20 Things Wellfesto Has Taught Me About Blogging

photo by maria reyes-mcdavies, via flickr creative commons

I’ve been blogging daily for just over four months (this is my 98th post), and people often ask how it’s going.  Knowing that they’re often asking out of politeness, I usually answer with something low-risk and banal like “I’m still really enjoying it.”  Which is a 100% honest answer — I am.  But behind this, there are lots of emotions — elated, uncertain, proud, disappointed, peaceful, anxious, and vulnerable — that I only talk about if someone probes further.

The thing is — no matter what your reasons are for having a blog or any sort of publicly facing platform (and they could be anything from learning to personal growth to sharing with loved ones to wanting to become Oprah)  — it’s really hard to live your life out loud.  With authenticity comes vulnerability, with having a voice comes finding your voice, and with growing comes failing.  So today, on random day 98…still in the dawn on my wellfesto project…here are a few things blogging has taught me thus far…

1. A daily practice is super powerful — it’s sometimes the only “me” time I get all day (even if it’s bleary-eyed “me” time)
2. Having a daily practice means making trade-offs in other parts of life (i.e., I can’t remember the last time I read a fiction book, and my home decor leaves a lot to be desired)
3. The simple act of making something every day is rewarding (just making something…anything)
4. Experience and expertise aren’t the same thing, and it’s important to be clear which hat you’re wearing (or else people will think you’re selling snake oil)
5. Just because you love to do something doesn’t mean it will be your favorite thing to write about (i.e., I love exercise, but I often feel weird writing about it because I’m not coach or personal trainer)
6. People love recipe posts (I guess the food blogosphere is alive and well)
7. It is nearly impossible to write with emotion about things you don’t really care about (duh)
8. It’s easier to talk about accomplishments than failures (but failure is what makes us human)
9. Unless people comment, blogging can feel like a 1-way street, and you need to be OK with that (here’s a hilarious post about comments, btw)
10. It’s weird to broadcast very personal stories to strangers (thus, no sex posts yet)
11. People like pictures as much — or more than — words (after all, we do live in the world of 140-characters + Instagram)
12. Writing is about finding the connection between what you want to write about and what people want to read about (great tip I learned from a famous writer)
13. People want to see the messy, difficult side of life as much as they want to see the clean, beautiful side (hmmm…misery loves company?)
14. Blogging can deepen existing friendships and start new ones (you know who you are)
15. Typos are inevitably (inevitable)
16. Making a commitment out loud helps you stick to it (there is no way I’d write every day if my blog wasn’t public)
17. You can do a lot in 30 uninterrupted minutes (uninterrupted = no email, no social media, no wiping kids’ noses)
18. It helps to have a few posts “in the hopper” for busy days (because some days it’s easier to edit an old post than write a new one)
19. A narrower audience makes it easier to write (stay tuned)
20. It takes a lot of writing to become a writer

So my short answer stands: “I’m still really enjoying it.”  And for now, I’m so very happy with that.

What about you?  If you’re a blogger (newbie or seasoned), what have you learned about yourself or the blogosphere through the process?  What has been hard, and what has been amazing?  

Morning Reading

photo by NS newsflash, via flickr creative commons

My first job out of college was at a PR firm, and I learned lots of lessons that have stuck with me.  I learned that crying at work is more than OK — it reinforces our humanity and can actually build bridges.  I learned to treat clients with “a little more sugar and a little less vinegar,” as my boss freely told me.  I learned that people actually like when you show your true colors.  I learned that bad ideas sometimes lead to the best ideas.  And I learned to always read the morning headlines.

The principals of the firm were emphatic about the importance of never being caught off guard by a client and often asked us about random news events to make sure we’d at least skimmed the main papers that day.  They believed in the value of connecting different areas (health + tech + politics + fashion, etc) in order to generate ideas and deeply understand the societal trends in which our clients’ businesses functioned.  I’ve found this to be true not just in PR, but in every job and any relationship I’ve ever had.  Being in the know helps.  And more importantly, it’s fun and expanding and funny and sad and human.

I love this lesson  because I feel like it’s given me a lifelong license to do something fun and personal (read about mainstream AND weird stuff) in the spirit of work.  Today’s reality is that fun + personal + work are becoming increasingly intertwined, so this now feels more natural than it did 10 years ago.

So how does this look for me?  Simple.  I try to read every morning for 30 minutes or so over breakfast before diving into the day.  I get most of my news via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds, and I also read a few newsletters that I think have great variety:

• Brainpickings
• Fast Company
• PSFK
• Springwise

How about you?  Do you spend focused time reading every day, and if so, what blogs/newsletters/papers/magazines that you love and couldn’t get through your day without?  

P.S. If you want to justify your social media habit at work, here’s a great article linking social media use and productivity!