Enjoying Blogging And Blogging Benefits

Having blogged for the last couple of months has been very fruitful, at the least for me. I have enjoyed it very much. It has given me lots of exposure to the many facets of internet life which I may not be able to experience if I were else where. Of course the same saying is true for others who will say that their exposure to other areas of life were more beneficial to them as compared to mine.

Just through blogging using the free blogging facility provided by Blogger, I had the opportunity and enjoyment to learn what blogging is all about. At my age, I thought I would be quite slow in picking up the internet skills and computer knowledge needed to put life into words. To my amazement, it was quite a breeze though I still have so many things to learn from the world of blogs and bloggers.

The list of benefits is definitely inexhaustive but I have listed the following so as to remind myself to push forward to learn more, practice more and enjoy more out of blogging. The process of learning never stops. The day I stopped probably is the day I die. So I hope the list also serves to remind others like me to press on to learn and practice blogging. This will become words for life for others.


10 Awesome Benefits of Blogging (To Me)
1. Putting my life into words. 
For me, life has been like a roller coaster. A couple of ups and in most times, downs. Like being in an amusement park, nobody enjoys the ride when it keeps going down and down and down. But to the stock broker, this trend means good news as they can buy and buy and buy because, when the stock price goes up and up and up, they will be laughing to the bank. So blogging life details like these allows me to put my thoughts and perspectives down so that it serves like a journal for me to look back and reflect and find out the missing gaps. Some problems in life really need to be laid out in front for a clearer look and then withdraw back into life. It is like taking out the battery that has lost its energy, let it charged and then putting it back into our bodies and we feel the rejuvenation again.

2. Learn something new.
I have heard so much about blogging that I did not take any action or interest in it. I have heard previously that it was something that is not good. It was a platform for young teens to note down their thoughts on life and issues they faced in life, so much so that their parents have to spot check what they wrote in their blogs. In such situations, the parents discovered more about their children and realized how they have failed as parents to their kids' growing pains. Other than these issues, blogging allowed me to try out how to set up a blog, try out new features, give suggestions and also take the bloggers' programming skills to the next level of improving features in Blogger.com.

3. Convert life words into a book.
Though it may not be the latest feature, but to me, it seems like a new feature in Blogger. The blogs that were written can be converted into a book. I am waiting for the day where I have the courage to put and compile all my blogs into a book. But with this thought, it helps to rethink the quality of my postings in my blogs. Having said that, it should not stop me from blogging. The correction and editing can be done later when really the publishing becomes a reality. So for those of you who wants to publish your very own book, start blogging.

4. Learn from others' blogs.
Not only can I learn features available in Blogger itself, I can also get to explore blogs created by others in the Blogger community. Since I was new to this phenomenon, there were already many experienced bloggers in the whole wide world. I could tap on their page settings, their background displays and their many knowledge put on display in their websites. Therefore the learning gets even more exciting each day.

5. All in one reference blog.
Thanks to the feature of putting links into the blog, I, being not very young already, could copy the links of those websites and interesting useful blog sites into my blog. With this, I could easily go back to these websites and refresh my memory and even learn new updates from their blogs. Of course, another alternative is to add these links to my favorites on my computer. But having these links all into one blog really saves me when one day my computer fails me. It can become my all in one savior.

6. Connect with people through comments.
As I learn from the blogs and websites of other bloggers, I also tried out putting comments into their blogs. Lo and behold, I did not realize I would get a response. And there we go, we've got a connection and we begin to share and learn even more as comments get built upon. Though there were some not-so-good comments posted by others sometimes, I am not going to allow these to stop me from learning from the world around me, do I?

7. Offer hope and life to others.
As I read comments and even from my own postings, they have given me some comfort that the blog came in useful for them and it offered some form of life to them. Especially during trying times in life, some words of encouragement are so needed to give others a spirit lifter so that we can move on in life. Depressed. Failure. Tired. Totally wiped out. Drained out. Worried. These situations can so easily and totally emptied so quickly our emotional tank that we become walking zombies. For me, I too drew a lot of refills from the blogs of others.

8. Share life stories.
One of the joys of having kids is to be able to share with them our life stories. Life stories become a part of us which need to be passed down to the next generation. They become stories to strengthen our future generation and move them to the next level. Even when we have passed on, they can become foundations for them to hold on and stand strong in times of adversity. I had also the opportunity to read lots of books I borrowed from the library just for the kids exposure. I too was intrigued by the new old stories depicted in pictures and simple words. Some I have re-produced in my blog for my memory.

9. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Yes. Life stories are also made up of images and photos. And so thanks to Blogger and others like it, it offered me to upload pictures and images into my blog as well. Don't you think this is awesome? Indeed a picture speaks more than words. And I have so many images and photos that they can be used to bring out the stories within. It is like watching a movie where the old man shuffles through the attics and finds a box of treasures. These treasures were albums of photos, scrapbooks and letters. Each contains photos and snapshots pasted together and each tells the events and memorable moments to share with others.

