Blog envy – we’ve all been there. My Green Eyed Monster comes out when, in the middle of admiring the amazing work of my favorite brands, influencers and blogs, I slowly begin to have these negative thoughts:

• Why don’t I have as many followers?
• Why aren’t I making as much money as them?
• Why isn’t my site as gorgeous as theirs?
• Why am I not as successful as they are?

It is far too easy to scroll through someone else’s blog or Instagram feed and suddenly feel as if your (fill in the blank here) doesn’t measure up. Before you let the Green Eyed Monster get the better of you, here are my tips on how to banish blog envy and stay true to yourself in the blogosphere.

Raise your own bar.

When admiration turns into envy, the truth is every moment you dwell on not being “good enough” or “successful enough” is a missed learning opportunity to raise your own bar. The fact that you are impressed or inspired by the work of someone else means they are obviously doing something right to capture your admiration. Instead of being envious, be willing to learn from your competition by asking yourself, “what can I do to improve xyz?” Researchers are finding that when approached appropriately, envy can be used as a motivator. There will be no room for envying the success of others when you’re busy working toward reaching your own goals.

#Communityovercompetition.

When you choose to learn from others, don’t be afraid to actually reach out for advice and mentorship. Competition does not make someone your “enemy.” The blogosphere includes a large community of successful, kind and intelligent entrepreneurs who are more than happy to share their best tips and tricks in addition to valuable resources for little to no cost.  Allow competition to fuel your fire to be your best you – don’t allow envy to douse your passion. You know what they say; blowing out someone else’s candle won’t make yours burn any brighter.

Stay true to your niche.

A common form of blog envy is when bloggers pick the wrong niche based solely on profitability. To do what someone else is doing, just because you want to be as lucrative as they are, can easily backfire when you realize you are not actually passionate about your chosen niche. This might make it difficult to write meaningful content and even make you more envious of the person who seems to have it all together.

Another common form is choosing a niche that is too broad in an attempt to reach a larger audience. When I first started out as a blogger, coach and mentor Jennifer Jaden, founder of Society Gal,  told me that “when you speak to every one, you speak to no one” which has helped me narrow my focus of my writing. If your niche is Travel, I am going to want to see some epic tales about your travel adventures, not travel adventures and a random side of DIY craft articles and makeup tutorials.

When you have a clear understanding of what you are truly passionate about and who your target audience is, authentic readership and followers will come through.

Remember your “why.”

Most importantly when you start to feel those pangs of envy, remember to ask yourself  “Why am I doing what I am doing?” Your readers and followers want to know what makes YOU unique and are most likely following you because they are inspired by your “why.” Why be envious of others when you know you’re doing damn well already?

Do you fall prey to blog envy? How do you cope? Share your thoughts with me below!