Facebook Pixel
Join our Facebook Community

5 Ways Blogging Can Make You a Better Person

Posted By Guest Blogger 15th of May 2011 Miscellaneous Blog Tips 0 Comments

This guest post is by Jamie Martin of Steady Mom and Simple Homeschool.

When I first began blogging over two years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I started merely as a way to promote the book I had written and thought of it as another chore to squeeze in between an already full writing schedule, three young children, and loads of laundry.

5 Ways Blogging Can Make You a Better Person

Image is author's own

How wrong I was! Looking back, I stand amazed at the ways blogging not only launched my writing career, but also transformed my life. I know I’m not the only one who stumbled into the blogosphere for one reason, only to discover other blessings and benefits as well.

Here are just a handful.

1. No doubt about it: blogging improves your writing

Many of us who read ProBlogger started our blogs with the hope of growing a readership and eventually earning an income. Blogging opened doors for me I didn’t even know existed (Who knew it could be a job?), but it also has done wonders for my writing ability.
Am I the only one to inwardly cringe while rereading some of my earliest posts? Two years into this gig, I now feel much more comfortable in my blogging skin and my virtual corner. The daily act of writing cannot help but improve our skills. With each act of pressing Publish, we gain experience, insight, and feedback we didn’t have the day before. Collectively, this momentum refines and improves our abilities as encouragers and providers of information.
William Zinnser, author of the bestselling On Writing Well, said that “writing is a craft, not an art.” Craft improves with practice, practice, and more practice.

2. All that practice rubs off on your character

Just like a runner training for a marathon, we learn about endurance on the race to better writing. Fitting blogging into an already busy life has taught me both perseverance and self-discipline. It has also thrown insecurity and self-doubt my way, at the same time giving me the urge to overcome them.
Haven’t you had days when you wanted to shut your laptop and call the whole thing off? Days when the stats don’t add up or readers aren’t responding? Yet those of us in this for the long haul, sense a deep conviction—something within that pushes us to keep going. That resolve can’t help but spill over into other parts of our lives.

3. Blogging increases your life span (well, if it encourages you to change your eating habits)

I have the blogosphere to thank for introducing me to the whole foods movement. I’d always attempted to feed my family well, but had never seen nutrition presented in a simple, manageable way until I began following links from one foodie’s blog to another.
Coconut oil, brown rice syrup, tofu? These once-strange substances now feel like familiar friends. I even found the courage to make my own yogurt and become a vegan for 30 days earlier this year.
Bloggers add a personal voice to the nightly news statistics we hear about food, health, and disease. A snapshot inside someone else’s kitchen transformation serves to inspire our own.

4. An active presence in the blogosphere can transform your real-life relationships

There’s no question that I am a better parent since I started my first blog.
As a blogger who writes about motherhood, I expected to share my knowledge and experience with others. But I never imagined the depth of inspiration I would find myself. Whether it comes from a comment someone leaves, a random link that points me to a much-needed resource, or a post that reminds me of the bigger perspective in the midst of the daily grind, there’s no end to the ideas I’ve gathered. My three young kids have the blogosphere to thank for the mother I’m becoming.
On top of that, I now have a built-in community—virtual kindred spirits to approach when life gets tough or questions arise. Our fellow bloggers become friends in every sense of the word, and mentors too.

5. Blogging and social media raise your awareness of global need and give you the chance to respond

Anyone who doubts the power of the blogosophere hasn’t heard of Compassion Bloggers. Comprised of over 30 writers who have traveled to seven countries, Compassion has proven that blogging gives a personal face to massive global issues, releasing children from poverty in the process.

Or consider the example of Love146, a global charity seeking to abolish child sex trafficking and exploitation. My husband serves as CEO of this organization, whose blog and social media presence have sparked a worldwide movement of abolition. William Wilberforce didn’t have Twitter on his side when stirring up advocates against slavery; we do and we can use its power to influence the world for good.

I would never have believed that blogging would become my job, alter my eating habits, improve my relationships, and help me fuel global change. To those who think blogging is dead, let me reassure you otherwise. We’ve only just begun–to grow, to change, to influence, to become better.

Each of us reading today has been influenced in some way by the blogosphere. How has it changed you?

Jamie is mom to three cute kids born on three different continents. She serves as editor of Simple Homeschool and writes about mindful parenting at Steady Mom. Check out her book Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood.

About Guest Blogger
This post was written by a guest contributor. Please see their details in the post above.
Comments
  1. i am also recently started my blog now i am feeling good on writing content

  2. Oh, yes! SO much of this rings true for me, too! (even the part about discovering Real Food. hee)

    Not only has blogging helped me grow into a more authentic person, it has given me the gift of INCREDIBLE community. I cannot imagine experiencing the ups and downs of life in the past three years without the enormous support of the blogging community.

    Fantastic and TRUE words, friend!

  3. Hi Jamie,

    After starting blog i improve my reading habits, writing skills, updated with latest news, trends and technology of online marketing, more punctual.

    Thanks for sharing interesting post
    John

  4. Blogging has helped me connect with other authors. In the solitary world of writing, this is everything.

  5. Well I liked the first point most and agree to all the points. There are three main reasons I like blogging and they are blogging improves writing skills, blogging makes even a shy person get more friends, blogging gives the satisfaction of doing something creative and innovative.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the post, Jamie. Thanks

  6. I agree that it makes you a better person. My blog covers animal welfare, and I learn from my readers and from the people I profile. The feedback is good, and important–especially when I ask my readers to contact a congress person to change a law that helps animals.

  7. Totally agree. It has been a transforming experience for me, improving my writing, and my relations. It’s also kind of addicting.

  8. A combination of #2 and #4, writing a mom blog helps me focus on what’s important to me, get organized, and have a record of my accomplishments. Definitely I feel this makes me a better mother, and more fulfilled person.

  9. i love that post, i totally agree with you: blogging can improve our life and let’s us try several ways to live it.
    thanks for sharing and hugs from italy!
    Serena – Avventurosa.com

  10. Thanks for the encouragement. I’ve just started my site and blogging for the past two months. I’ve found it’s taken much more dedication on my part since I haven’t had any comments so far and the stats can be a bit depressing. I feel I have an important message to share, yet it’s hard to keep dedicated to my writing schedule when you don’t feel anyone’s reading what you write. I don’t want to give up, though.

  11. great post, fully agree!
    blogging has lot of benefits mainly that its improves one and fun!

  12. Well, thank you for writing this post. It’s inspired me to write some more and keep my blog alive. Thank you!

  13. It definitely builds character but consistency and commitment are the greatest two for me.

A Practical Podcast… to Help You Build a Better Blog

The ProBlogger Podcast

A Practical Podcast…

Close
Open