3 Biggest Challenges I Struggle With as a Food Blogger

As food bloggers we face many challenges. It is a highly competitive niche and we often put too much unnecessary weight on our shoulders. My biggest challenges are the same as many other food bloggers. So I am sharing with you my 3 biggest struggles and how I overcame them.

I am not going to say that this is easy or that you can do this in one day. It took years to be afraid of failure, it doesn’t take 60 seconds to overcome it.

I have talked about these struggles in our important tips food bloggers should know, but these 3 are the ones that I really personally struggled with. They are key problems that I see many food bloggers get stuck in so I feel it’s important to talk about them and how I struggled with it.

My biggest struggles

I am sure that many of you are familiar with these struggles. They are pretty common in the food blogging world or any blogging niche I am sure!

Being too critical of my own work

One of the biggest challenges I face as a food blogger is being too critical of my own work. I was constantly comparing my work to that of other bloggers and wondering why my pictures do not look as good or my blog was not seeing the same results.

I have always been a bit critical of my work, even long before blogging. People used to always tell me, it doesn’t HAVE to be perfect you know. But to me, it did. This has been something I struggled with since I was a kid. Nobody ever expected perfection from me but myself.

But then I remind myself that everyone has their own unique style and voice, and that’s what makes my blog special.

Fear of failure

Another big challenge is fear of failure. I’m always worried that my recipes won’t turn out well, or that I won’t be able to take beautiful food photos. But I’ve learned that the only way to overcome this fear is to just go for it and not be afraid to make mistakes.

I used to worry about what would happen if I did something. It always held me back from trying new things out of my comfort zone. It also kept me from changing plans for my blog, even tho change was best for growth. Fear of failure can really be a big road block!

Do you know how many things I put off because I was afraid it wouldn’t turn out right? Yeah, too many things!

Staying motivated

The final challenge is staying motivated. There are times when I just don’t feel like cooking or taking photos, and all I want to do is relax or go out. Then I felt guilty if I went out for the day instead of working online. It was a pretty crazy cycle that had me stressed!

The problem is that more stress causes a lack of motivation. You cannot concentrate and your mind is just about ready to shut down. Is it lack of motivation or just plain overwhelm?

Overwhelm took over my mind quite often. I tend to push and push harder but then burn out and struggle to continue.

How I overcame my biggest struggles as a food blogger

Once I was able to overcome my biggest struggles (especially fear of failure), I was able to run my food blog with a clear mind. When I have a clear mind it is easier to focus and be productive.

I first had to acknowledge that I was doing these things and that it was holding me back. I couldn’t help myself until I admitted to myself that I needed the help!

Being too critical of my own work

I overcame this challenge by accepting that everyone has their own unique style and voice. And that is what makes my blog special. Trust me, this was the hardest one for me to work on! I always put myself on an unachievable pedestal. I am not and will never be perfect – nobody is. It was a lot of stress lifted from me once I got beyond this!

My pictures may not be the same or as light and bright as another bloggers, but it is my style and I like them. So what if they are different, different is better and stands out from the rest.

And I also remind myself that I am getting better each time I make and shoot a recipe. Photography was not my strong point going into food blogging. I got into food blogging because I loved to cook, not because the camera and I were good together!

Fear of failure

I overcame this challenge by just going for it and not being afraid to make mistakes. I also stopped comparing my work to that of other bloggers. When you compare to others who have completely different situations, it makes you feel like you are not doing something right. Comparing my work was just making me feel worse and it wasn’t productive. I had to learn to trust my own voice and style.

While I know it doesn’t sound easy that I just went for it, but that was the best thing I could do. For me I stepped out of my comfort zone to start doing videos. In the beginning I was terrified that my videos would be horrible. I had a lot of resistance and excuses as to why I “couldn’t” do them. This is in quotes because I could do them but I tried so hard to think I couldn’t.

Here is the thing, if you do not try you don’t know how it will turn out. Maybe it will flop, maybe it will be amazing. But if it flopped, you will learn that it needs to be changed. Re-evaluate what went wrong and try again. Every successful person has many fails on their way up the ladder!

Just go for it and try it, change it if it didn’t work. Learn from your mistakes and grow.

Staying motivated

I overcame this challenge by taking some time for myself every day to relax and do something that I enjoy. It can be anything from playing video games, going for a long nature walk, or gardening.

This helps to reduce stress and gives me a break from thinking about food all the time. Let’s face it, food blogging is all about food so you can burn out quick!

I got to the point where I didn’t want to cook some days. Dinner time would come around and there I was staring at the fridge full of food with no idea what I wanted to make. Many times I had no ambition to turn the stove on. Guys and gals, it was pretty bad here!

I also make sure to set realistic goals for myself, so that I don’t become overwhelmed and stressed. I make sure to have a plan for what I want to accomplish each week, and I stick to it as best as I can. This helps me stay focused and on track.

Setting small goals was something that took me a long time to do. I did have a lot of resistance here. I was a failure fearing person who wanted an instant success. Yeah, we all need to know that it just doesn’t work that way. Baby steps to the goals, it’s not a sprint to the finish line!

And if I do start to feel stressed, I take a deep breath and remember that this is just a small road block that I can get over. I can do this.

Conclusion

If you are struggling with any of these challenges, know that you are not alone. We all go through these struggles at one point or another. Just remember to take a step back, breathe, and think about what is really important. And don’t forget to have some fun along the way!

What are some of your biggest struggles? I would love to hear about them in the comments!

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