You're right that it is not very accurate when you have a heavy proportion of blogger traffic but still nice to keep motivated!

I'll agree with your assessment on your success. You spend lots of time commenting on other blogs (you seem to be everywhere). You write thoughtful posts from the heart that people want to read (not just some SEO'd junk). I enjoy going to your blog and seeing what's going on with the expanding family. Nice work, dude!

That's some absolutely sweet progress, Matt! For those of us not quite ascending as quickly as you've been – what do you attribute most to the success (aside from the fantastic support you've received from Yakezie)?

Thanks Utopia. I can't say for sure what's been the biggest driver. I think it pretty much comes down to the kinds of things everyone has already said many times:

1. Write regular, passionate content. I'm not the best writer nor the most knowledgeable, but I genuinely care about each topic I've addressed. I've also maintained a M-W-F posting schedule without interruption for several months.

2. Comment on other blogs and share other blogger's work. I know that when someone else comments on my blog or shares something I've done, it makes me feel good and makes me want to do the same for them. It only makes sense to initiate this cycle as a new blogger.

3. Don't be afraid to reach out to other bloggers directly and ask for help. A few people have been willing to answer a ton of questions for me, namely Holly from Club Thrifty, Pauline from RFI and Make Money Your Way, MMD from My Money Design, Joe from Stacking Benjamins and Thomas from Your Daily Finance. I've had plenty of other people respond with direct emails based on inquiries from here as well. Making those connections beyond the comments section is not only a great way to learn, but also a great way to make it more likely that your work gets shared.

4. When an opportunity comes up, say yes. I haven't been great about actively seeking out guest posts (it's one of my goals to be more proactive with this), but when one has been offered I've said yes every time.

This is exceptionally inspirational. I'm going to keep these timelines and goals in mind and keep at it!

-S.