5 Lessons Blogging Will Teach You

When I was a kid – as I still am today, only taller – my parents would sit me down and tell me things I have to learn. And those moments, sitting in their laps and listening to stories with good morals, have shaped me into this present version of me. Now, surprisingly, other than my parents, I feel that the next shaper of my life has been blogging. Here’s what it taught me:

Be Updated

Broadsheets never interested me. Okay, I’ll say it, the news never interested me. The way people deliver news – how formal it is and how rigid – never seemed like a fun thing to delve into, especially when you’re just a kid. Over and over again our parents would tell us that it is important that we know what’s happening in the world around us, but we never come to that realization – that we need to be updated. Their efforts were in vain.

However, when I became interested in blogs and started to read a big bunch, I realized how in-deficit my knowledge was. Bloggers knew lots of mighty information about the things they blogged about. Most times they even compile it and through ebook conversion services, turn it into a downloadable e-book. Blogging to me was so interesting, and I wanted it to be interesting. And in that moment, with cereals in my mouth and in front of my PC screen, I realized why I didn’t like the news: I didn’t like how it was told. Bloggers tell a better version of it, and if I was to blog (which I definitely wanted to by then) I’d have to first and foremost be updated and then tell the news the way I’d like to hear it.

Be Creative

How did I like the news? I wanted it delivered with a dash of art and creativity. My parents were unquestionably the best, but all those ballet and painting lessons didn’t evoke the artist in me. As I continued to blog though, I realized that in order to keep those few subscribers satisfied, I had to force myself to be creative. Unfortunately, in vain. You cannot just force yourself to be creative, although it was a good initiative. Well, at first what I did was to fake creativity (by sounding like the blogs I thought were cool), until I found a groove of my own. It took me a long time, but now I can say I have my creative mark. As a blogger, you have to nurture yourself first, in order to help nurture the people who listen to your voice.

Aspire To Be The Best

At this my parents didn’t fail. I grew up conscious of the competition. However, the kind of competition I was then is different from the kind of competition I am in now. In what way you might ask? Well, now I am competitive, but in a healthy way. I don’t wish the demise of other bloggers, in fact, I try to help them, and they help me. Being the best means proactively seeking ways to improve yourself and improve ways in which you can help people.

You Have To Give To Get

I may not have been the best daughter, but I can say that there has been significant improvement since those innocent years. I won’t specify a number though. But one trait I was especially not proud of, was being selfish. I didn’t have much then, and what little I had I never shared (sounded completely rational to me then). But what blogging has taught me is that if you want to get more subscribers, more readers, more profit, you have to give first. That’s why those blogs offering high valuable information through free e-books will definitely have more followers trailing them. It’s not just the free stuff, generally, you sometimes have to go out of your way to give more than what you intend for you to have twice the return (or even more).

Be Rich By Not Pursuing Riches – Patience Is Key

What I love about my parents is that they were unselfish people. They had good souls. They were helpful and immaterial people. I know most people won’t agree that “if you do your work well, the money will come.” They say they believe that, but they don’t live it. Businessmen will compromise and manipulate situations to go their way to maximize profit. That’s not what I learned in blogging. I learned that patience is key. It’s even the key to true wealth. Nothing has made me feel richer than to hear people thanking me and appreciating my work. Their thank you’s may not yield dollars, but because of the traffic, I earn quite a bit in content marketing. ‘It was patience that got me here, not shortcuts’.

Blogging won’t give you an overnight success, particularly conversion. Yet, it will definitely hone your writing skills, personality and life perspective. It is even better if you could use it for a living. More importantly, I’ve always had in mind my readers. They fuel my passion. I hope you have yours too.

About the author
Mishka Tolentino is a business student at University of Westminster. She is a professional writer for SPi Global’s Ebook Conversion Services. She spends her free time listening to classical music and taking creative snapshots. Follow her on twitter @mishkatolentino.