Maybe you read my blog sporadically. Maybe (preferably), you’ve bookmarked my site and you look for a post everyday – and if that’s the case, I apologize for those days I fall a little behind on my schedule and disappoint you. Maybe you read some of the comments and think to yourself, “What on earth would make a person keep a blog?” Today, I’ll tell you why. Here are 6 ways blogging will change your life if you ever decide to start a blog yourself.
You become a consistent writer – I like to write. I like to talk too but now that I have a blog, some of what I would have otherwise spoken, I now write down. Blogging helps keep my writing consistent. Being on a formal writing schedule helps keep me in the attitude of writing so when I’m done writing down my thoughts, I am more likely to want to write fiction or poetry or work on my articles. You might have thought blogging would tap out my writing desires but, instead, it just makes me want to write more.
If you want to force yourself to write more and share your writing with other people, instead of just filling countless journals that collect dust on your bookshelf, becoming a blogger will change that.
Become a professional photographer – I have about 5,000 pictures on my phone. Most of those are pictures I took for the blog and might have deleted long ago if not for the blog. I’ve long been a photography aficionado but this blog helped develop my interest in honing my skills and made me more creative with my pictures – staging, using filters and editing.
Sure, there are lots of images on the internet that you can use to supplement your blog posts, for instance some of those ee-cards are hilarious and help to illustrate a blog post better than anything you think you could make up yourself. But creating you own original images are the only way to ensure your point gets across the exact way you want it to. Images invite people to read your content. Also, a lot of those “free” images aren’t really free so it’s just best to make your content.
Make new friends – This blog introduced me to people from all over the world, people I wouldn’t have met otherwise – people who encourage me, who validate my madness or keep me from going further into the crazy. Last year, I signed up for a blog hop and met a lot of people in a little bit of time and you know how that can be. Imagine going to a party and meeting a lot of people who are so interesting but you don’t have time to get to know them at the party so you have to take their number or their card and find out about them afterwards. I’m still getting to know some of those blog-hop friends and it’s fun!
If you don’t want to meet people and connect with them, then sure you can start a private blog as a way to just write stuff down but the moment you make your blog public, expect comments and feedback and interaction. It might be slow, it might be infrequent, it mightn’t be the same people all the time, but company is coming.
You can become an ambassador – Last year, I started reviewing books for Blogging for Books and NetGalley. All the free books helped make me a better reader, taught me new things, inspired me, entertained me and kept me on my toes. I’ve also become a SweatPink ambassador, I joined the BlogHer network and I just became an ambassador for NuUn. Exciting stuff! None of it would have happened without this blog.
Unless you have a widely successful blog with a huge amount of regular traffic, companies won’t necessarily approach you asking you to represent them. Most of the opportunities I’ve had to review products, have been because I expressed my interest to the companies. So becoming a company rep is a choice you might want to pass on, although I don’t know why you would. The benefits can be astronomical and you decide how involved you want to be.
You’ll challenge yourself – If you’ve been reading RunWright for a while, you know I love challenges – I love signing up and trying even if I fail. Well, technically, even if I don’t finish the challenge, it might not be a failure. Check out what I’m saying about progress this year. But having a blog introduced me to a whole new community of blogging that I wouldn’t normally even want to participate in. I signed up for this reading challenge because it’s hosted by a blogger I enjoy following.
There are lots of challenges online and if you have a website, you’ll receive invitations to join them. You can only decline so many invitations before you get tired of saying No. One day, before you know it, you’ll be saying, “I’ll try that.” It might be a blogging-everyday challenge. It might be an invitation to try a running-streak. Or to blog on a particular topic so you can join a link-up. And one day, you’ll say Yes and it will change your life.
You’ll become a “share-er” The number one thing that this blog has done for me is make me more comfortable with sharing my thoughts and sharing my experiences. Sure, there are things I don’t talk about much on the site but I am pretty open with sharing my ugly running pictures, my home cooked meals that are made when I’m too hungry to care about making them pretty. I share my goals even with the risk that I’ll fail and you’ll know all about it. Blogging has kept me honest that way.
Blogging = Sharing. If you’re a blogger, you’re a sharer. Period. You’ll share your writing, your photos, visual access to the major events of your life.
Bloggers: What else has blogging brought to your life?
Non-bloggers: Have you ever thought about starting a blog yourself? Why haven’t you done it yet?
Linking up with Amanda
RUN WRIGHT 
Great post! So much of what you say is what happened for me. My blog is music and photography based, so that was already part of the element for me, but it has been a treat interacting with some of the musicians I have written about. A few of them have even become friends. And speaking of friends, I have made many great new friends via blogging, especially fellow bloggers. I think we just get the passion we pour forth into our work, no matter what type of blog it is.
