I believe blogging is making me a better person.
Blame it on isolation. After all, for a long time, I worked primarily at home, I live in the country, and seldom talk on the phone with people except for a specific purpose (I’m calling a company’s customer service center, or the other person is paying me for my services).
Getting out of touch with the human element is bad for business, bad for the heart, and bad for creativity… which is why I’m loving the blogging world so much. The conversations give me an opportunity to get inside the viewpoint of so many other people, on so many different topics, in so many different arenas.
Sure, it’s a completely different experience than getting face time with a living, breathing, human being. I’m not suggesting that it does, would, could, or should replace anything.
But, in lieu of other opportunities to mingle with such amazing people as I’m finding online, it’s not only great, it’s evolutionary. "Evolutionary" in that I’m growing because of it, becoming more fluent in stepping out of my perspective, and into someone else’s — a key ingredient of empathy, compassion, and all the other "people-skills" that are so crucial in business (and life) these days.
For example, today I was doing some preparatory work for a class I teach. And as I reviewed my notes, I started seeing all kinds of places to invite a conversation. And, more than that: to see where the class participants may feel different about a topic than I do, and to engage in a dialogue about it with them. That perspective came about as a direct result of my time spent in the blogosphere.
Score one for the humanizing effect of community.
It hasn’t all been a cake walk, though.
Choosing to enter the blogging world was a stretch for me. I love conversation, and so much of it is a fit for me. And yet, before I started blogging I was only putting out one "writing spurt" a week, in my weekly newsletter. Committing to blogging meant a big jump in my commitment to spreading my wings.
So where are you needing some evolution?
Here’s my suggestion:
1. Take a moment (or two) and reflect on your patterns — your life patterns, your work patterns… the habitual ways you go about doing things… the rhythms you’ve settled into as a result of living in the way you’ve been living.
2. Now, get in touch with your heart. Connect with your heart’s sense of knowing (using the Remembrance is a great tool for this), and ask to be shown the place where some evolution would be good for you and your growth.
Maybe it’s learning (reading, audio, taking a workshop, etc.). Maybe it’s giving (community service, coaching a sports team, etc.). Maybe it’s cleaning up some old baggage you’ve been carrying around with you for too long (emotional issues, physical clutter, fifteen extra pounds, etc.).
Now, either put what you’ve gotten in a comment below, or if you have a blog, write your own post about it. Either way, sharing your commitment to yourself with an audience (even an anonymous one) will help give you leverage.
Bonus: Put a deadline on it. A date or time you’ll achieve this by.
Extra incentive: Give yourself a consequence for not doing it by then, the way Sean D’Souza talks about external deadlines, and Wendy Piersall ups the ante in her life.
And, should you feel so inclined, tag a few other people to light the fire under their… um… feet, and help them become the kind of person they want to be.
I’d love to hear all of you… and I’m going to specifically invite bloggers Liz Strauss (unless she’s too swamped getting ready for SOBCon), Nneka, Dawud Miracle, Wendy Piersall (since I brought her into this already 
), and Mark Silver.
For me it’s definitely setting up a couple of websites and blogs. I already have a deadline for one of them–I’ve announced it publicly.
I’m switching my hosting service so have some technical issues to solve, like getting WordPress to integrate with the rest of the site. The big issue is content, content, content that will achieve my goal–to connect with other people interested in personal transformation. Well, a bit more than that–I want to make a contribution to their lives.
Online networking with other bloggers. I have not really ventured out in this yet but I have only been blogging for about a month.
No excuse though! Looking forward to meeting new people and learning from them.
Hi Jean… be sure to let us know when you get your sites set up. As you could guess, the Monk is big on personal transformation and contribution!
(by the way, I went to UC San Diego, too!)
Brett: Welcome to Monk at Work — and you’re right; the time-elapsed since you started blogging means little. It’s the quality of your contribution that counts.
Feel free to jump in anytime!
Adam,
I’m going to combine this with another that I’m doing for tomorrow morning, because the answer is the same thing. I think you will know it when you see it, but I will put your name on it just to be sure.
Hi Adam,
For me, it’s getting podcasting up and running. I know what to do but haven’t carved out the time to do it.
It’s a funny small world sometimes. I “bumped into” you and Dawud both when I left a comment on Ah Pek’s lovely post on Maximising Productivity (http://makanon.com/maximising-productivity/). That’s the beauty of blogging: we create worldwide community and reduce our isolation (sometimes while working from home).
Thanks for your inspiring, heartfelt posts.
Peace be with you,
Tara
Liz: That’s a great post. Reading it was very moving for me, to be honest. (Anyone reading these comments, I’d recommend clicking the link above to her post, and reading it.)
Tara: Isn’t it amazing? I love how blogging allows me to interact with people that are so wonderful.
I was on the phone with Mark Silver yesterday, talking about this very thing: I could drive an hour and a half to go to a “networking meeting”, and maybe meet one person out of 20 who I really connected with, and wasn’t just there to try to get me to sign up for their coaching services.
Or, I could find people on-line, who share similar goals, values, and interests, and start forging some great relationships, learn amazing things, and better the quality of life and conversation, in whatever small way I can.
I’ll take that road anyday!
Actually I already have one blog at creativityandjoy.com. I don’t aim to be a professional in the blogging world, but today’s post on The Trouble With Goal Setting and my first one on The Joy of Being a Skunk Cabbage might be relevant. They’re both short.
Adam…. wow! That’s a really good set of questions.
For me I need to evolve some in the number of committments I have. I had a crash day today because I’m just too busy. Something has to change. Thanks for the push. A post early next week might just be in order after some serious reflection. Thanks… really!
Hi, Adam,
I referred to you and this post on my latest posting at cheerfulmonk.com. I’ve just stepped out of my comfort zone big time.
Jean: Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
Dave: I understand the crashing phenomenon; sounds like the “serious reflection” just might be the thing you need. Let me know if I can be of help.
I’ve got a confession to make. . .
I’ve never blogged. . . yet. . . or, is this blogging ? Yikes.
What would make me a better person would be to become more conscious of the fact that I’m already a perfectly wonderful person as made. (See the Virgo article) So far, I have to take this on trust.
Hi Celeste… well, technically, this would be “commenting.”
Blogging would (will) be when you have your own blog, and you’re writing posts of your own.
But hey, it’s close enough! Welcome to the conversation!
And re: “So far, I have to take this on trust.” Not for much longer, I hope! Just ask, is what I’m saying… tap into your heart’s connection to the Divine, and ask to see yourself as The One sees you. You just may be amazed at what you get.