3 Reasons Why Everyone Should Have a Blog

Often times, I wonder why I continue to do this to myself. No matter what I say, I never quite get my point across. No matter what I write, I'm never completely satisfied and I'm always obsessing over what I could do to make it better.

It's daunting and I don't see an end in sight. But I keep doing it.

If it were up to me, everyone would have a blog and everyone would write. Not because they have to, or even because they want to. Rather, because they feel compelled to.

My blog is one of the best things I have done with my life so far. Let me tell you why.

You Can Not Have Writing Without Thinking

I read a blog post from Seth Godin the other day. I had to get my wife and read it out loud to her. It made me stop and say wow. Here is my favorite line in the article.

Writing may be the skill with the highest return on investment of all. Because writing is a symptom of thinking.

I often find myself looking for an immediate return. How can I get the best return on my time? How can I get the highest return on my investments?

There may be times when I should expect to get a return on my writing, sure.

But the most return on my writing is simply a bi product of the writing itself. Because you can not write without thinking.

This isn't the case with other ways of creating content. You can repost pictures on Instagram and you can spit out mindless Tweets at an instant.

But to write something, to say something worth saying and show it to people who may find it worth reading, that is an exercise of the mind.

The more we write, the more we exercise our minds, the better we will be equipped for this world.

Put Your Name On Something

There is a time and a place for anonymity.

But not here. Here, people know that I said what I said. My name is on my blog. It comes from me. I wrote this. No one else ever has and no one else ever will.

There are 521 published blog posts on my site (including this one) and I wrote all of them.

Some of them suck. Some are decent. Some of them I am very proud of. All of them have been thought of, written and published by me.

It takes guts to say something. It takes courage to come out from behind the curtain of the internet and expose yourself to the masses. The truth is you don't have to di it. You could post anonymously, or create a fake account or publish on accounts like Medium or Quora.

You could do that. But in the end, you will always know that you are spineless.

I'm not saying that your blog and your words need to have an argument or need to be on the cutting edge of some political advancements or stance. I am saying that the simple act of hitting publish takes courage.

You are saying to the world "here, I made this." More importantly, you are asking people what they think.

That's how to make your mark. That's how to be heard.

Because It Always Turns Into Something

I've had so many opportunities come my way because of my blog.

Not all of them have worked out, but all have them have been worth it. The people I've met, the work I've done and the mistakes I've made along the way have brought me here with you now.

My blog reminds me daily that instant gratification is dangerous. It reminds me that the things that are really worth building take time to build.

I hardly ever know what will come of the words I write. Finding out is part of the adventure.