A place to call their creative outlet

A tool for building their confidence

An unexpected community of friends who understand their struggles

Finally realizing a childhood dream of writing, creating, working for themselves

Something so fulfilling that it’s beyond their wildest imagination

The above is a list of things some bloggers are receiving from their blogs.

Read more below about why this matters.

Let’s be honest, if you’re a blogger, you probably got started because of another blogger. Some stranger you came across on the internet may have inspired your blogging journey. It could have been a craft blog you were following or a maybe you were searching for ways to start an online business and found a coach you found extremely helpful.

Whoever it was or whatever it was, they made a difference in your life because look at you now. You’re doing it. You’re blogging. It may be hard to keep up with the demands of blogging, to keep it fresh, and to implement all those ideas you’ve got spinning around in your head, but that doesn’t matter.

You may not realize it, but you – blogger – you are making a difference. Someone who hasn’t yet begun is watching you, just like you were watching and learning from someone else’s blog too.

So, don’t give up just yet. Don’t get discouraged by your lack of blog traffic. Don’t dwell on the monetization efforts you’re making that don’t seem to go anywhere. The daily toll from growing a new blog tends to be the number one reason new bloggers quit by the 6th month.

Don’t be a statistic!

I’d love for you to realize that you – blogger – are inspiring others too!

When you hit publish on your next blog post, someone will read it and it could be the next reason why another person starts a blog. It might not be today, but someday soon, your blogging will get noticed and your words will resonate with someone. You will bring them happiness and make them see that if you can do it, maybe they can to.

I recently polled a community of bloggers on a Facebook group I am part of. It comes as great pleasure that I share with you other stories from these fellow bloggers and the how, why, and what it was that has them blogging today. Some have been blogging for years, and others just begun, but its obvious that blogging has made a difference in their lives. If you’re thinking it may make a difference in your life to, you can read a little more about what it takes to start a blog in just a few minutes today.

What real bloggers are saying about blogging and what it has done for their lives!

Go back to that list at the top of this article and you’ll start to see some of the things that bloggers are receiving from their blogs, and it’s NOT money. It’s everything else but money, that people are talking about.

Is that because there isn’t any money in blogging?No, but for many bloggers, it’s not about the money. It’s actually about everything else! Here are what real bloggers said they receive from their blogs and how it’s changed their lives:

>>Blogging has given me a creative outlet to share my life and stories with others. It has helped me step out of my comfort zone and go beyond what I thought myself capable of.

>>I’ve met a lot of truly wonderful people and learned that you really can develop online friendships!

>>The most important difference in my life are the people I have met through blogging. Also writing beyond what I thought I would be doing has become a creative outlet. I do quite some writing challenges with blogging friends which is fun.

>>Blogging has helped me connect with a lot of like-minded people.

>>It has made all the difference in the world. I have wanted to write since I was 12 and wrote a novel at 12, it has finally happened. I did it. Every time I hit publish, I get a rush. If I never make a cent it will have been worth it just from the sheer joy of actually doing it

>>I have “met” some amazing people around the world because of my blog.

>>I transitioned from business writing and started sharing my personal story. I am now able to reference blogs that I’ve written when booking speaking engagements so people understand my tone and what I speak on.

>>Blogging has ignited a creative spark in me that I didn’t realise was there, because I’ve never been musical or good at drawing. I’ve always been a decent writer, though, and it’s made me appreciate writing as a creative force. I also feel that it’s helped me take lessons away from everyday life, as I’m constantly thinking “how can I turn this situation into an exciting blog post?” Super glad I took the step. Not to mention the fantastic people I’ve “met”/connected with – the community is incredibly welcoming and supportive. Plus there’s so many things to learn about blogging, which is awesome as learning is my true passion!

>>I’ve got a space to share my art, and it’s made me a better writer. Plus it’s a lot of work.

>>The blog has allowed me to have something to show others and be a part of groups (like this one!), which you can’t do without one.

>>Some days I love it, some days I need to get away from it — but I look back on where I started and how it’s grown — and I feel like I’ve actually created something. My daughter and husband are proud of me — but I need to monetize better.

How long it takes to start a blog is different for everyone!

Everyone is different. I have 3 kids, a full time career, and much more going on in my life. So, keeping up on my side hustle and blog is time consuming, but so worth it. Don’t judge yourself based on the amount of time it’s taking you to get your thing going. It will take time and real work… in fact, here is what other bloggers told me when I asked how long it took them to start their blog:

>>It took me about a month to start my WordPress.com blog. It took me another 4 months to start writing again. 5 months til I was self-hosted & writing regularly.

>>It didn’t take long till I decided I might be a blogger, too. I figured I could stretch my Facebook posts into blogposts, add a couple of pictures, boom wink emoticon On THE day I was on a roll. Sign up on blogger.com, figure out the most important features, write, publish!

>>At least two years.

>>Took me a year to start my blog, which is now my obsession.

>>I started to blog when I was selling vintage goods on Etsy. Then took a year off while going to school before starting my current blog for health and wellness.

>>One month after losing the job, I just did it. Started on Tumblr and then quickly got a self hosted WP site

>>It took me about  a year to decide I wanted my own website.

>>About a year.

>>I actually set everything up pretty quickly after that AHA moment – I was all set up after about 2 weeks.

>It took me a loonng time to start blogging, well over a year before getting the courage up to start. I thought I had a good idea but it’s already changed to something else

So, what blogs get other bloggers excited?

I polled the group of bloggers I was chatting with and asked them each, “In the beginning, what blogs got you excited about blogging?” I wasn’t surprised to find that just about every single one of them had a blogger they looked up to.

Obviously, it’s okay to look up to other bloggers. It may seem like they have their sh*t together, but the reality is, they are just like you. They struggle with their website design, test different methods, misspell words in their articles, and so on.  So, give yourself a break and cheer your blogging community on – we all deserve a little support.

Here’s the list of blogs that got my friends started on their journey:

>>Fun Cheap or Free got me interested in blogging!

>>When I was planning my road trip round Australia, I stumbled across Y Travel Blog and spent (literally) days reading through everything they’d ever posted! At one point, something clicked and I thought “hey, I kinda want to do something like this”.

>>A blogger that certainly inspired me was Candice at measurements of merriment

>>Susan of Wild Yeast Blog.

>>Rima Staines at intothehermitage.blogspot.com

>>Ree Drummond-Pioneer Woman.

>>The first blogger I truly enjoyed was in the scrapbook industry, Cathy Zielske of cathyzellske.com.

>>Deb Perelman – Smitten Kitchen – I read an article about her in my newspaper — touting her new book. I immediately bought the book and devoured her blog. 

>>No one blog inspired me, I saw so many and kept thinking I could do that. I always wanted to write and when I got laid off last year and then retired a few months later I decided to go for it.

The lesson I was hoping to create here is just a simple statement.

Don’t give up on your blogging or your dreams!

If you haven’t even started your blog yet, what would happen if you started it today? What wouldn’t happen if you didn’t?

You can start a blog in just a few minutes today and join our community of bloggers to get the support you need to keep going!