5 Things Blogging Has Done For Me

If you're reading this then you either love reading blogs or writing one of your own. Either way you'll know the immense pleasure a single blog post can bring to its' readers. This post is a bit of a thank you to the brands and bloggers alike that have supported me so far, as well as (hopefully) a bit of inspiration for you to maybe start your own.. come on what are you waiting for?!

1. Created Opportunities

Did i start blogging with the aim of making a fortune out of sponsored posts and quitting my job to write all day from the shores of Barbados sipping cocktails? Absolutely not and if that's why you're thinking of creating a blog then don't..no seriously. Blog simply because you love to write and want to share topics and products you're passionate about with the world. 

Getting paid is always a great feeling but at the end of the day brands are in it for their own self-promotion and not for your overall success. A sponsored post here and there and a few gifted products have been a blessing but certainly not a reason to keep on the blog train.. hang on is that a saying? No...no it's definitely not..

2. New Blogger Friends

Before I started my blog a little over a year ago now I had no idea just how great and supportive the blogging community is. I've had nothing but encouragement and amazing feedback since launching The Guy On Trend, and also made some great friends along the way!

3. Better Self Confidence 

Creating a blog is great fun but to get people to actually read it is a massive challenge, and one that is only overcome by doing a lot of self-promotion. Joining twitter chats and constantly communicating with brands and bloggers to swap ideas and discuss partnerships is a daily occurrence, and one that involves talking yourself up a lot. Over the past year I feel like i've learnt a lot of skills here and can really promote my brand to others.

4. Passion

Before launching The Guy On Trend I wasn't passionate about a lot of aspects of my life, and didn't have a huge array of hobbies to speak of aside from music. Blogging has given me a whole new sense of worth and motivation to succeed, which I can really feel works its way into other areas of my life. It's often so hard to keep motivated to blog when you're so aware that hardly anybody on Earth actually consumes your content, but if you believe in the quality of your posts that's what matters.

5. Creating Goals

My blogging hobby has really helped me set goals both for life and for The Guy On Trend. I now find myself planning out my weekends according to what content needs writing and it's really helping me make sure i get stuff done. I really want to start creating monthly blog goals like increasing my Bloglovin followers by 25 etc. This new addiction to goal setting has also started to translate into other areas of my life and that feels great. 

Here's to another year of blogging and loving it in 2017! What has blogging done for you this year?