Lifestyle: Can A Blogger Keep Their Life Private, and Still be Successful?

I wrote a post a while back now, which is probably one of my most read posts, and here it is.

It talked all about our "inner critic" and how at times, we can be our own worst enemy.
This post is a little inspired by the above.  The BLOGGER Inner Critic, if you will.

I have been blogging for around 4 years now, rebranding and re-naming last year.

In my life, blogging is the one thing I am most critical about, and I  feel a lot of other bloggers feel the same. With so many amazing blogs out there, it is really easy to compare yourself sometimes, and think yours, is well, a bit crap in comparison.

I am a private person, and I don't share many posts or photos of my personal life, across my blog social-media platforms - as this is 100% something I always wanted to keep separate.

And probs something you wouldn't find that interesting anyway! Haha.

But this "private" approach, when blogging,  well does it make the reader feel detached from the writer?

I know, I love reading all about other peoples lives, and I am drawn to bloggers who share personal photos and posts. I have a lot of admiration for them actually, because this is my thought process before every single post I publish:

Will people think I am preaching? Is this post just a bit crap? Is the photo dull? Are product reviews boring? Does this sound like I am bragging? Do people even like my blog? Do they laugh at it? Do they judge it? Worse of all do they judge me?

I could carry on with all the crazy thoughts that swim around my brain at times, but I think you get the jist.

When I feel myself starting to turn into an anxious maniac, I try and bring it back to the fact, that for me, blogging is a hobby, it is a hobby I really enjoy, and my main aim is to stay true to myself, I love beauty products, I always have, I love cooking new meals, and I love to take photos and write.

But what I know for sure is, I don't want my face and life plastered all over the Internet.
But are the two now mutually exclusive?

I was reading Stacey's post from Expat Makeup Addict here and something really resonated with me, she stated:

" I wonder how relevant I am in a sea of glossy, beautiful bloggers with innovative content.  It's not a world I fit into."

I think this is ultimately how I feel, I ain't a proffesh, I just thoroughly enjoy writing, and the perks that come with blogging, like meeting new people, attending events, and working with brands.

With the standard now very high in the blogging world,  I feel I have to remind myself not to compare, or put myself down, as someones blog success (actually, overall success) is "sometimes" not determined by their content, writing, and photography skills, but by how many followers and likes they get. Living in a world where followers and likes can be manipulatively sought, this seems sometimes a little unjust to the smaller, less known but truly amazing bloggers out there, but I suppose you can't buy sincerity, and hopefully this will always shine through.

Can a blogger have a blog and a private life?
Does a blogger have to share everything about their life?
Can a blogger be successful if all they do is talk about their chosen subject?

I do know a couple of bloggers who really nail keeping their personal life and blog separate, but they do seem in the minority.

I would really love to know your thoughts on the matter? Be it if you are a blogger, or a reader.