Why to start a blog?

There are so many reasons people undertake blogging. Here I am going to share why I decided to create Not Your Regular Girl:

• To understand myself

Penelope Trunk, one of those people who swayed me to finally start posting here, wrote this in her brilliant Guide To Blogging:

"A blog is a great way to figure out what you want to do with yourself because writing regularly is a path to self-discovery. "

I definitely agree with her reasoning, seeing positive results from when I used to keep a journal. I think of a blog as a dresser with my messy thoughts being organized in multiple drawers. While I am "cleaning up", I figure out what all I have and where it belongs.

• To build relationships and make friends

This is a huge one that sets apart a personal blog from a simple journal for me. I am a fairly extroverted person and would love to know more about the people who care to read through my at times silly thoughts and ideas. It is great to write hoping that there is someone out there who will hear and understand you.

• To learn new perspectives

Sometimes we are too wrapped up with our daily lives not having time to reflect on our ideas. Writing something, especially knowing that it could be read by hundreds of people, you give it more thought hence maybe seeing a new way of looking at usual things.

I also hope to hear from people holding different points of view. As with a lot of bloggers, feedback is enormous for me, and I would love to see my readers' comments.

• To become a better blogger and grow professionally

I am planning to start a professional blog after I get more accustomed to the routine. Arun Basil Lal in his post at DailyBlogTips suggests that

"A generic blog can act as a platform to learn and experiment. If you are consistent, over time you will find your best niche and will have lots of experience and authority."

Blogging requires a lot of self discipline and motivation. This experience could also help me with my communications career...or maybe something else, you never know.

• To improve my writing

This one is connected to the previous statement, but I still decided to make it a separate point because it means so much to me. Taking writing classes in college, I realized that there is nothing more effective at improving my writing skills than continuous practice. I aspire to become a communications professional, and proficiency in writing is a must in that field. Things get even more complicated when you find out that English is not my native language. So, feel free to e-mail me or leave a quick comment if you think I made a mistake or used a word incorrectly. I promise, I won't be offended.

Well, we finally got to the end of this lengthy list. Thank you for sticking with me. If you are looking into starting a blog, don't worry about my reasons for posting. Instead, try listening to yourself and come up with your own "Why to start a blog". Good luck!