about what they are doing and they will tell you that they would much rather be working than goofing off. Unfortunately, many people are not willing to give these things up and find themselves spending less and less time on their blogs.
问一下任何一位企业家，他们热情地投入到自己正在做的事情中，他们会告诉你，他们宁愿工作也不愿游手好闲。遗憾的是，许多人并不愿意放弃这些享受，他们发现自己在博客上所花的时间越来越少。
This usually results in an abandoned blog.. just another statistic.
通常这样带来的结果就是放弃写博，这仅仅是另一项统计调查。
8.Learning
8. 学习
The Internet is evolving at lightning speed and we need to be willing to keep up. If you think you have it all figured out, you're wrong. Any successful blogger (or business person) will tell you that the in order to remain that way, you need to be in a constant of learning.
网络正以光速进行着演变，我们必须乐意去跟上这种变化。如果你认为自己已经知道了网络的一切，你就错了。任何一位成功的写博人（或商人）会告诉你，为了保持现状，你需要继续不断地学习。
Internet marketing, the means by which most bloggers will build their business, is changing rapidly. Many of the core principles remain the same, but in order to gain a competitive edge, we need to be in the know.
网络营销是大多数写博人做生意的方式，它的变化很快。其中的许多核心法则是不变的，但是为了获得竞争优势，我们需要做到消息灵通。
If everyone is marketing a certain way with their email newsletter, you need to do it better. How? Learn what everyone is doing and do it differently. Teach people something they don't know already. Cover stories that just broke. Do reviews on products that were just released. Use your imagination. Become THE expert.
如果每个人都用他们的电邮通讯来进行营销，你就需要做得更好。怎么做？了解所有人正在做的事情，并做得与众不同。教给人们他们还不知道的东西，报道刚刚发生的故事，评论刚刚发布的新产品。运用你的想象力，成为行家能手。
9.Trial and Error
9. 尝试错误
There is no manual on how to blog successfully. Scratch that, there are thousands of manuals on how to blog successfully. The problem is that they all work and none of them work.
没有什么指南来告诉你如何成功写博。乱写一通，也有成千上万种指南来告诉你如何成功写博。问题在于，他们全部奏效又都没有用。
The ingredient that changes everything is YOU. These how-to books don't know you, your style, your voice, or your passions.
改变一切的要素在于“你”。这些指南性的书并不了解你、你的风格、你的声音或者你的钟爱。
Therefore, it's impossible to create a product that you can just plug in and become an overnight success. What you do with it will make you a success or failure. Blogging, like most other things, is a trial and error process.
因此，不可能创造那么一种产品，你只插上电源就可一夜成功。你用此所做的事情会让你成功或者失败。写博客就像大多数其他的事情一样，是个尝试错误的过程。
The good news is that we need this process in order to learn, understand, and grow. The experience we gain from this process in invaluable to our success.
好消息是，我们需要这样的过程来学习、了解并成长。我们从这一过程中所获取的经验是通往成功的无价之宝。
Ask any blogger who is earning a living online and you will find that they have tried (and often failed) at multiple different ventures. That's how we learn to be great, we try to figure out, through the trial process, what works the best.
询问任何一个在网络上谋生的写博人，你就会发现他们已经在各种不同的冒险中尝试（并且经常失败）多次了。这就是我们如何学习做到最好，通过尝试的过程，我们努力去找出最好的方法。
10.Positivity
10. 积极性
If you are by nature a cynical or negative person, you need to work on changing that immediately. With all the obstacles in our way to success, it's absolutely critical that we remain positive and actually believe that we will succeed.
如果你天生就愤世嫉俗或消极低沉，你需要立刻来改变这一点。在我们通往成功的道路上会遇到很多阻碍，保持积极的态度并确实坚信我们会成功则是绝对至关重要的。
We will all become overwhelmed at one point and doubt and fear will want to overtake us. This is a normal part of this business. However, we need to keep our eyes on the end result and remember that we CAN do it.
我们都会一度不知所措，怀疑与恐惧将要把我们压倒。这是正常的一个阶段。然而，我们需要关注最后的结果，记住我们能够做到。
The only thing stopping us of from being a huge success is US.
能够阻碍我们走向巨大成功的只有我们自己。
Please note that this post is not intended to talk you out of your dreams of become a professional blogger, but rather to set realistic expectations of what lies ahead.
请注意，这封邮件并不是想打击你成为职业写博人的梦想，而是要给你呈现前方道路上的实际预料的事情。
Keep your mind sharp and your vision strong and you will be well on your way.
保持敏捷的头脑和强大的想象，你就会顺利前行。
Written on 3/14/2011 by Steve Roy. Steve is the owner of EndingTheGrind.com, a blog about escaping the daily grind of a 9 to 5 job, building an online business, and living your passions. You can also find him on Twitter at @EndGrind.
本文由史蒂夫·罗伊于2011年3月14日撰写。史蒂夫是EndingTheGrind.com的创建者，这个博客讨论的是逃离朝九晚五的日常工作，创建网络生意，活出你的热情。你也可以在推特中用@EndGrind找到他。
