It Took Me Years to Build a Simple Blog

It Took Me Years to Build a Simple Blog

Recently, I built yet another blog.

I’ve been enamored with blogging since my sophomore year of college. Over the years, I’ve tinkered with five or six different blog frameworks—each time starting full of hope, only to abandon the project midway due to bugs or broken pages. Slowly, blogging became something I never really used, despite my deep interest.

You see, I’m a tinkerer by nature. From my early attempts to build a static blog on Windows, to later experiments on macOS, things just kept getting harder. It’s just a blog, right? So why did it keep overwhelming me?

Then recently, I set up a new blog using Cursor. It still wasn’t easy, but it went smoother than ever before. And that little bit of success made me realize: what others find easy can be incredibly difficult when you’re the one doing it.

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We often avoid doing what we want—not because we can’t, but because we lack experience.

But here’s the catch: if we never try, we’ll never gain that experience.

It’s like job hunting. Companies often ask, “Do you have experience?” And young people rightly think, “How can I get experience if no one gives me a chance?”

In everyday life, this question transforms into a more subtle phrase:

“I don’t know how.”

It sounds honest, but it often hides a quiet surrender. The more we say it, the more we subconsciously give ourselves permission to quit before we even start.

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The real danger isn’t in not knowing, but in believing that not knowing is okay.

That belief kills our motivation. It convinces us that trying isn’t worth it. And over time, it erodes our will to learn anything new.

Learning is about accumulation. Difficult skills are especially tough at the beginning—full of fear and friction. If you give up early, you’ll never make it past the painful entry point.

It’s like running. The first five kilometers are the hardest. But push past that, and your body starts to release dopamine and endorphins, making the run enjoyable. Most people never get past that point, so all they remember is the pain.

Learning is the same. You won’t feel the joy of mastery if you give up before the breakthrough.

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So, long-term persistence becomes the key to feeling the rewards of learning.

But the longer you believe "it’s okay not to know," the easier it becomes to quit.

I once saw a quote that hit me hard:

“What you fear comes from lack of experience, not lack of ability.”

So true.

I used to fear learning English. I thought I had no talent for it and panicked at the sight of English content. But it wasn’t a talent issue—it was simply a lack of exposure. Now, I read and use English daily. The fear is gone.

Ironically, the subject I used to excel in—math—is now my weakest, mostly forgotten. Meanwhile, the subjects I once hated—Chinese and English—are now my strongest, simply because I use them the most.

That’s when I realized:

What determines your ability isn’t talent—it’s how often you use it.

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This “simple” blog-building journey took me years. I failed again and again. But in the process, I learned one of life’s most important lessons:

Fear doesn’t mean you’re incapable—it just means you’re inexperienced.

And experience? That only comes from doing.

So don’t fear not knowing. Everything is just a matter of time and effort. If you start—and keep going—you’ll get there.

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If this post resonated with you, feel free to share it.

Or tell me in the comments: What’s something you once gave up on just because you “didn’t know how”?