In February this year, I participated in TRULondon – an unconference about recruiting. On the second day I attended a track with Jessica Merell and Rayanne Thorn about blogging. I was very skeptical about the value of it and even a little dismissive when they exclaimed that “blogging is a little bit like therapy”. That was a step too far, too out there and too…hmmm… emotionally loaded.
Despite that, I gave it a try – and here I am, seven months, 52 posts, several friends and brilliant connections later, really enjoying myself. And I’ll let you in on a secret: It’s really like therapy – well not completely, but it does calm my mind and clarify my thoughts. It’s quite remarkable.
But there’s more to it. Since I started blogging it seems to me like a new universe has opened up, one of discussion and debate, of sharing and generally good intentions. It has increased my belief that the world is generally full of great people. Even when Leeds United fans poured over Paul Bell’s guest post (and please don’t get me wrong), I only had to edit one comment – even though football supporters are often perceived in a different light.
I was invited to write guest post for Trish McFarlane, Mike VanDervort and Bill Boorman and from the levels of retweets and comments, I only started to understand what a successful blog looks and feels like; how much passion there is in blogging and how well regarded these three are within their respective worlds.
I also found blogging a real eye opener when it comes to meeting people. As with most of us, before a meeting I’ll check the individual on LinkedIn; that can be very bland – but when they have a blog, reading their “about me” section, reading their thoughts, gives me a much better insight into their creation and perception of reality, sheds light on the thoughts they currently wrestle with and ultimately make a face to face meeting so much more impactful. Instead of going through intros, we can cut to the chase.
Blogging even affected my choice of music. I normally like to write in silence, but when traveling I use music to create “this temple of reflection” (Maria Montessori). But whilst I really like Metallica, Ramones etc, they disturb my mind and I just don’t get into the zone. The same happens with the dance tracks of Kylie Minogue. Instead I found Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing” the ideal music for writing blog posts. It’s so peaceful, maybe even a bit bland. But as I now associate it with calming my mind and being in the zone I actually also listen to it when I’m not writing. Boy, do I need to apologise to the friend we teased for listening to Dire Straits when we were 16. He maybe knew something then, which I only discovered now.
Today, I’m looking forward to Bill Boorman’s track on blogging, here at TRUManchester – he told me on the phone that he will share with us some new learnings and practices that make blogging even more enjoyable.
Painting by Clay Vajgrt