A few weeks ago, I hosted a Twitter chat with the topic being, “Life Before, During and After Blogging”. One of my questions for the people taking part was, “How has your life changed since you started blogging? What has blogging brought to your life that it didn’t have before?” I literally couldn’t answer my own question because a 140 character limit wouldn’t have been nowhere near enough for me to accurately describe what blogging has brought to my life.

So I thought I’d love to write a blog post about it and go into much more detail about all the elements of my life that have changed – for the better – since I started blogging. I have no doubt that some of these will apply to you reading this. Some of them might not. People who aren’t bloggers may not understand how something seemingly as simple and writing stuff online can have such an impact on a person. I’m sure whoever you are and whatever your hobbies or passions are; there will be something in your life that has changed it for the better. Blogging has changed my life in many ways; here are a few of them.

The friends I’ve made

When I started blogging, I knew that it was likely I’d meet other bloggers online, read other blogs and maybe communicate with the blogger about their post I’d just read. But I had absolutely no idea how many bloggers and authors I’d meet, let alone how many I’d have the privilege to soon call my friends. There’s some sort of stigma attached to making friends online and having friends who you only speak to through a phone or computer but the friends I’ve made and the people I’ve met have definitely enhanced my life. My now best friend I met through blogging!

My confidence has grown

Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post about my anxiety story (which you can read, here) and although this is something I still struggle with on a daily basis, blogging has allowed me to use this creative outlet to show people who I really am and boost my confidence. Having a blog readership and following is also quite a daunting thing (as well as something I never thought would happen!) but it’s boosted my confidence by showing me people want to read what I write. A few months ago, I hosted my very first Twitter chat as well – I was so nervous but the buzz I got during it was something that had a massive positive impact on my confidence.

I have goals

I’ve never ever known what I wanted to do in life. I was one of those people that changed their dream job every week; one week in was joining the police force and the next it was a fitness instructor. Although along the way, I’ll probably have other little jobs, dabble in other things, that won’t take away the fact that blogging has given me set goals which I’m aiming for and working on. One of them, as you’ve probably guessed, is to become an author and get my manuscript published. The other, is to grow and expand my blog touring business; hopefully to the point where I can take someone else on board to help me. If someone told me 2 years ago I’d own my own business and I’d be halfway through writing a book, I would have laughed!

It’s made me more driven

This kind of ties in with the point above but blogging has definitely made me more driven, motivated and hard-working. I’ve never had something that was just mine before. I love my blog to be my own little space on the internet, so obviously I want to work hard to make it the best it can possibly be. But it’s not just my blog that keeps me driven; my blog touring business keeps me working hard because obviously I want authors to have the best tours possible. I’ve also taken it upon myself to get involved in things and even organise fundraising events. There’s always something new to do when it comes to blogging.

It’s kept me inspired

I personally don’t think there’s much worse than being uninspired. Being at a point where nothing interests you or you don’t want to pursue anything because you simply don’t care. I’ve never had a hobby that’s kept me interested enough before. I’ve tried so many things from instruments to drama to dancing and nothing felt right. Although I’ve had the odd blogging break where I’ve had to take some time out for myself, there’s been very few times where I’ve felt completely uninspired. How could I possibly be when there’s so much around and so many interesting people to be inspired by?

New opportunities

Since I started blogging, I’ve experienced so many new things. It’s helped me learn to grab opportunities before they go; big or small ones, open myself up to new experiences – even ones that might not necessarily be for me and don’t rule anything out. Even relatively small things, like being offered a review copy or having a quote on the back of a book are things I never thought I’d have the chance to do before I’d started. I’ve seen some bloggers talk about how it’s always other people who get the opportunities but everything I’ve achieved and done since I started blogging, I’ve worked bloody hard for. It’s not about waiting for someone to hand you an opportunity on a plate. It’s about seeking them out, working hard and creating your own. And I’ve learnt that more so than ever since I started blogging.

It makes me happy

Above all else, blogging has made me so much happier than I ever thought it would for all the reasons above combined. I know now I have friends and acquaintances to talk to whenever I need to or people to ask for advice about whatever subject I might need it in. I know if I’m bored, I have something to do or if I’m feeling down, I have achievements to remind myself that things aren’t so bad. Blogging has opened my up to a whole new world and made me appreciate the little things a lot, lot more.

If you’re a blogger, I’d love to hear about how blogging has changed you or your life!