This post is part of a series.

In the last two weeks I mentioned how I stumbled on a new blog via Rachel who mentioned a blogger who wrote his 1000th post about what he learned while blogging himself. I picked out a few points from his list and commented with my own perspective. You can read the first post here, and last week’s post here.

This week, the following points stood out to me from James’s list, and here is my view on them:

63. Everyone approaches blogging differently. Some people use it like a diary, making short notes about their day. Others post photographs of all the places they visit. Some people repost other people’s blogs that they like. Some people write excessively about tiny topics, or say essentially nothing about big topics. There’s no one way to blog.

Well this is what makes it so interesting, no? And the other side of the coin is, you can read it, or not, re-visit it, or not, comment, or not. You can follow and then ignore it, unfollow and refollow, read as a lurker, or link to a post you like to let someone know their post made an impression on you. (I’ve done this a few times.)

Point is, you are free to choose how, or whether, you wish to blog. It’s up to you.

73. Blogging is good for my mental health.

Yes.

But I’m still a neurotic lunatic. 🙃

74. Blogging gives me a sense of purpose after I retired.

I look forward to blogging most days. I know some people (in my life) think it’s like a hobby to me but I treat it as much more than a hobby. I have an internal propulsion that makes me sit down and process something by writing it out.

Not all of my thoughts are in my blog. I have a close friend in Germany whom I email to regularly and we share more personal perspectives than random people on the internet would care about. Or, if they did care, it’s none of their business. The point is, I enjoy blogging for reasons that go beyond treating it as a hobby and it teaches me things I never thought I’d learn.

77. Blogging is a way to push myself to do more.

I would add to this last point ‘and invite others to be inspired to do more‘.

Because really, it’s the community aspect that’s so intriguing in this whole blogging venture, isn’t it?

What do you think about these points? I know some people talk about taking breaks, or saying goodbye, but I have a sneaking suspicion that many of these same people need a blogging vacation more than a full-stop-never-again break. But time will tell.

For now, I’m not going anywhere. 🙂