Episode 786: How to Keep Going When You’re Not Seeing Results With Liz Pollio

EBT786 – Liz Pollio

[00:00:00]  Megan Porta 

If you have been showing up, doing the work and still not seeing growth that you want to see, this episode is for you. Liz Pollio of Flour De Liz joins me to talk honestly about staying motivated when progress feels slow or when you feel a little bit bored. She shares the mindset shifts that keep her moving forward. From focusing on future success and small wins to digging into data and redefining what it means to actually grow. This conversation is full of gentle encouragement and smart takeaways. Creators like you need to navigate the long game.

[00:00:40]   Intro

Hi, food bloggers. I’m Megan Porta and this is Eat Blog Talk. Your space for support, inspiration, and strategies to grow your blog and your freedom. Whether that’s personal, professional, or financial, you are not alone on this journey.

[00:00:54]  Megan Porta 

Good morning, Liz. How are you today? Thanks for being here.

[00:00:57]  Liz Pollio 

Good. How are you?

[00:00:58]  Megan Porta 

I’m good. I’m so excited to chat. I know this topic is probably the most relevant topic of all. Just how do we keep going when we’re not seeing growth or traction or fill in the blank that we want when we’re doing all the things? And we’re going to have a great discussion about this today.

[00:01:17]   

But before we get into that, I just wanted to ask you, what pain point is driving people to listen to this episode?

[00:01:27]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, I mean, I think. I think exactly what you just said. Like, for me, I get a lot of motivation from seeing growth and seeing progress. I always like to use the example that back in 2019, I ran a marathon and the only motivation to keep doing that was at the end of my long run every week.

[00:01:48]   

My watch was like, this is your longest run ever. And I was like, oh, yeah, that feels like a win. And so seeing those wins, I feel like, is such good motivation, but I feel like it’s sometimes really hard to keep going when you’re not seeing those wins. And so I think I’ve really worked hard to figure out ways to keep being motivated when we’re not seeing those wins.

[00:02:07]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I think a lot of people, Capital A L O T are going to hear this and be like, yes, that is me. I want to see the win. So this will be such a great episode. So to kind of frame our talk today, you are a food blogger and your food blog is Flour de Liz, which is the best food blog name ever.I love. I love it.

[00:02:28]  Liz Pollio 

Thank you. Thank you.

[00:02:29]  Megan Porta 

Give us a little bit of background about Flour de Liz and who you are and when you started and all of that good stuff. Yeah.

[00:02:35]  Liz Pollio 

So Flower Del is for people who haven’t Seen it and Written out is a play on Fleur de Lis. And my aunt came up with that name. So I started it in 2016. I’ve always been a baker, and years ago my grandma told me I should start or I should write a cookbook.

[00:02:53]   

And that always sort of planted that seed. And then when I first moved to Boston in 2015, we had a tiny apartment. Like, the fridge couldn’t open all the way because it would hit the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen. Like, full size dinner plates couldn’t fit in the cabinets. Like, I was so small.

[00:03:11]   

And so I was really inspired to create recipes. Like, I had this really tiny space. We had like a square of counter space that was like a foot and a half by a foot and a half, and that was it. And so it was like I couldn’t make really complicated recipes. I didn’t want a lot of dishes because our sink would fill up really quickly and there was nowhere to put any extra dishes.

[00:03:30]   

And so I really wanted to create, like, simple and approachable recipes. So really focused on creating recipes for people who maybe don’t have a lot of space or a lot of time. I know everyone’s so busy, so really wanted to have those options available. And then I also have just heard so many people talk about how they can’t bake.

[00:03:50]   

It’s too precise or it’s too this or to that. And so I really wanted to create recipes that people felt like they could bake, but also that didn’t put the pressure of like, everything has to be made from scratch and it has to be perfect and this and that. Like, I wanted to sort of make it more fun and enjoyable and approachable.

[00:04:06]   

So that sort of stemmed Flour de Liz. And so, yeah, it’s been really fun and I’m really trying to focus on keeping. Keeping the fun. Yeah. When it gets a little stressful.

