Why I Started Blogging

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a wee bit talkative. I never shut up. It’s honestly something I’m working on.

You could have a phone conversation with me, say “uh-huh” every 5 minutes and I could carry on the conversation myself for a good while.

So, I’m sure most people haven’t wondered why I started blogging, but many may not know there was more reasons than 'I just like to talk a lot!' There’s a few deeper reasons, a few goal-oriented reasons, and a few extra-curricular reasons.

As some may know, this is the umpteenth time I’ve started a blog. Each time I would sporadically post, treated it like an online diary, and then closed it down as quickly as it went up. I was never structured, never had content planned out, never did any social media marketing, and really just had no idea what I was doing.

Well, this time around I’ve had the wonderful guidance and support of Kim, my “boss” lady. She’s truly an angel on earth and has taught me SO much. I felt prepared for this blog and had the resources to make it work. I can already tell you, I’m a million times better off than I was in the past. That's why it's finally working!

So let’s get down to it, why I’m doing this and why you should too!

1. I needed a productive outlet that wasn’t Facebook. Yes, as a millennial I was addicted to Facebook for YEARS! I had to post everything and anything on it, including long rants and thoughts. I could easily recall dates by recalling when I posted certain memes or documentations on my timeline. Facebook eventually became a drain, something that was causing a lot of drama and pain in my life, so I cut it out and now only use it for business purposes. So where was I going to write out the thoughts that were actually worth sharing? Blogging has given me that outlet while also helping me realize what is worth sharing with people and what isn’t.

2. It’s helped me deal with trauma. I am someone who will talk a traumatic subject to death because that is how I deal with painful things. When I first got back from Alaska, my friends heard about nothing but what happened there because that’s my coping mechanism. I talk about it over and over so it doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s how I can come to terms with certain circumstances in my life. Having a place to productively talk about certain traumas has helped me tremendously!

It always feels good to talk to friends, but there's something especially beautiful about putting your feelings out poeticly on paper or crying while scribbling the most painful words down. Blogging gives me that outlet.

3. I want to help others. I’ve been through a lot in life and being able to share my stories with people can help others by either helping them make decisions in their own life or by helping them not feel so alone. I can talk about my domestic violence situation and help someone out of theirs or to not feel alone while they heal. I can talk about my mental health struggles and help someone know they aren’t the only own going through it and give a few suggestions on how to cope. I can share my highs and lows of raising a child with autism with other parents dealing with the same thing.

The possibilities of helping others are endless when it comes to blogging. And I can tell you that feeling you helped someone gives a sense of peace when dealing with something painful.

4. I’m working on breaking the stigma around mental illness. Blogging is giving me an amazing platform to work on chipping away at the stigma around mental illness. I am sick of living in a world where we openly talk about cancer or diabetes, but we treat bipolar or depression like a dirty secret you should be ashamed of. Mental illnesses are just that, illnesses. You become sick just like you do with other illnesses, the symptoms may just present differently. It’s not something chosen, it’s not something being blown out of control, and it’s most definitely not just “in your head”… I mean it is, but you know what I mean! So, I’m going to talk about my illnesses out loud and in your face until people stop cringing. Until people stop making me feel dirty for having an illness I was born with. I do it for me and every other person with a mental illness.

5. It’s a platform helping me work towards other goals & opportunities. It’s no secret that a success blog can open up many opportunities for you but it’s also something that goes hand in hand with other goals I have. This blog growing is going to help me with goals of changing lives and being successful. I have goals for writing books and goals for social media, both of which can be helped by running a successful blog. All numbers aside, just being able to show the stability of blog, posting 2 times a week, opens up different opportunities for a person. We’ve already seen that and I’m only 2 monthes in. I’m working towards some big things in life, some goals I don’t share with people, and this blog is playing a crucial part in that. Blogs can open up some big opportunities.

6. Simply put, I enjoy writing. I love writing, I will write things out when I’m happy, mad, sad, motivated, whatever the mood! I love to get my thoughts out on paper in front of me. I love to see the pictures I can paint with my fingers and a keyboard. Blogging has given me the opportunity to plan out articles and write pieces as often as I want. Some are better than others, but overall I’m very proud of my work. I spend a good amount of time on my Blog, it’s not just sitting down and writing out the first thing that comes to mind. I have an outline for each piece, so I don’t sit down and draw a blank when my eyes see that empty word document. It’s giving me an opportunity to improve my writing skills as well. I started to get rusty because all I was writing was Facebook updates. I needed to find a way to write something of substance and I finally found it.

7. Of course, there’s the possibility of making money. I’d be lying if I said the possibility of money didn’t play a role in this. There are people out there making 6-figures blogging, I’d be happy with a little extra spending cash each month. You can make bank if your blog grows right and based on my analytics, my blog is heading in the right direction. The best part is that most of it has nothing to do with viewers buying anything. Or if they do, it’s awesome products you know they’ll thank you for sharing with them.

Blogging has brought an extra layer to my life that I love. This is the first time I’ve done it right, where my content is done a month in advance, I have scheduling programs to get it out at the same time each week, and I have the support around me. As far as blogging is concerned, I’ve never been happier with it and I’d recommended it to anyone who likes writing. Even if you aren’t worried about making money, it’s a great way to get your thoughts out into the world.

I think there’s value in sharing our struggles with each other, sharing our experiences. We can help each other going through similar trials and maybe lessen their burden by simply posting a blog.

Much love,

M