What I Learned Through Blogging in 2009 – Part One

Posted at January 21, 2010

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In January 2009, I set out on a public self improvement journey on this blog. Through blogging, I was able to re-connect with old friends and make new friends. I was able to meet many of my goals and establish my path to success. Was it easy? No it was not. But I am glad I did it.

Many of my dear readers have asked me why I stopped writing on a daily basis like I used to. I have no valid reason but a million excuses. It was partially because of laziness, loss of focus,  and an identity crisis. Wow! Now that is off my chest, let us get on with the lessons I learned in 2009.

1)   Give and it will come back to you

I grew up hearing my parents tell me about giving. I heard about the need for giving at our church, as the offering basket did the rounds. But I also heard from friends that we live in a society with “each for himself and God for us all”.

Through sharing my ideas on this blog; inspiring my friends and strangers alike, I was able to attract good things in my life. I was able to meet great friends, make more money and live a richer life. The more I shared, the more I got back in return.

I also noticed  that people and businesses that gave more value succeed more. The bible says “Give and it will come back to you”. We all have spiritual accounts that we deposit into through our acts of giving. The more you deposit the more you can withdraw.

You may think that keeping your money to yourself in times of hardship is the wisest thing. On the contrary, giving opens the floodgates of heaven.

I am just a regular guy not a trained Dr Phil. But I shared the little I knew and it opened the floodgates of blessings that I have attracted to my life.

Be a generous soul in 2010. Giving creates an prosperous mindset. What do you think would happen to your life if you felt rich, abundant, blessed, gifted and prosperous?

2)   Thoughts are Physical

I serialized a couple of books on this blog last year. One of the books was a timeless classic by James Allen. It features the following quote;

“Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.”

Many people (including me), have the habit of letting random thoughts through our minds. We fail to control our thoughts and consciously inject positive ideas.

I learned in 2009 that whatever thought I let in my mind  comes to pass. I will be more vigilant with my thoughts and my words. Because as surely as the sun rises, they come to pass.

3)   Kaizen Opens Doors

I literally stumbled on the concept of Kaizen a few years ago.

Kaizen is the process of reaching your goals in life by harnessing the amazing power of baby steps. It is a simple concept imported from Japan, that can transform your life if you apply it.

If you improved your life by 10% every month, you will not just have 120% better results at the end of the year. The small gradual improvements will compound to give you amazing results.

Kaizen will open doors that would otherwise have remained closed. Whether you want to improve your career, your business, your relationship or your concentration, you can do it through kaizen.

Do not wait for perfection, have a bias for action. Start with small gradual improvements and you will be amazed at the momentum you will gain over time.

When I started blogging, my name was hardly listed in the search engines. With every incremental blog post, I was able to get my site into the search engine databases and attract readers from around the world.

In addition, every blog post helped me improve as a writer and as a person. Small steady steps paid off for me and they can for your life too.

4)   The Art of Personal Branding

A good personal brand increases your perceived value and makes people pay a premium to be associated with you. They may not necessarily pay you money, but they will give you the attention, trust, remembrance, forgiveness and opportunities.

A strong personal brand enables you to be confident in your own abilities and as a person. It helps you become influential in many spheres of life and opens up a world of opportunities.

I learned how to build a personal brand online almost from scratch. Although I had been making a living on the internet for 7 years by the time I started writing on this site, I had been doing so anonymously. So this was new to me.

Personal branding does not happen overnight. Personal branding is about how others view you, not how you view yourself or want to think that others view you. Having said that, you can influence how people perceive you, through your words, actions and habits.

Creating a blog is a fantastic way of enhancing your personal brand online. I wrote about 20 articles on the topic of personal branding, including one on how to use blogging for your personal branding efforts.

5)   Ideas are not worth much

I can spend the rest of my life writing on this blog. I can spend all day researching and coming up with ideas to inspire you. You can spend all day reading and re-reading my blog posts. But if you do not take action, it is all in vain.

This blog was once an idea, but it is only when I put in the hours, to research and to write, that I was able to connect with you and other readers. I am guilty of coming up with ideas in the past that never saw the light of day. I have purposed it in my heart to do more (actions). It is better to implement half your ideas than generate double the ideas without acting on them.

Do you have ideas for doing this or that but never really done it? Take a step of faith in 2010 and keep the excuses at bay. Have a bias for action in the implementation of your ideas.

Summary

2009 was a great year for me. I am grateful for having you as a visitor to my blog and hope to connect with you more in 2010. Please be on the lookout for part two of this article in the next few days. Part two will tell you what really got into me in 2009 and what is in store for 2010.

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