What Blogging Has Taught Me

Happy Monday!  Either of two things are happening this morning – I am waking up at home after a LONG 12 hour drive from North Carolina, OR I wimped out and we stayed at a hotel last night so I am driving home now.  Either way, I am sure that I will be exhausted which is why I am writing this blog now.

I read another blogger post about “What blogging Has Taught Me” so it prompted me to share…I have to admit, I was skeptical.  I thought who is going to read my stuff?  Who cares what I know or what I am doing?  What makes me think I can write?  For all of you who have considering blogging – I am sure you have thought the same thing, right?  I have to admit even after over a year of postings, I still have days like that.  Can I be honest?  I seldom check the dashboard to see how many people have read my stuff.  Why?  Because I still have doubts.  I agreed with many things Jen wrote in her blog but here are some things that I have learned:

• Be Yourself.  I read lots of blogs and I wanted to be like them.  The truth is – I am ME!  Good, bad or otherwise, I needed to do my own thing.  Some days I am sure people are bored with my antics.  Sometimes I think they wonder why I bother. The truth is, if I touch one person in a day – I have been successful.
• Don’t listen to the hype.  I love this!  I share my strength, hope and experience with others in the H.O.P.E. that something I say may help them.  I have stayed away from promoting products that I have not personally used and shared my love for them from my heart for just this reason.
• Be proud of your work.  I have to admit, this was a tough one for me.  I never want to boast or let my ego get the best of me.  I have realized that my blog is part of who I am.  It is how people including hostess, customers & fellow bloggers connect with me.  I am proud of what I have accomplished.  I just told hubby the other day, time to change my Thirty One business cards to include my blog information.  I have learned a lot about myself on this journey through blogging.  Thank you Vanessa Coppes for the challenge so long ago.
• Don’t worry about the stats.  I will admit that I am obsessive about the stats for my business.  I check them daily (and sometimes twice a day) to see if they have changed for my team.  When it comes to checking the stats of my blog – NEVER! Okay, maybe once in a great while.  I am just happy when someone leaves a comment or likes the blog.  That is enough for me.  I feel like that means there is a connection and that is what it is all about for me.
• Networking – I have met some AWESOME people through my blog.  We have begun to build a relationship based on common interests and experiences.  I have found support from my fellow bloggers (and readers) who let me know that I am not alone in this journey called life.

So, life is all about learning.  I try to make it a point to learn something new every day.  Please don’t tell hubby that sometimes I appreciate his random facts and trivia as part of my learning lesson for the day.  If you haven’t started to blog – try it and see where the journey takes you.  If you are blogging, what has blogging taught you?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!