[00:04:19]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. Nine to ten years is a long time to be blogging. I’ve. I’ve been blogging well, I think a little bit longer than you, but it’s still, you know, it’s around the same time frame. And I occasionally get that feeling of just like, this is a long time to be doing the same thing day in and day out.

[00:04:37]   

And we’ve been through a lot of changes. Our industry, we’ve. You and I have seen a lot of significant changes. So it’s, you know, it’s volatile. It can be like feeling like we’re thrashed around in a boat at sea sometimes.

[00:04:53]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah.

[00:04:54]  Megan Porta 

So, yeah, I mean, it’s a lot to get through, especially now in 2026, the landscape feels just a little bit jarring and uncertain and weird. So, yeah, definitely. Yeah.

[00:05:06]  Liz Pollio 

And I guess I was saved from some of it. And I didn’t really know what I was doing until 2020. I was just before 2020, I was just, like, putting things up with no concept of SEO or any of that stuff. So I maybe was spared from the first half of that. But, yeah, since then, I’ve really been deep into it and it really has been just drastically changing so much.

[00:05:29]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I think you were spared from the time when it was actually easy. It was easy back I started in 2010, I would say from then until probably Covid. I mean, things happened, algorithms came, things changed, but it wasn’t like it is now. Now it just feels like a totally different world. So I think whether people are feeling like they’re just.

[00:05:49]   

Their wheels are spinning, maybe or maybe not, but they’re just kind of in the rut of. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I think this episode is really going to help people to stay motivated. So over the years, what are some ways that you have been able to stay motivated if you’re not seeing growth or if you’re just feeling like you’re a little bit bored?

[00:06:10]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. So I think one big one for me is sort of that potential for future success. So, like, back to the sort of marathon training example. My watch just said, this is your longest run ever. When I finished the run, not before I started the run. So, like, the same idea. Like, I know, like, I.

[00:06:29]   

I didn’t have, like, a great Q4 in 2025, which I think maybe a lot of people are feeling that as well. And so for me, I’m like, okay, so if I really focus on my Q4 recipes in 2026, maybe I can get that boost back. And so that potential for, like, a really great or a really strong Q4 in 2026, I think is really motivating for me.

[00:06:50]   

Like, that sort of that, like, win at the end, when I finish, when I finish it. So I think that’s one big one. Is just sort of keeping in mind that potential that the work now is. It’s a long game, and the work now will be those wins at the end.

[00:07:08]  Megan Porta 

Do you also. Do you try to look back and see wins and focus on those two? Like, I know it’s so good to look forward and think of the potential, but I think there’s value and looking back and maybe it wasn’t a great Q4, but there are always other wins to grab onto.Do you do that as well?

[00:07:25]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, and I think that really ties into like. So I think I, I definitely do. I do everything myself. I don’t have a VA. I work a full time job, so I don’t have like a ton of time that can go into it. But so I don’t necessarily like track a lot of data week over week or month over month.

[00:07:48]   

And so I’ll pop into like my MediaVine dashboard a couple times a week and I’ll check analytics maybe a handful of times a month, but I don’t really have a lot of time to dive into that data. But every year on December 31, I sit down and I put in all my data.

[00:08:04]   

Like I have a list of data points and so I sit down and I put in like this many page views this month or this year and you know, this much revenue and this many Instagram followers and I have this whole list of data and I put it in. And so, you know, I think that’s.

[00:08:19]   

That question is such a. Ties so well into this, you know, my situation this year, which is I thought at the end I thought 2025 was a bad year for my blog. Like I just didn’t think I did well. But when I did that, when I sat down and looked at like the data points for the full year of 2025 versus the full year of 2024, there actually was growth, even though I didn’t feel like there was growth.

[00:08:41]   

And so I think sometimes just diggin details or actually really stepping back. So like that big picture of those data points can sometimes help where it’s like, yeah, my Q4 in 2025 wasn’t great. But that didn’t mean 2025 wasn’t great because overall my page views were up and my, you know, I had, you know, growth in my email list and like things like that. So there are the wins there. And so sometimes it’s just like digging in to find those.

[00:09:11]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I think those small wins can be so motivating. Almost just as motivating as the potential future wins.

[00:09:17]  Liz Pollio 

Right. For sure.

