Since January or so, I’ve made a conscious decision to blog more often. I’ve had this blog since 2006 and sometimes would go four or five months without making a single entry.
I gained much motivation from my father-in-law who writes an excellent blog called Quoteflections.com. He started his blog around the beginning of 2008 and has not missed a single day. In fact, he’s occasionally blogged more than once a day.
In 2008, he blogged 370 times. In 2009, he blogged 378 times. In 2010, he’s already blogged 115 times. His slow and un-rushed process has earned him a steady group of followers in his tribe.
In January I ramped up to blogging every few days.
In February I started blogging three times a week.
In March I started blogging every day, Monday to Friday, with a goal of writing around 500 words per day.
Occasionally, I’ll miss a few days if I’ve gone away, but I’m pretty much hitting my target.
It’s not always as easy as it looks, and the frequency of posting really has nothing to do with the quality of a blog.
Sometimes I have nothing to say.
Sometimes I need motivation.
Sometimes I go looking for inspiration.
Sometimes it’s a pain in the ass, but I do it anyway.
A friend of mine asked today, “Do you get anything out of blogging beyond self-fulfillment? I don’t see any ads on your website.”
Here’s why I’m doing it and what I’m getting out of it.
First, Gavin was right. There are no ads on my blog. I don’t make any money directly from blogging.
The blog acts as a tool for me to express myself and my ideas. That’s it in a nutshell. If people want to read it, I’m honoured, but I’ll keep writing it regardless of traffic stats. If my blog triggers any type of positive response in a single person, then I’ve achieved something. I’m proud of that.
This is a slow and steady race.
I have no motivation to rush here as that won’t get me anywhere.
The blog is also my resume and personal branding tool. I don’t have a resume nor am I looking for a job. If you want to learn about me, or work with me, it’s all here.
When you go looking for a job, you can be sure your potential employers are “googling” you. Why not be in control of what they see?
Ever written or kept a journal? Same idea. This blog is allowing my thoughts and opinions to develop and my voice to gain volume. It’s an extremely gratifying part of my daily routine.
Since setting up my blog to syndicate all my posts on Facebook, I’ve heard from friends who never really had a clue what I was up to, and now many are reading and digging what I have to say. That makes it worthwhile.
I was told by one friend that my posts were some of the driving motivation for her to start her own first business. That’s a little like dumping fuel on a fire.
I encourage you to start your own blog. After Gavin and I talked about it, he mentioned, “500 words a day keeps the doctor away!” It’s so true.
If you need help or advice on starting your own blog, shoot me an email and I’ll be happy to offer some assistance.
