Discipline
It has taught me lots of Discipline
I used just to do things when I FELT like it which was not very often. Sure there would be times when I would hunker down to get my papers done in college but were they the best that I could do? Nope, It wasn’t until a few years a go that I realized that I could write and do stuff even if I was not in the mood. I used to go months without blogging, but now I blog almost every day.
This Discipline has carried over into other areas of my life also. Like going to the gym for example. I never FEEL like going and running a mile in place, but I make myself go, and it is only AFTER the workout is done that I feel like I am 10 feet tall and bulletproof. I feel that after I deleted my dissolve muscles in one area (blogging) that gave me enough of a “win” feeling to help me develop other healthy habits.
It has taught me how to come out of my shell
I am an introvert to the core. Humanity raises my stress levels buttttt when book blogging I have gotten to the point where I can talk to other book bloggers without feeling like I am going to puke. #Progress
I am still an introvert, and I would still rather be alone with my book rather than out partying it up. I HAVE partied it up, and I always come away feeling drained and bitchy. Ever since I have learned there were more people like me and that I wasn’t broken I developed enough of a back bone to tell people when I need to be left alone so that I do not get over stimulated.
Book Blogging has taught me to never judge a book by its cover or by its publishing house
I used to be so so so guilty of this. I used to be like ohh it was SELF-published ummmmm…but over the years I have found some real gems that I can see why a traditional publisher wouldn’t want to take a chance, but I was glad for my Kindle Unlimited subscription so that I could read the book. From the outside, it looked meh, but the words were pure art. It makes me sad that so many books just get published cause the publishing house feel that it could make some money off of those titles rather than them putting real art out but at least there IS a way these days to obtain books that the publishing houses won’t print. Thank You, Amazon!
Book Blogging has taught me how to read fast
Believe it or not but I used to be a slow ass reader. It would take DAYS to even get through a sweet valley high book. I learned the fine art of skimming in college and being invisible so the professor wouldn’t call on me to elaborate. My reading SKILLS were good I was just slow. A few years ago I trained myself to read faster. There are so many books I want to get too and if it takes me a week to get through a 200-page book well. So I started reading fast as I could then would go more quickly and quiz myself to make sure I understood everything and after a few months, I could read normal speed. Now I can get through a 300-page book in about 4 hours. Yes, I even timed myself.
It has also taught me how to manage my money better
At first, this blog was a hobby then as it grew I started getting offers to do sponsored posts and such. I had n idea one could make a living with a blog, but I was all like you want to pay me to type up this sure thing! Once I started making some money I had to make sure I had enough to pay taxes, and I had to make sure that I did not get in trouble with the Disability people. OMG the SSI people are EVIL! I don’t have to deal with those assholes much now, but back then they wanted to know what I made to the penny. Ughh
Book Blogging has taught me how to prioritize
As much as I would like to just lay around and daydream and pretend I am in the tropics that stuff won’t fly if you are treating your blog like a “business.” And the IRS AND the SSI people were super quick to point out that if you make a penny over 1000 dollars a year, you are IN business. I now have to put stuff on a list and prioritize them so that what will move me to the next level get done and the rest..well I am not super woman…
How to articulate myself better on paper
My English was always pretty good but how to convey my feelings and thoughts in a crystal clear manner was a different story. After a few years of writing for this here blog, I can honestly say my writing has improved by leaps and bounds. As they say, Practice makes perfect!