[00:09:18]  Megan Porta 

And that I love that you do it at the end of the year because that can set you up for the new year. But I also feel like, do you recommend people do it maybe a little bit more often? Like even quarterly or some on some sort of regular basis?

[00:09:32]  Liz Pollio 

I definitely think whatever bandwidth you have to do it, it’s helpful to see. I wouldn’t get too, I mean, for me personally, I don’t like to do it too frequently just because there are periods where I don’t see that growth. And so that can also be demotivating if I’m, like, looking at it every month and I’m like, well, this month I didn’t grow, but I do think more than once a year, if you have the capacity to do that, can definitely keep that motivation throughout the year.

[00:10:02]   

I also use that time to set my goals of those numbers for the next year. And so sort of tracking against those throughout the year could be kind of seeing that progress as you go, which could help as well.

[00:10:13]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I think you’re. You made such a good point that if you do it too often, it’s almost like the data can’t accumulate enough. So then you could actually get really depressed about that. It could be discouraging and scary.

[00:10:26]  Liz Pollio 

Not every month is going to be a win.

[00:10:28]  Megan Porta 

Right? Yeah. I think now that we’re talking quarterly feels good for the average blogger, probably.

[00:10:36]  Liz Pollio 

I think so.

[00:10:36]  Megan Porta 

Where you can see progress over time.

[00:10:38]  Liz Pollio 

And for me, like, summer is usually kind of not a great. Like, I don’t have a ton of summer recipes. And so I’m. I just know that a summer period is not going to be as good. So maybe I’ll skip that quarter if I. I know it’s just not comparable.

[00:10:53]  Megan Porta 

To if you know it’s going to make you feel bad, I think skip it. Summer is the same way. For me, it always has. Historically, it always has been. This year is going to change, of course.

[00:11:02]  Liz Pollio 

But now you could compare it to last summer if you feel like year over year. But I wouldn’t compare it to, like, a cute winter event. Like, I do really. I’ve done really well on Valentine’s Day last year. So, like, seeing, like, something after that would maybe not feel as good. When I’m like, oh, I had this great February, and now summer is so much lower.

[00:11:22]   

So it just depends on how you’re looking at it.

[00:11:25]  Megan Porta 

Yep.

[00:11:25]  Liz Pollio 

And there’s so many ways to look at data. I mean, you could go down a rabbit hole.

[00:11:31]  Megan Porta 

So when you set up your. Your future goals and your dreams for the coming year. So when you sat down on December 31, do you write them down? Do you visualize how do you kind of sort through them so that they stay top of mind?

[00:11:46]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. So I keep a spreadsheet so that I can see year over year over year. I. And I. I do kind of think about my plans for the year and what I want to accomplish that year. I also look at what progress I’ve made so far. So, like, if I see that, like, I’ve been setting a goal to grow a certain area that’s not growing as fast, then I may reevaluate that goal and say, like, look at two things.

[00:12:20]   

One, why is it not growing as fast and what can I do differently? And then also, maybe I’m being, I don’t want to say being too ambitious, but if you set a goal that year over year you’re not achieving, that can also start to kind of be demotivating in some ways. So maybe rethinking what that goal should be, what’s a realistic goal that we can achieve?

[00:12:42]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I love that. So goals that you’re not achieving, if it’s happening year after year after year, it’s going to eventually start to make you feel bad. Right. And you don’t.

[00:12:52]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, I do like to be ambitious when I cycle. So I do set some that I’m like, I may or may not hit this, but why not try? But yeah, if I’m setting the same goal year over year and I continue to not hit it, then I do think I. I take some time and either rethink the strategy around what I’m doing to get there or rethink the goal, or both.

[00:13:12]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I love it. What else do you do to just stay motivated if you’re not seeing growth or you’re feeling bored?

[00:13:21]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, I think a really big one is like, I think when we feel stagnant or stuck just remembering why we started it. Like, I think most of us started our blogs because we enjoyed cooking or baking and we had. It was a passion. And when I feel like when it goes from a passion to a business, sometimes we get stuck in the.

