I have been blogging, on and off, for nearly three years now. To start with, I started the blog as a way to have an online diary of sorts and to document life with a new baby. I honestly had no idea that there was another ‘side’ to blogging until I joined Twitter and noticed an #lbloggers chat trending on my sidebar. I instantly joined in and did so every week for a while. I connected to lots of other bloggers, found blogging networks to join and grew more of a following.
When people started to get in touch to offer me things to review, I just couldn’t believe it! Then, when I saw how others are making a full time job out of blogging, I wanted to work harder and grow my blog more and more.
I am by no means an expert, and I know there are far more experienced and successful bloggers out there, but I just wanted to share how having a blog has changed my life.
Identity
It has given me a bit more of an identity. I think it can be easy to lose a bit of who you are when you have children but I feel like I do have a say and can make a difference. Identifying myself as a ‘blogger’ when asked by people what I do / what my hobbies are, makes me feel good and is always a conversation point – I feel quite privileged to be able to share what I know about it with non-bloggers and I receive such positive comments about it.
Perks for my Children
One of the best things is the great things that I am offered for my children to try out and different events that we are invited to. Product launches, fun days out, toys to review – the children of bloggers are very lucky! Yes, it takes time to write up review posts or photograph and edit but they are getting something that I wouldn’t necessarily buy for them, particularly throughout the year – big things like a jumperoo or BeatBo would normally be bought for something like Christmas or birthday.
Friends
The blogging community is amazing! I don’t have a massive circle of blogging pals but there are several bloggers that I follow, and that follow me, and we just share ideas and advice and of course interact on things like Instagram. I have been to a few events so get to meet some of the bloggers and that just makes the friendships better. I have found the blogging community to be really supportive and friendly and it would be a big thing I would miss if I was to stop blogging.
Income & Career Path
I’m not sure that I’d ever be a full-time pro blogger (though I make a little from my blog and I would love to be a full time blogger), but having a blog has really helped me to think about what I want to do career wise, when the children are back at school. PR, SEO or blogger outreach would be really interesting and it is completely different from what I was doing or thought I would be doing. All this has come through being a blogger and opening my eyes to a whole new world. When I went to self-hosted WordPress, I really noticed a difference in the amount that brands would want to work with me and the income side of things really picked up. I’m a little fish in a big pond but it really has helped me to be able to stay at home with my babies, do something I love and earn an income.
Social Media
All of the other ways a blog has changed my life have been positive – this one is a bit of both. I really enjoy social media and interacting with followers and sharing my thought and what we are up to. However, it can be a double edged sword unless you get the balance right. The social media side of having a blog can be time consuming and sometimes I feel like I am constantly glued to my phone or laptop. If I can figure out the right balance then that would be a big help and it would be a positive in my blogging career.
How have you found blogging to change your life? Anything else you would add to the list?
Rebecca x
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Fab post and wholeheartedly agree! Blogging can really change your life. It is hard work but the rewards are amazing. #PoCoLo
Thank you! I agree it is very time consuming but I really enjoy it
Blogging is a life changer. It was for me. there’s such an amazing world linked to it. The friends. The opportunities. The way we have our whole life documented.
That is a lovely side of it. Hope my children appreciate all of that side one day
I’m so glad to have this document of my daughter’s life and of my journey too. It started when I was twelve weeks pregnant and had only just decided to continue with the pregnancy, with no idea how I’d balance studying with parenting, and through to now that I’ve graduated and looking to the future! Blogging has changed my life! #Love2Blog
that is so lovely to hear!
Love this post. Blogging is an amazing thing, and I feel the same way as you do. I wish I could figure out the balance too, but I know that’s something a lot of bloggers struggle with, it’s not exactly 9-5, is it!
very true! organisation is key and I really need to work on that part
Fab post and I complete agree. Blogging has bought so much into my life and i’m still very new to it all. I love the friends i’ve made and the support network that I have x
the support and blogger community feel is amazing isn’t it x
what a great post Rebecca. It does bring wonderful opportunities for our children…i totally agree and many positives. i’ve also made some lovely friends and enjoy taking part in the blogging community. It’s funny how you start out down one patha nd things can change and lead to something better. I’d love to work with PR! It would be a fab job!
Go for it! We as bloggers are more than qualified for it I think
Blogging has given me a confidence I thought I had lost and a voice again. I feel like more than just mum.
lovely to hear Laura!
When I started Story Snug three years ago I had no idea how blogging would change my life, it has really given me another identity. I find it addictive too, when I give myself blogging breaks over the school holidays I miss it!
It really is addictive! Even though I schedule and plan in advance with the aim to give myself little breaks from it, it never works 😉
Agree with everything you have written, I love what blogging has bought to my family and the opportunities. My kids love what I do and the fun things blogging gives us! I am enjoying being able to bring some pennies in and also end up doing something that I never thought I would be able to do.
It is just the best. Loving hearing you all say how it has helped you too 🙂
I totally agree with you on all these points, blogging has changed my life in the same way! And I agree about social media and finding the balance, it is tough!
Amazing discovery isn’t it. I’m working on the balance thing.. I’ll get there!
A great post – I’ve only been blogging for about 6-7 months and it’s just been great from the word go. The community of bloggers (I tend to participate in parent blogs) has been so welcoming. I think my fave bit has been meeting new people, all over the world! #twinklytuesday
Great post. I love blogging and the opportunities we get from it as a family but totally agree with you on social media too, it can get a little bit all-consuming!x
I have been blogging for 4 years now and it’s the best job in the world. But my friend think it’s really easy and often say they should quit their job and take up blogging, but it’s not has easy has that. It takes a lot of hard work, and I didn’t make any real money until I was almost 2 years in #TwinklyTuesday
I don’t know about changing my life but blogging has certainly added a lot to it. I blog in various guises (not just my parenting blog) in my spare time – it’s how I choose to be creative, as I’ve always enjoyed writing. I’m a bit different to many insofar that I’m not worried about the ‘perks’ that come with reviews and sponsored posts (not that there’s anything wrong with earning income from blogging!), which is quite liberating for me as it means I can just focus on doing what I enjoy doing.
Great post! I definitely agree, blogging has changed my life. It’s brought a lovely group of fellow bloggers, brands and PRs into my life and the perks and opportunities that come with that are obviously fabulous. On the downside it has eaten up all my spare time! x
I’ve only been blogging for six months but it has already had such a positive impact on my life. I began blogging as a form of therapy during my recovery from postnatal depression and had no idea at the beginning how much it would help me heal. I love that I’m able to turn my awful experiences into help for others who are suffering. Hopefully, they will read my words and feel less alone.
I would like to develop the mummy blog side of my blog too as I feel like I have a more general voice and not just mental health specific so this is something I’ll consider in the future.
I agree that the social media side can be really time consuming. I’m spending many hours a week at the moment trying to get my blog out there to more mums and approaching companies about guest blogging. I enjoy this too but it can be tiring.
Thanks for sharing. #twinklytuesday
I’m so glad you’ve found blogging to be such a positive experience Laura – it is very therapeutic x
The perks and friendships really are amazing. I’ve been blogging a couple of years and I’ve enjoyed so many wonderful days out and holidays in particular xx
Blogging has really changed my life too, we have had so many wonderful opportunities, discovered communities and new friends and I have found a part time income too
Great post, blogging really does change your life. I’ve been making a full time income from it for the past couple of years now and wouldn’t change it for the world as I love doing it! xx
While I agree to some, I also feel like I don’t adhere to the other tips. When one travels, there is always money involved; but there are, as pointed out, various ways to travel comfortably without spending too much. Overall, I appreciate the post! Thanks for sharing!
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