Top 5 Reasons Blogging Makes You A Better Person

Okay, okay. I confess blogging might not exactly transform a convict into a Care Bear. However, I would like to present you the argument that blogging on a regular basis not only forces a stimulation of one’s creativity, but also has the ability to enhance some pretty kickass virtues.

If you are the author of a blog, you’re completely aware that regularly coaxing brand new content out of your Gluteus Maximus is a challenge in itself. Obviously, it’s a task that requires a certain amount of ambition and the relentless flexing of your brain muscle. What may be less obvious, however, are the loads of other personality traits your site is subconsciously, positively reinforcing.

Let’s take a look!

What many people don’t tell you is that all Wordpress accounts include a free, freshly-baked humble pie, which is served directly to your inbox upon registration. It’s piping hot and just like Momma used to make. Most people start a blog because they have information or insights they want to share…with the world. They spend an enormous amount of time fixating on the exact right way to convey their intended message, waiting until completely satisfied before hitting “publish”. And then they wait. (Trust me, they do.)

And if they’re anything like me, they spend just a little too much time throughout the day self-stalking, waiting and watching for that moment the general population recognizes the genius of their most recent post and begins vigorously sharing it across the vast interwebs.

You worked so hard! You found the perfect GIF to get your audience giggling AND you tweeted the damn thing. What could go wrong?

But then, the sobering truth sets in the next morning when your only comment came from your cousin and some stupid quiz on BuzzFeed that helps you determine “What Your Poop Really Says About You” got more shares than your much labored masterpiece.

And that, my friends, is humility.

This leads us seamlessly into everyone’s most challenging virtue: patience. Life comes up with a million little infuriating ways to force us to practice patience. Like the time last week when I was held up 15 minutes in a grocery check-out line while 4 grown-ass men discussed the difference between sirloin and porterhouse steaks. Every time you stop for a red light and every time you have to wait for the coffee to brew, pop quizzes of patience can spring up anywhere and at anytime.

And your blog is no exception to this rule.

You may have mounds of meaningful content and a gorgeous site design, but the truth is that finding your audience and building their loyalty takes time and effort. Hang in there, kid. Keep on publishing, keep on perfecting your craft and stay involved. One day, your patience will be rewarded.

Red and I are on vacation right now, and this morning I saw a sign at our hotel that read, “Warning: Fireplace May Be Hot.”

No shit, Sherlock.

Before I began blogging, I would have cracked a couple of jokes about that sign and moved on with my day. However, once you become a blogger,  more and more of your observations start being mentally subjected to a “Is-It-Post-Worthy” test. Looking through the critical lens of a content curator is not a bad thing, though. It encourages a person to linger a bit longer on a passing idea. You slow down a tad and become more contemplative. You take more time to appreciate the little things and consider stuff from other angles.

You stop and smell the roses! (And take a picture of them for social media purposes, of course.)

Regardless of whether your blog is a fun hobby or a budding business, it’s a commitment. Coming up with original material and then crafting a post to bring that thought to life not only requires creativity, it requires your time. Maintaining a blog is a bit like getting married: it’s based on love and passion, it brings you joy, it challenges you, you have to make sacrifices in order for it to thrive and it needs your attention. No long-standing, consistent blogger can viably be labeled as commitment-phobic.

When it comes to blogging, if you like it then you gotta put a ring on it.

There is a level of self-confidence required when you make the decision to publish your thoughts on the internet. Some may argue that it’s cocky to believe your opinions or ideas merit publicity. Meh, whatever.

When writers construct a post, they have no way of knowing whether it will eventually be seen by a million people or by nobody at all. But they write anyway, because at least in that moment, they have confidence in their message. There is a certain amount of beauty and bravery in that act.

And even though accolades are not inherently necessary, a blogger will always derive a little extra boost to their self-esteem with every like, share, follower and kind comment acquired along the way.

So you see, friends? Blogging isn’t a waste of time; it’s character building.

If you blog or know someone who does, I urge you to read and share this list. Why? Because whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned vet of the blogging world, we all need encouragement and we all occasionally need to be rescued from the pits of posting purgatory.

AND because sharing is pretty virtuous too.