Photo by Sincerely Media from Unsplash

Being a blogger means sharing more than one part of yourself with the world. It means turning your personal story or expertise into a brand, a symbol that represents everything you stand for as a blogger. In a bigger sense, the art of blogging changes you into becoming a wise, strong-willed, and creative person. In other words, it transforms you. It gives you the desire to grow and be better than you were yesterday.

It’s quite addicting to build and grow your blog despite the hurdles along the way. Blogging is a highly saturated market, so there is very tough competition in this industry. If you want to succeed, you need to stand out among other bloggers not just only with quality content but also with your personality and transparency. As someone passionate about writing, the writing part in blogging itself comes rather easy to me. I love creating content about life in my 20’s and giving advice that might help what others are going through in blog posts.

However, blogging is more than just writing blog posts. It’s also more than just promoting your content, marketing your brand, and interacting with other bloggers and content creators. Blogging also gets into the nitty-gritty of Search Engine Optimization, keyword search, domain authority, Google ranks, and all the other technical stuff. It requires skills such as implementing social media strategies, incorporating SEO into your blog posts, and monetizing your site in the most effective way for your niche. Doing this for a year is both demanding of your time and energy, but rewarding in the end. Nevertheless, blogging is magically life-changing. I love the drive it gives me to continually push myself past my limits and see my potential.

When I first started blogging, I was skeptical about making any money off of it. I thought bloggers who did earn income from their blog were only exclusive to famous and rich ones who already have a strong, loyal fan base who would buy any product they sell. In short, I thought I wouldn’t have a shot at being successful in this industry since I had no idea what to expect. I thought my interest in blogging will slowly run out, and eventually, I’d get sick of my blog and move on to another hobby.

Of course, it’s still too early to say that now but I’d say it’s a good sign that I’ve made it to a year already. Blogging is no walk in the park. It requires patience, discipline, honesty, and great attention to detail. It has definitely improved not only my writing and marketing skills but also my people skills. Blogging changed the trajectory of my life since I bought my domain. It made me more resilient to challenges that come my way and deeply grounded on my goals.

I was 19 years old when I first thought about starting a blog, deciding it was time to build my future on my own. Like any girl approaching her twenties, I was terrified of how my life would turn out in the near future. So, I believed starting a blog is a brilliant way to stay committed to my long-term goals. Long story short, it is one of the best decisions I made. 

9 MINDBLOWING BENEFITS OF BLOGGING:

 

BLOGGING GAVE ME PURPOSE

Blogging gave me purpose by letting me realize the importance of my own voice. With everyone making a name for themselves on the internet, it can be challenging to create and promote my talents and passions online. Fortunately, my blog serves as my small corner where I can share what I want and not have to compete this tiny piece of the internet with anyone. I just have to keep making great content for lots of people to come and visit my site.

Blogging became an avenue to express my thoughts and feelings to different kinds of people. It gave me purpose as a writer, counselor, and as a friend. Although I still don’t make a steady stream of income on my blog yet, sharing bits of advice on surviving your twenties to people my age makes me feel good about myself. With every blog post I put out, I can feel that I’m making a difference in the world in my way especially when someone leaves a kind comment about how he/she loved the article.

It didn’t take long for me understand that blogging has a special place in my heart because it allowed me to connect with them through my stories. My blog became the tool to impact the lives of others, surpassing some barriers that once stopped me from doing so, like the time difference and distance. Now, I get to put a smile on someone’s face and even convince them to chase their dream through my words. I’m so blessed that I get to do what I love (writing) and potentially make money off of it. 

BLOGGING HELPED ME GET BACK ON MY FEET AMIDST THE PANDEMIC

Not only is blogging a helpful distraction from dwelling on the terrible events happening around me, but it also serves as my tool for reflection. Without my blog, I couldn’t imagine how I would get by amidst the many deaths and fears about not being able to see the fruits of what we worked hard for. Blogging is a cathartic endeavor for me. Whenever I’d feel sad or inadequate, I would acknowledge my negative feelings and shift them into a lesson or a story that I write in a blog post.

At least when I feel down, I get to connect with others who might be feeling the same way (and have more chances of my blog getting noticed by a wider audience). Every piece of content I put out can be a message of healing and inspiration they need. Being open about your fair share of struggles and insecurities can be very rewarding when you make a difference in another person’s life. 

BLOGGING GAVE ME FRIENDS

One of the amazing ways that blogging has changed my life is the opportunity to  make friends in and out of the blogging community. Not only did blogging give me an interactive outlet to convey my message across, it also gave me a wider, more accessible platform where people around the world can read my articles and I directly receive feedback from them in return. It helped me build a relationship around my fellow writers and exchange mutual growth and support in our respective niches.