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This is great. So many ways it changes you and it’s so true. Blogging has been amazing for me. I’ve met great people Luke yourself Karen. 😃
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Thanks, Simon. You’re pretty awesome too 😀
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Thank you Karen 😃😃😃
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These reasons are 100% on the money.
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Thanks, Tigress! 😀
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I agree with each and every one of your points. Blogging has definitely aided in my personal growth and gave me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and try things that I never thought possible [like writing the first draft of my memoir.]
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Ooh that is a fantastic development. Your memoir! That’s a huge deal. Congratulations on taking that leap. When are you taking the next step?
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You write very well, much better than me. Being the creative type it has increased my productivity. If you don’t mind I think I’ll share a link to your article. I agree with each point you make.
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Thanks for sharing. That would be much appreciated.
Don’t worry about comparing. A few weeks ago, I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, Big Magic. In it, she talked about not comparing your work to anyone else’s. We’re all unique and we all have the best story to share – our own.
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Welll said!!! Each n every line is sooo right. The best thing bout blogging is that u find many new peps round the globe n thats sooo amazin!!!
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Isn’t that the best benefit? That you get to share what you’re thinking and find out that it resonates with lots of other people. Thanks so much for the comment.
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This is so true. I have blogged for just over 5 years now and all of these are right on dot.
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Awesome, Hollie. Thanks for the comment.
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So true!
Blogging helps me to clear my head and get my thoughts out.
Often times I don’t have people who get or really understand my thoughts and blogging helps.
Photos-its so funny how the picts I take now-i always say to myself ‘how will this look on the blog?’ or ‘will this picture what I am writing about?
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Oh thanks. I don’t always think my in-real-life friends want to hear my rants and raves and stories but when I blog, I know someone will read it and get it.
I am so glad other people get this. I wondered if it was just me 😀
I hope you’re having a great weekend, Meeks.
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Very true! Blogging has brought me so many wonderful things. Congrats on representing Nuun! I love being a part of the team!
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Thanks. We’re teammates now, Lisa! Yeah!
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These are spot on. I’ve always loved writing, but once I finished school, I never wrote for fun. I still have a long way to go, but I love all the doors blogging has opened.
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Glad you came back to the writing. Blogging can be so much fun and it’s a great chance to share your writing without restrictions, without fear and on your own terms.
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I think that the best part of blogging for myself is the relationships. Or the writing. No, the relationships. I don’t know what I would have done without the friends that I’ve made both near and far!
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Haha. Hard to choose, right? I understand. I get a lot from blogging too but the people make it all worth it.
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I loved this post and until now never really thought about it. I can say without my blog I would have never met Holly never let here talked me into a marathon and never trained an finished a marathon.
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Yup, it seems blogging opened an entirely new world for you. That’s awesome!
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I’m just now finding my feet with blogging and I’m loving posts like this. They’re so insightful and it’s really helpful to know what to expect. I definitely know what you mean about writing consistently – all the stuff I’d normally spend hours mulling over I just write down instead now.
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That’s awesome, Becky. Welcome to the blogging world. I’m going to check out your page right now. Finding a blogging tribe is key – people who will read and comment and share your posts. It’s taken me a long time to find my tribe and I am always looking to expand it and do the same for others.
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Thanks! I hope you like the page 🙂
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Great post! I agree times 6! Blogging has been such an adventure and I often wonder what I was doing with my spare time before 🙂 Keep it up!
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Haha. I ask myself the same question sometimes – what did I do with my onscreen time before I had a blog to update.
Thanks for the encouragement.
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Blogging for me connected me with friends who understand my ups and downs with weight loss and my fitness journey. I lack real life friends who want to talk about or care about such things lol so, even though I find it hard to keep up with I try to hang in there 🙂
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I really enjoyed this post. It’s all true!! We are sharers in the most strange sort of way. I found that many of us are introverts, and yet as soon as we get on the blog we turn into something else all together. The most important thing I’ve personally found aside from redoing my house, is that my photography skills have improved. That really puts a smile on my face. And let’s not forget about learning SEO and all the other mumbo jumbo.
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I totally agree! I love blog friends, and I love the confidence that I get from sharing my life online! Great post. I just joined blogging for books and net galley. Oh goodness. ALL THE BOOKS! 🙂 XO -Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
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Blogging for books is the best!
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Great post!
We all have a story to tell and blogging is a great way to so.
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