Take a journey with me back to 2009, if you will. I was 32 years old with a 3 year old and a 6 year old while battling a chronic medical condition. Over the years, I have always considered myself to be a writer and used writing as a way to vent and to express myself. It was a natural progression for me to document this new journey that I was on and blogging about it seemed like a great idea.
I can still remember when I wrote my first post. It felt so good to get all of my thoughts and feelings out but I worried about how they would be received and perceived. On one hand, I couldn’t believe that anyone would even want to read anything I wrote and, on the other hand, I was terrified of revealing too much of myself and being criticized. As a result, I quickly deleted that first post shortly after I published it. This is something that I regret to this day because I would have liked to be able to reflect on how much I have grown from that first time I blogged.
Honestly, I just started blogging because I needed to talk. I was a young woman with young children who was confronted with her own mortality. It was imperative that I reach out to others so that they could reassure me that everything was going to be alright or share their struggles with me too so that I wouldn’t feel so alone at that moment. That’s the thing that I learned about having a blog fairly quickly, there is always someone there to read what you wrote, comment on it, and even support you through it.
So, if you asked me what inspired me to start blogging, my response would probably be that it was the realization that it’s okay to need others and that it is okay to ask for help. Over the years, this blog has grown into something that even I had never imagined. However, the thing that has been constant is the care and support of my readers and the people whom I have connected with on social media. You’d be surprised at how genuine and authentic those connections have been despite the fact that I haven’t met many of these people face to face yet.
In essence, this blog helped to save me during a time when I needed to be saved. Most bloggers have a defining moment where they finally jumped in and started blogging. Aside from all of the wonderful opportunities that blogging has afforded my family and I, it has become a part of me and an extension of myself where I am safe to share and receive support. In turn, I offer the same to all of you and you will always have my undying gratitude and friendship because of this…
Let’s Discuss: What inspired you to start blogging? If you don’t blog, have you ever thought about blogging and what has been holding you back?
© 2015, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.
What a great post!! I wanted to start as a way to get the word out about certain things. We are living in a world that is so competitive, that I loved being part of a “TEAM” in the blogging world and helping each other to grow, learning from each other and lifting each other up. Women especially need to stop competing and start communicating more. We could make this world such a better place if we just try…and I’ll continue to with our great groups!! 🙂
I first started it as a place to record my thoughts. It took on a life of its own, though.
What a lovely insightful post. I have really enjoyed getting to know you more and more through your posts Maria. I started blogging as a tool for a direct sales business I was trying to make work back in 2010. The short version of my story has a very happy ending- direct sales is gone and blogging remains. It is a part of who I am now as well. So glad we are part of a tribe!
It’s funny. I started to support my vintage etsy shop. It has turned into an amazing blessing.
That’s awesome. I think it’s cool how we all started for different reasons. Etsy is awesome, I love to buy there.
I started as a way to remember the good things each day, I was having a really bad time health wise and it seemed like a way to try and help.
I do VA work for my sister and our mom. I have thought about doing my own blog, but with my job I don’t have the time.
I started blogging to fill the time because I had an empty nest and I was miserable. It helped keep me company and then over time, it grew into a business.
I was making money writing on a free site called Squidoo and decided to venture out into my own website. I think you either love it or you hate it. Most people find it a chore to write about their experiences for others but I personally enjoy it and my head is always filled with ideas of what else I could write about.
I started blogging as a way to express myself at first. Then, it began to bloom into more of a business and livelihood!
It definitely started out as a side project for me. I didn’t even realize there was a whole world of bloggers!
I started to blog because I wanted to share some of my educational views.
I started blogging to talk about my life as a homeschooling mom. It was nice to meet other people who were in similar situations and talk about what our lives were like and share tips!
I have blogged on and off since I was 12 so it’s really always been apart of my life. I really started it up again just over a year ago because I missed writing and now it’s turned into just so much more!
I started blogging for the fun of it. I wanted a place to write since I was going to be a journalist before I became a mom.
I loved this post and learning more about you. I think all bloggers feel the same in many ways, and it’s why the blogging community is so supportive and why so many of us become great friends in real life, too!
It took me a long time to realize it was okay to reach out to others/ask for help, etc. too. I still am not great at it, but better than I used to be, for sure. 🙂
I used to do product testing and PR work. Just wanted to voice my opinion and neat things I fornd.
I found this article on Flipboard and really enjoyed it. Thank you! I began a blog to chronicle my family’s adventures and to educate and connect with others about RVing. I’m a new blogger and have spent lots of time getting to know the RV blogging community. How nice it is to read about so many other bloggers. Hi Everyone! -Chris http://www.cuontheroad.net
Believe it or not I started blogging as a way to document my toddlers life as she grew. One thing led to another and we headed into a whole new direction. I look back at some of our photos that we first posted and our first post and I can see how much we have grown both as bloggers and her as a pre-schooler. It’s great to look back and reminisce at times.
I entered giveaways a lot, and I thought it would be fun to host a site giving my own away. 🙂 I like it a lot, but it leaves little time for me to enter giveaways myself now, unless I just happen to be visiting another blogger and enter one. 🙂