As a newbie blogger, I still have a lot to learn and master about the basics on writing a blog post, promotion, and marketing. Luckily, I have friends who are willing to offer any help or advice for me anytime. As my blog grows, so does my confidence; and the stronger my bond is with my online friends. 

BLOGGING SPARKED THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT IN ME

Blogging made it possible to have business opportunities within reach for me. I never thought I’d have the means to build a small business around my blog until now. There are several ways to monetize a blog, and trying different kinds of ways to earn money can be a great start. This means I can save enough money for capital and invest some of them to other businesses or stocks. What an awesome way to practice being financially secure in the future. It makes me super excited for what’s to come as my blog is slowly growing and gaining traction. When I do decide to start a business, it will go hand-in-hand with my site in an ideal yet possible scenario where my business drives traffic to my site and my readers become potential customers and generate sale. 

BLOGGING TAUGHT ME THE REAL ESSENCE OF PRODUCTIVITY

As a student blogger, I learned more responsible with how I budget my time and focus my energy to more important things. It’s quite demanding to balance my goals as a student and a blogger when most of them are interdependent with each other. Along the way, blogging taught me to be responsible not only with accomplishing my to-do lists but also with developing healthier habits. I learned that my productivity and efficiency in my work grew higher if I had a healthy work-life balance. The level of discipline, commitment, and patience needed to succeed in life when you juggle so many things is overwhelming, but it’s all worth it in the end. 

BLOGGING BECAME A GATEWAY TO DEVELOP NEW SKILLS

A blog is more relatable to a reader when your articles have an informal, conversational tone. Being a student as well, blogging taught me to take a step back from writing in a formal tone and being more relaxed about it. Blogging improved my writing skills as I became more flexible about what I write and to whom I write it for. Through consistent practice, I can get into writing jobs and projects in different fields since writing is a highly valuable skill. The more hard work I invest into my blog, the faster I can leverage it into a business and pursue my author ambitions.

Moreover, blogging also taught me people skills, originality, and authenticity. When you’re in competition with so many other bloggers, it’s important to stay true to your principles, style, and brand. When you have integrity and consistency with your image and social media presence, people will start to follow and identify you as a professional blogger. These are only a few of the many other skills I learned and will continue to apply in my day-to-day life over the years. 

BLOGGING BOOSTED MY INNER CONFIDENCE

Blogging made me confident because it reminded me of my abilities and talents. The more my confidence grew when more readers (and not just fellow bloggers) flock towards my blog. Even better, I have blog posts that rank on the first page of Google too.  I couldn’t believe a novice blogger like me could rank my blog posts within my 1^st year. With that, I began believing in myself even more. I worked hard and hoped for the best results to come because I’ve already witnessed small victories. Blogging helped me realize that I could do anything with discipline and focus as it was evident with the growth of Life Begins At Twenty.

BLOGGING OPENED THE DOOR TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES

In less than a year, my blog has made me enough money to switch to WordPress and spend a lovely lunch in a restaurant with my boyfriend after a long time. Plus, I also had a little bit of cash to save and invest.

I still have a long way to go since it would take some time for my blog to get loyal readers. However, I’m very happy that as I’m growing my blog, the more qualified I become to be included in paid collaborations and sponsorships. In the first few months, I barely knew what I was doing, but now I can say I am (slowly but surely) making it as an SEO writer and content creator. 

BLOGGING MADE ME LEARN TO LOVE MYSELF MORE

Personally, one of the downsides of blogging is the need to share your private life with the world. I wish it weren’t the case, but it’s essential and strategic for a blogger to share more personal posts with the readers. It helps you build an intimate, more relatable bond with your readers that they couldn’t find anywhere else. Once they feel like they’re a part of your life, that’s when they start following your story, and eventually you as your own brand. Of course, you’d still have to create quality content relevant to your niche but there’s also a lot of power in putting yourself out there and being naked to your readers.

CONCLUSION:

Starting a lifestyle blog as a 20-year-old college student is an extraordinary way to start my 20’s. It’s one hell of a risk to take considering I had no clue how to build it, grow it, market it, monetize it, manage it in the first few months. Every bit of the process requires grit and concentration, as well as a huge deal of sacrifice. You don’t see the results right away, so the work must be consistent despite not seeing much return on investment.

Nevertheless, I’m delighted to have started my 20’s by getting into this commitment that hopefully will grow into a small business. I don’t have a firm plan or routine yet but I take it day by day. The moment you step into the door of blogging, you become a different person. Blogging directs you to higher horizons, not only career-wise but in growth too. Blogging helped me not to be afraid of vulnerability. Above all, blogging taught me hard work, confidence, patience, empathy, and a long-lasting source of artistic license.

I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. Throughout my journey, I realized that my story matters regardless of where I’m from. I share my personal stories and hope to impact my readers in the best way I can. I’ve taught, encouraged, and helped people believe in themselves, take risks in their lives, and start building a future in their 20’s.