Why You Should Start a Blog (Even If You're Not a Writer)

I waited way too long to start blogging. And that just might be one of the biggest regrets of my life. I often tell my sister Marissa who to my amazement has been able to maintain a regular blogging discipline while going to college, that she is way ahead

[specialbox]Note: There are only two days left to sign up for my free, 21-day blogging challenge. To get the free lessons on blogging, go here.[/specialbox]

I waited way too long to start blogging. And that just might be one of the biggest regrets of my life.

Photo Credit: The Happy Rower via Compfight cc

I often tell my sister Marissa who to my amazement has been able to maintain a regular blogging discipline while going to college, that she is way ahead of where I was 10 years ago.

Blogging helped me find my calling. If I had started sooner, I would've gotten published in magazines faster and would've written more books by now.

Why is this? Because blogging taught me how to practice, how to edit, and how to write for a deadline. What more does a writer need to know? But even if it didn't launch my writing career (which it did), I would have still started blogging sooner.

Here's why I would still do it (and why I think anyone can and should start a blog):

1. Blogging teaches you discipline. Having to sit down once a day or once week (or at whatever frequency you do it) and write is an important skill. It forces you to learn the difficult lesson that some of the best things in life happen as a result of delayed gratification. Writing is one of those things, but there are others.

2. Blogging teaches you introspection. I've already shared how blogging helped me understand myself and my place in the world. But I'm not the only one. My friend Scott Dinsmore told me he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life until he started a blog. Sitting down to write made him realize what was important. Now, he leads a global community of people who are rethinking the way they approach work -- all because Scott started a blog.

3. Blogging gives you a voice. We all have something to say, even if we don't think of ourselves as writers or speakers. A blog gives you a place, free from censorship and criticism, to say what's on your heart and find other people who connect with what you believe.

It's a wonderful age that we live in, this era when we can publish ourselves and share our best thoughts with the world: when we can step onstage at a TedX event and reach a million people or post a video on Youtube that gets shared on another continent or write a blog post that touches just one other soul.

It really is an amazing time -- at least, it is for those brave souls who take a chance and choose to speak up. The question, I suppose, is will that be you?

[specialbox]To join my free challenge that will help you start and grow a blog, go here.[/specialbox]

Do you have a blog? Why or why not? Share in the comments (include a link to your blog or to your favorite blog).