“Not only are bloggers suckers for the remarkable, so are the people who read blogs.”

– Seth Godin

The other day, I celebrated my first year of “surviving” blogging ( woo hoo! ). Though I haven’t quite written as much as I’d like to as of late, no matter crazy life gets, I have made it a priority to write and share at least four blogs a month.

A year of blogging may not sound all that difficult to accomplish for some of you but for someone who clearly has an undiagnosed case of the attention deficit disorder aka ADD, it is quite a feat.  In my own circle, I’m known to be the one that have a ridiculous lack of focus and the ted to get bored way too easily. Long story short, let’s just say that I am definitely not the only one who is impressed that I’ve kept Fleur De Lyz going.

In addition to my scarcity of focus, there are a couple of other reasons why I find it challenging to consistently get posts out each month. Sometimes I would find myself running into a “creativity block” while the rest of times, pressing life matters just got in the way which forced me to push blogging way down on my list of priorities.

Even with the responsibilities and demands of a full-time job, a business to run and grow all the while ensuring that I have time to make the most out of life ( relationships, travels, “me” time,  etc.), I honestly have no intention of calling it quits anytime soon. This may sound like an outlandish intention but I believe that no one is too busy for their priorities. I have come to find out that no matter how hectic life gets, when we truly commit to making something a priority, whatever it may be – it  will get done.

Keeping the blog “alive” hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park but I have found that  for the last 12 months, the benefits of blogging have far outweigh its cons – few as it may.  With that, I’d like to share with you the top 5 reasons why I believe that you too should start blogging, that is if you haven’t already been doing so. 😉

1. It enables you to inspire others 

If I had to choose only one reason why anyone should start blogging, this would be it.

As someone who has long been passionate about the topic of personal development, I spend a lot of time reading and having discussions about it with like-minded minds. Though we appear to be different in the surface, I’ve come to find out every single one of us has at least one inspiring story to tell.

Use that story to make a positive impact on others, use it to empower them. We all have faced our share of difficulties and challenges. Sharing your experience as to how you were able to navigate and to triumph over obstacles will surely help at least one person to go through their own ordeal.

Alternatively, you can also inspire people through your gifts and talents. If you have a particular topic that you are passionate about, remember that your voice matters. Sharing your passion with others may just help in igniting and inspiring them to share their own passion with others too.  As Marianne Williamson, a renowned author and spiritual teacher said ” as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same”.

It never fails to move me when someone writes in and kindly let me know that what I’ve shared has helped or inspire them in some way. It makes me more motivated me to keep the blog going.

Start a blog and you’ll experience first-hand what I’m talking about.  Who knows how many lives you’ll touch and impact through your own writing.

2. It challenges you

I firmly believe that no matter where you are in life  – no matter successful you may already be – there’s always room for improvement. Life is about growth and progress and as much as we may hate to admit it, we need challenges to keep stepping closer towards our best self.

Prior to my last semester of college where I had taken an honors thesis class that forced me to do a whole lot of writing, I never thought of myself particularly good at writing. Not surprisingly, I found the class a huge challenge but at the end of the day, I am glad to have gone through it because it had reminded me that often times, our limitations are merely lies we put upon ourselves.

Fast forward to last year, the decision to blog was a huge leap of faith for me because over the years, that belief that I was a terrible writer had once again reared its ugly head. Fortunately, I decided to feel the fear and do it anyways. Since then, keeping up a blog and everything that goes along with it have provided me the necessary challenge(s) that I need to keep growing, to become a better writer and last but not least – to step closer to the best version of me I could possibly be.

3. It helps to improve your focus

As I mentioned earlier, focus is my downfall and something that I have been working on the past few years and funnily enough, blogging has helped me to do so!  In order to regularly generate ideas and create a clear and flowing storyline for each post, I had no choice but to sharpen my focus.

As a recovering multi-tasker, blogging has been instrumental in converting me into a single-tasker (most of the time). It has done wonders with my ability to hone in my attention to one thing at a time.  This skill has definitely proven to be exceptionally useful in other aspects of my life  especially at my job and in running my business.

4. It helps you  find your authentic voice

Blogging and writing in general is a form of art – a platform where you are free to express ourselves on just about any topic we choose to talk  about. It is an outlet where we can say what we want and how we want to say it.

When we allow ourselves to write without fear of rejection or the seeking of validation, something magical happens: we’ll inevitably find our inner voice – our authentic voice. It usually manifest in the form of our own unique writing style.  It is a priceless gift as from it, we are  able to accelerate our journey of self-discovery and gain a better understanding of who we truly are.

5. It can make you money

As you create value and build a substantial following with your blog, you may just be able to use it as a way to earn an extra income.  Better yet, it can be even become the source of your main income. However, do understand that more often than not, it will take some time and a whole lot of effort to get to this point. Blogging is definitely NOT a get rich quick scheme.

With that said, there are many bloggers – regardless of what topic they focus their writing on – who are earning decent if not hefty income(s) from advertisements, endorsements, writing deals and/or speaking engagement opportunities that they landed due to their blogs.

If you are a full-fledged writer, it can even serve as an effective way to get your literary work noticed. From Hugh Howey to James Altucher, some of today’s renowned authors had self-published their ways to bestsellers success, and it all begin with consistently sharing high quality posts and building their blog audience.

For me, when I started blogging, I never thought that it would lead me to landing a full time job where blogging becomes a big chunk of what I do! Truth be told, I didn’t begin this blog to make money, it was mainly an outlet where I can share my thoughts on what I’ve learned about personal development with a wider audience. Yet lo and behold here I am! As sir Richard Branson said “Have fun, do good and the money will come”.

That said, I hope you find the above reasons compelling enough for you to start your own blog. If you happen to find the thought of sharing your own thoughts, ideas and writing to a large audience unbelievable daunting, know that even the most seasoned and successful blogger have that very same fear when they first began their blogging.  As Jack Canfield, founder and author of the “Chicken Soup” book series famously said “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone“.

Choose to leave that fear behind and take that first step to begin your own blogging journey – it may just transform your life!