The View From Here: How Blogging Has Changed My Life

This week, Shayla and I are discussing a topic near and dear to my heart.  And also one that I probably mention too much.  Still, I hope you’ll hang in there!

Today’s question is: How Has Blogging Changed Your Life?

You know how much I love blogging and how much I love to talk about how much I love blogging, so I’ll try not to gush.  Too much.

Seriously, though, blogging as I know it came into my life last year at a time when I really needed something to call my own.  It was summertime, and I was preparing to send both boys to preschool for the first time, so I was looking for ways to fill that small amount of quiet time during the week.  I ran across an opportunity to take a blogging class, and on a total whim, I signed up.  Though the class was geared more toward design blogs and branding, I soaked up the information in the class forum and found inspiration in other bloggers’ stories.  I met Shayla and a few other bloggers I now call friends, and I realized that, as an avid reader of blogs, it was time I really started one for myself.

I began writing daily and worked to take better pictures, and last August, I switched to my new home on WordPress.  Since then, I’ve connected with many bloggers, written guest posts, been featured on several blogs, attended Alt Summit, and hosted my own little blogger meet-up.  In my case, blogging has opened the door to a world of opportunities I couldn’t imagine last year, and I’m so grateful for that.

I also rediscovered my love for writing, something I put on hold for many years.  I always say that I craft my posts, since I’m not very creative, and I spend hours each week working on my blog.  It’s a labor of love and, though I’m not compensated financially, the rewards are truly immeasurable.

I always feel a bit silly describing how blogging has changed my life, but it truly has, so there’s no shame in describing it, I think.  Though I love my children immensely, motherhood can be incredibly lonely and isolating at times, and blogging has provided an opportunity to interact, online and in person, with other bloggers who really understand me.  I’m able to be a mom and wife first, and a blogger second, and I feel truly fulfilled.  I look forward to my blogging time and to reading other blogs every day, and I’ve developed a disciplined approach that really works for me.

If you’re a blogger, I hope you’ll feel free to share your own experiences, and be sure to check out Shayla’s response at Northern Exposure, too.