[00:13:40]   

This is how it’s supposed to be done, and we kind of lose the joy of it. And what, I guess what originally made us want to start it to begin with. And so I think sometimes going back to that can be really helpful. So my example is I’ve been at the same Instagram following for like three or four years, and I haven’t been growing.

[00:14:00]   

And my this year when I sat and did my goals, I was like, you know, I’ve been stuck at the same number for like three years, so why don’t I change up what I’m doing? I completely did a new strategy. I was like, clearly what I’m doing isn’t working. Let’s go with a new strategy.

[00:14:18]   

It’s something fun and different and exciting, and if it works, that’s great, but if it doesn’t work. I’m not losing anything. And, like, I’m not growing anyway, so I’m not losing that growth. So. And that’s more fun. And I feel like too, when you’re enjoying what you’re doing, that comes through in the content too.

[00:14:35]   

And so I think kind of going back to that initial passion and why you started it and, like, have it. Just having fun with it, maybe making a, you know, creating a recipe that’s just something you wanted to make that maybe has no search volume.

[00:14:51]  Megan Porta 

Yes.

[00:14:51]  Liz Pollio 

But you enjoy it, like, something like that, just to reignite that kind of passion. I think that can really help remotivate. When you’re feeling a little bit stuck.

[00:15:00]  Megan Porta 

Do you feel like, okay, I’m gonna tell you how I feel. You tell me if you agree. I feel like it. Food blogging is such a great canvas for this because there are so many different things that we can dig into. We can create a cookbook, we can dig into Instagram, we can go to the YouTube channel, we can do the TikTok thing.

[00:15:20]   

Like, there are so many different variables and opportunities for creativity. So if you’re tired of your blog, that’s fine. If you’re see if your growth is stagnant, okay, that sucks. But direct your focus somewhere else so that you can find that creativity again. Do that. Sounds like that’s kind of what you’re saying.

[00:15:43]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, I definitely think that. And I think too, even with, like, the data piece, I think, you know, my email had a lot of growth, and just based on my bandwidth, I send emails once a month. And, you know, I’m, like, looking at that data and seeing, like, well, maybe I didn’t grow on my blog that much, but I grew in my email a lot.

[00:16:01]   

Maybe I can shift my focus and increase those emails, knowing that it’ll reduce the time that goes towards the blog a little bit. But that’s where I’m growing right now, and that’s where it feels exciting. So maybe that’s where I’m focusing. So I think too, the data can even point you into, like, new areas of focus.

[00:16:18]   

You may be focusing on one thing, but seeing that progress somewhere else, maybe putting a little more time into that.

[00:16:24]  Megan Porta 

I love that. So your focus on Instagram, has that paid off?

[00:16:28]  Liz Pollio 

It just started, so we’ll see more to come. Yeah.

[00:16:32]  Megan Porta 

I tend to think that where you place your passion and your. Where there’s a spark and you focus on that thing, that’s. That tends to be the thing that grows.

[00:16:43]  Liz Pollio 

Right.

[00:16:43]  Megan Porta 

So I’m. I anticipate that you will see growth there.

[00:16:46]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. And I, I think too, like I again, I think that that passion just comes through when you create. If you’re creating because you have to.

[00:16:53]  Megan Porta 

Uhhuh.

[00:16:54]  Liz Pollio 

It doesn’t come across the same as if you’re creating because you want to.

[00:16:57]  Megan Porta 

And if you think about blogs right now, a lot of people feel frustrated with their blog traffic, especially with Google and Pinterest. So that frustration, I know this sounds like really woo woo, but the frustration comes through if you are not feeling your blog. If you hate the results that your blog is giving you, then that nothing is going to shine there.

[00:17:24]   

So why not? Like you said earlier, why not? You don’t have anything to lose. Try something else. What is lighting you up? Right?

[00:17:32]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

[00:17:34]  Megan Porta 

I love that. So your advice for people would be maybe just go back to the drawing board. Why did you start this? Ask yourself that and find a direction that feels fun. Yeah.

[00:17:46]  Liz Pollio 

And even if you don’t do it long term, just doing a little bit of, like you said, like sort of reigniting that creativity can sort of re spark that passion and get you excited and motivated again.

[00:17:59]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. And if you set the part of the business aside that is dragging you down, maybe you’ll eventually come back to it and feel motivated by it.

[00:18:05]  Liz Pollio 

Exactly. Yeah. Yep.

[00:18:07]  Megan Porta 

Okay, you talked a little bit about data already. How else can just going through your data kind of, I don’t know, keep us motivated, reignite our passion, et cetera?

[00:18:21]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, I mean, I think, I think the point about the email list where like for me it’s something I do, but I don’t put a ton of time into it just because again, I’m spread across so many things. Like now seeing that data and saying, okay, maybe I should put more time into this because I always feel like I have so many old posts that desperately need updating and all this stuff that I always feel like the blog is the top priority and looking at the data, I’m like, I can still work on the blog, but put less time there and more time into something else that is doing well to make that continue to grow.

[00:18:59]   

Because I feel like if you are still focusing on the one thing that’s not growing and not focusing on the thing that is growing, you might kind of lose that momentum. So I feel like sort of capitalizing on the momentum of what’s doing well can be really motivating and really exciting. And that doesn’t mean you have to drop everything else, but you can just reallocate your time and again.

[00:19:23]   

You can always go back to shifting your time how you were doing it before, but just sort of capitalizing on the momentum you have in the areas where you’re seeing that growth in the data, I think can be really motivating because that’s. I feel like when you’re focused on the things that aren’t growing.

[00:19:42]   

So just to use it as an example, if I’m continuing to focus on updating my blog posts, and my blog is doing fine, but it’s not getting bigger and the email is getting bigger, that’s more exciting. And so that gives you that sort of, I guess going back to the passion like that gives you sort of that inspiration, that passion to keep focusing on that.

[00:20:02]   

And that doesn’t mean your blog won’t grow also, but it gives you kind of somewhere to focus your energy.

[00:20:10]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. And like you said, you don’t need to set it down forever. You can eventually come back to it, and you might. That likely will happen. This is probably my favorite point of all so far, because data doesn’t lie. Numbers don’t lie. So sometimes there’s an area of your business that you’re just not thinking about that is trying to tell you this is working. And if you can just find that and run with it, oh, my gosh, so much magic could happen.

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[00:21:49] Megan Porta

Is there anything else on the data you wanted to mention?

[00:21:52]  Liz Pollio 

No, I think that was pretty much it.

[00:21:54]  Megan Porta 

Yeah.

[00:21:54]  Liz Pollio 

Just shifting the focus to what’s exciting to you and focusing on that growth.

[00:22:02]  Megan Porta 

It could be a micro thing, too. It could be some smaller project within your blog. It could be a new micro niche or a new category you want to focus on, or maybe it’s getting videos on your blog. I mean, like we said earlier, there’s so many different avenues to go with food blogging, so don’t limit yourself to just platforms.Right. Like, you could exactly look in a much smaller scope at your business.

[00:22:28]  Liz Pollio 

Definitely. Definitely. Yeah.

[00:22:31]  Megan Porta 

All right. What else do you have for us, Liz, as far as staying motivated?

[00:22:35]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. So I think this one is probably my favorite one. So I used to. Listen, there’s a person on TikTok and Instagram named Elise Myers. I don’t know if you. If you’re familiar with her, but she had a podcast called Funny Because It’s True. And one of her episodes she had the Office Ladies on, which is Pam and Angela from.They have their own podcast.

[00:22:58]  Megan Porta 

Okay.

[00:22:58]  Liz Pollio 

And they went on her podcast. And I actually think that whole episode was really good. They’ve talked a lot about, like, continuing to audition. And, you know, people think they’re, like, an overnight success, but, like, they don’t see all the work that went into it behind it. And, like, they just have so much.

[00:23:14]   

Any, like, gems of inspiration in that episode. But something that stuck with me ever since I listened to that episode was Elise talked about hitting singles, which is, you know, a baseball analogy. But she said everything you do is not going to be a home run. And so, you know, focus on hitting, hitting the singles.

[00:23:33]   

So those are the things that move the needle forward, that make progress, that are little wins, or they may be the things that bring you joy or have some sort of meaning or purpose to you. And all those singles get you towards that home run. And then eventually you’ll hit a home run and then you’ll go back to hitting singles.

[00:23:53]   

So you can celebrate that win. You can celebrate that home run, and then you go back to hitting singles, making progress towards hitting your next home run. And I just really loved that. And I. Yeah, I mean, I’ve only listened to that episode once, actually, probably a couple years ago, and it still stuck with me.

[00:24:09]   

Like, that concept just has always stuck with me, and I just really like that concept. So that’s one of my favorite ones, is that’s like a mindset that I try to keep thinking about is everything we’re doing is hitting singles towards that next home run.

[00:24:24]  Megan Porta 

Oh, okay. I said my last point was my favorite. But I think. I think I’m with you. I think this is my new favorite because that is extremely motivating. If you are just doing the thing day in and day out and, like. Yeah. Single mentality, and you feel like it’s not adding up. Just keeping in mind that the singles matter. Right.

[00:24:47]  Liz Pollio 

Exactly.

[00:24:47]  Megan Porta 

And, like, in the moment, that is super motivating.

[00:24:51]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah.

[00:24:51]  Megan Porta 

Yeah.

[00:24:52]  Liz Pollio 

Everything is progress towards a bigger. A bigger accomplishment. Yeah.

[00:24:56]  Megan Porta 

Right. Oh, gosh, I love that. And then as far as that episode, so you said, what is. What is Elisa’s podcast called?

[00:25:03]  Liz Pollio 

I don’t think it still exists, but you can find the old episode. Okay. Or maybe it’s. Maybe it’s coming back. I’m not sure. But the old episodes are. It’s called Funny Because It’s True. I can send you the link for it.

[00:25:13]  Megan Porta 

Awesome.

[00:25:13]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, but I really just thought that episode was just so good.

[00:25:17]  Megan Porta 

Awesome. Okay, we’ll put that in your show notes. And what else. What else is motivating, Liz?

[00:25:23]  Liz Pollio 

And yeah, I think this. This last one is very kind of similar to the hitting singles, but it’s sort of really redirecting your focus on what you have accomplished. So I take a couple different approaches with this one is my husband and I do an accomplishment jar where we write, like, big accomplishments on, like, a little piece of paper and put it in.

[00:25:44]   

And then every New Year’s Eve, we read all the accomplishments from the year. And sort of going back to that first question you asked about looking at, you know, past progress, we started keeping all the accomplishments from the previous year in the jar too, so that when we’re reading the ones from this year, we can see how far we’ve come from where we were.

[00:26:06]   

And so I think, you know, you know, maybe I was excited about my, you know, my first check when I joined Journey two years ago, and it was like $110 or something. And then now what feels like a small payment from MediaVine actually just shows how much growth that is from where we were when I was on Journey a couple of years ago.

[00:26:28]   

So kind of keeping that perspective.

[00:26:30]  Megan Porta 

Yeah.

[00:26:31]  Liz Pollio 

Has been really helpful. And that’s really focused on big accomplishments, or that’s how we do it. But then I also have been trying to focus on accomplished, like, daily accomplishments, like, things I’ve accomplished every day. And those don’t have to be big things. So I really feel like breaking down all of your tasks into subtasks can show you how much you’ve actually accomplished.

[00:26:57]   

So my example is always if I have updating a blog post on my to do list and the blog post doesn’t get updated, then I’m like, oh, well, I didn’t get that done. And it puts like a negative framing around it. But if I said, like, if I broke that down into the pieces and I’m like, well, I edited the photos and I added a video to the post and I’ve rewritten the first three paragraphs, like that’s still an accomplishment, even though the full post didn’t get updated.

[00:27:22]   

But if I look at it as I didn’t mark off, I didn’t get the updating the blog post done for my to do list, then I didn’t get that done and it kind of feels like a loss.

[00:27:33]  Megan Porta 

Right.

[00:27:34]  Liz Pollio 

But if I say like, okay, well, I updating a blog post has seven subtasks and I got three or four of them done, I’m halfway there. Like, that feels more like a positive reframing of that. And so I feel like breaking that down into the subtasks can really help you focus on what you’ve accomplished as opposed to sort of seeing it as, well, I didn’t get something done because you didn’t complete the whole thing.

[00:27:57]  Megan Porta 

So do you evaluate at the end of every day and kind of write down your subtask accomplishments just to make you feel better if you didn’t get the blog post on or whatever?

[00:28:07]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. So at the end of each day, I do gratitude, accomplishments and my goals for the next day.

[00:28:14]  Megan Porta 

Oh, that’s awesome. And do you do that at the end of the workday or at the end of the day day, like right before you go to bed?

[00:28:19]  Liz Pollio 

I do it before I go to bed.

[00:28:20]  Megan Porta 

Okay. Yeah, I think that’s great because then you can let it seep into your subconscious and kind of ponder the gratitude as you sleep. But also you have in mind what you need to do the next day.

[00:28:32]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. And also for me, you know, I work a full time job and then I work on the blog after that if I have time. Sometimes it’s making dinner and doing other things, but I try to work on the blog every night, so I want to make sure that those accomplishments get included in that as well.

[00:28:46]  Megan Porta 

Yeah.

[00:28:46]  Liz Pollio 

And so I want to make sure, like, and sometimes my accomplishment is that I made dinner tonight. I’m tired. It’s been a long day. I’m not a good cook. I love to bake, but I’m not a good cook. So I’m like, sometimes making dinner is my accomplishment for the day. So yeah, I definitely wait till that.Till bedtime so that I can get everything that I’ve accomplished.

[00:29:05]  Megan Porta 

Right, Right. Because it’s not always work related. Right. Sometimes it’s life related.

[00:29:09]  Liz Pollio 

Exactly.

[00:29:10]  Megan Porta 

It’s something I’ve noticed lately. Isn’t it funny how we can so easily move past big things that we accomplish? There are a few things that happened last week that were so big. Like, if I stop and think about it, like, wow, that was really, really significant. And normally I just. You give it a second or a minute or whatever, and you’re like, wow, that was big.

[00:29:35]   

And then you move on and you forget about it. But we don’t often sit and think after the fact how significant things are that we’ve accomplished. Right. Do you feel that, too?

[00:29:46]  Liz Pollio 

I. I definitely see that. And I also think sometimes it doesn’t feel as big because we’ve grown. And so I think sort of, that you’re like, well, now this is just sort of the norm. But when you look at where you were, you know, a year or two ago, that wasn’t the norm at all.

[00:30:04]   

And it’s huge growth. So I think, I mean, I hate to say, like, comparing everything to previous times, but I think, you know, with the data, with accomplishments, with any of that, it really shows that growth when you compare it to previous years, because I think we’re so, I guess, ingrained in where we are now that sometimes it’s easy to forget where we were 1 and 2 and 3, maybe even 10 years ago.

[00:30:30]  Megan Porta 

That’s a really good point, I think.

[00:30:32]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. I think it’s sometimes easy to. To brush past big wins because we don’t always realize how big they are too.

[00:30:39]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, that is a really good point. And I think going with your strategy of just, even if it’s not daily, but if you’re inspired, do it weekly. Sitting down and noting your accomplishments, that will help you get into the mindset of acknowledging things that you’ve done. Like, we so brush past big, big and small and everything in between wins so often in our lives.

[00:31:04]   

But there’s so much power in just sitting down and acknowledging what. What has happened, what we’ve done and what’s happened, the good things that have happened to us.

[00:31:12]  Liz Pollio 

And I think it’s important to acknowledge the small ones, too, because otherwise you sit down and you’re like, well, I haven’t really accomplished anything. And then that feels not good.

[00:31:21]  Megan Porta 

Yeah.

[00:31:22]  Liz Pollio 

And so, like, I think it’s important to acknowledge, like, small wins are still wins. They’re hitting singles, they’re getting you towards your home run. So I think, I think it’s important to acknowledge the big and the small, but I do think the big ones should be, like, celebrated a little bit like, I do.

[00:31:38]   

I do think those are worth, like, highlighting and celebrating to remind yourself, like, what you’ve done.

[00:31:44]  Megan Porta 

I love that so much. So if somebody’s listening and they are feeling like I’m doing all the things. Liz, you have no idea. Doing everything and nothing is working. And I feel so discouraged. What would be the. Maybe the number one thing that you would tell them to just keep going and to stay motivated.

[00:32:04]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. So I. I think this kind of goes back to that first point of, like. I mean, I guess it’s all kind of connected, but, like, the first point of, like, that future success, I think that’s the same as hitting singles. Like, that home run is coming, and you just have to push through the hard part to get to that home run.

[00:32:23]   

And I think it’s kind of silly, but the quote, I guess that sticks with me. It was actually an Instagram comment that said, that’s okay. These seats will be filled up soon. And the context of that is I was scrolling Instagram and totally out of the blue, like, a fashion account came up.

[00:32:44]   

And I don’t follow fashion. I’m not really a fashion person, but it came up on my feed, and it was. The Instagram comment was, like, screenshotted over top of an image or a video or something of a fashion show with models on a Runway. And the seats, like, the audience seats were fairly empty.

[00:33:01]   

And I guess someone had commented on the post, that’s okay. These seats. These seats will be filled up soon. And in the caption, they explained that a year ago, they had posted that, and someone had commented that it was about Lagos Fashion Week. And the next year, that Fashion Week sold out, and they had, like, a celebrity on the Runway and, like, just, like, remembering, like, that kind of mindset of it’s okay that the.

[00:33:29]   

The seats are empty now. They will fill up. And so I think that mindset has been really helpful for me. I saw that a few months ago, and that’s another one that’s just sort of stuck with me. And I’ve liked. Yeah.

[00:33:43]  Megan Porta 

And also that kind of reminds me if there’s something else that resonates with you. If you’re scrolling on Instagram or wherever, like, those resonated with you, then take what you take, what inspires you, and write it down and remind yourself of those things, because they come to you at the right time for a reason, and you’re feeling that spark of inspiration, motivation for a reason.So just take note of them. I guess that’s my point.

[00:34:07]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah. And that reminds me too, like I’ve heard other people probably on your. On from listening to your podcast, but talking about they. And maybe, maybe I think you’ve said it too, but keeping like screenshots or a file of some sort of like the positive comments and the positive feedback so that you can refer back to that when you’re feeling discouraged.

[00:34:25]   

Because, I mean, I think in any situation we all go through sort of the ebbs and flows of like, why am I doing this? And we always come out the other side, I think. But I think having those sort of positive words to refer back to just to get you through those sort of lulls can really help.

[00:34:48]   

And I think especially now, like you were saying at the beginning, like, it’s been hard and I think some of these lulls may be longer, but I still think we’ll come come back out the other side of those. It’s just sort of getting through them.

[00:35:02]  Megan Porta 

This was incredible. I think to start the year, there couldn’t be a better motivational message. So thank you for all of this. I feel, I know, I feel inspired and ready to.

[00:35:13]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, thank you for. It was great to talk through it too. It’s, you know, something that’s always on my mind, so I’m glad to be able to talk through it. And thank you for having me. This was so great.

[00:35:22]  Megan Porta 

Oh my gosh. So fun to connect with you. So thank you for all of this and we’ll put together a show notes page for you, Liz. So if anyone wants to go peek at those, you can head to eatblogtalk.com/flourdeliz which again, most amazing blog name ever. So tell everyone where they can find you.Blog, social media, etc.

[00:35:43]  Liz Pollio 

Yeah, so the blog is flourdeliz.com. Unfortunately I’m not lucky enough to have the same name on every social media platform, but the one I use probably the most is Instagram, which is also just Flour De Liz. I do. I’ve just restarted using my TikTok, which I can. Which I think is linked in my Instagram profile.

[00:36:00]   

And Pinterest and Facebook are the ones I use. So those are all linked, but every single one of them has a different name. Unfortunately. We’ll stick with the Instagram @flourdeliz is the easiest and then they’re.

[00:36:13]  Megan Porta 

All go from there. Yep. Yeah, sounds good. Well everyone go check all of those channels out. And thank you again, Liz, so much and thank you for listening food bloggers. I will see you next time. 

[00:36:22]  Outro

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Eat Blog Talk. Don’t forget to rate and review Eat Blog Talk on your favorite podcast player.Thank you and I will see you next time.