10. Life is more than just blogging.
This is not an anti-climax, though it seems so. So much can be blogged about, but somehow there are just certain things in life that cannot be blogged. There are certain emotions that words cannot be expressed and so cannot be blogged. There are certain images in life that sometimes can be once missed, forever missed. These images cannot be captured even by the most powerful cameras, but only by the images etched into our memories by what we saw and experienced. I can take a picture of the hug between a mother and child parting ways at the airport maybe for oversea studies. But I somehow simply cannot blog about the thoughts and feelings beneath both of them there.

For moments you and I can blog about, let us continue to blog, share and enjoy the benefits of blogging and live life to the fullest.

What If I Am Bob?

I was very intrigued by the Bob principle as highlighted by John Maxwell and so would like to put a quick note here so that we can learn pretty quick how to live with Bob.

So who is Bob? You will get to know a bit of who Bob is by the next statement. When Bob has a problem with everyone, Bob is usually the problem. So do you have a Bob or Betty (female version) in your department or company?

Or may be you feel that you may be are the Bob and the Betty. You and I can ask ourselves these questions to check if we are Bobs or Bettys.

*
Do I experience some kind of conflict/friction almost everyday?
Do people often rub or create friction with me the wrong way?
Do negative things just naturally occur to me?
Do I have just a few friends and had that inside wish I had more?
Do I always seem to say the wrong thing, especially at the wrong time?


Here is the acronym to help Bob to THINK before speaking.

*
T - Is it true?
H - Is it helpful?
I - Is it inspiring?
N - Is it necessary?
K - Is it kind?


Hope this helps you and me in our journey of winning with people.

*Extracts taken from John C Maxwell's book on Winning With People, under the chapter, "The Bob Principle".

:)

30 Ways in 30 Days To Save Your Family

Of course it is easier said than done. How can anyone save the family in just 30 days? But the least I can do is try, right. I could may be try one of the 30 ways for the next 30 days. It could save the family. For example, I could just put into practice praying for the family continuously and consistently for 30 days.

Alternatively, I could do all 30 ways each day for the next 30 days. It may dust up the whole place and save my family. I heard from one of the training courses I attended that says, "For things to change, I must change first." Hope this book helps to give me a kick to my butt and wake me up from my slumber.

You can find this book from Amazon and read more details from there.

:)

Tree Top Tale: The Two Bears

Tree Top Tale: The Two Bears: "Two bears found a big piece of biscuit. They wanted to share the food between them. Big bear broke the biscuit into two. Small bear wante..."

Why Change?

Change is the only constant. Is change really necessary? Many like status quo. Many do not like to change as change creates mess. It does not like to disturb the dust. Change clears the dust so that you can see clearly.

But somethings do not change. The sun rises from the east to the west. Some habits die hard and do not change. The spot of the leopard do not change to stripes.

Work on those that can change. Prioritise on those that can change. Instead of waking up at 8am every morning, try to wake up at 7am to maximise the day. Begin with 10 sit ups each day in an effort to slim down. Once 10 sit ups is achieved, go to the next level - 20 sit ups or 15 sit ups.

When you start to pack the storeroom, and clear the dust, you may discover how much you have and also uncover the secrets of your past and learn the legacy of your history. You may find the words on the wall, left behind for Indiana Jones of today.

:)

Happy Mother's Day

The Mother & His 3 Sons

Three sons left home to make their fortunes and did very well. One day, the three competitive brothers got back together to discuss the gifts that they were giving their elderly mother.

The first said,"I built a big house for Mother."
The second said,"I got her a Mercedes with a driver."
"I've got you both beat," said the third. "You know how Mom enjoys the Bible, and you know she can't see very well. I sent her a brown parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took twenty monks in a monestery twelve years for them to train them, but it was worth it. Mum just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it."

Soon thereafter, their mother sent out her letters of thanks. To the first son, she wrote,"Milton, the house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."

To the second son, she wrote,"Marty, I am too old to travel. I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"

To the third son, her message was softer:"Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious."

:)

* This story is taken from Winning With People, John C. Maxwell, The Exchange Principle.

The Chained Lions

He was shocked to see two huge lions guarding the pathway that leads to the other side. As he walked closer to see, he heard the sound of chains being dragged on the ground. Only then, he realized that the lions were chained. They were chained to the wall along the path.

The two could not come together. They could swipe their paws but they could not hurt anyone who walks in the center of the path. He walked slowly through, taking caution not to sway to the left neither to the right. His eyes were fixed on the other side. His focus was along the path.

Near the lions, there were evidence of strayed travellers who have fallen prey to the lions' deadly paws, claws and fangs.

Are you one of those travellers? Do you want to be like one of those travellers? Do not be afraid. Stay focused. Walk the path. Do not get side tracked to the left or to the right. The lions are there but they could not touch you until you let them.

And you will reach the path's end.

:)

Used To Being Thankful

A man was being known to be very kind to those around him. In many occasions, he would be very polite to the people on the streets even strangers. Even when criticism or comments that were not so constructive that were hurled at him and heard by him, he was not hurt by them. He simply said, "Thank you!"

A curious reporter walked past and took notice of the behavior of this man. When the crowd was gone, he seized the opportunity to talk to the man. As he examined the man sitting by himself on the bench, he saw his eyes was closed. The reporter could see on his facial features that he was a man weathered by many years of hardwork and restlessness.

Awakened by the shove, the man rubbed his eyes and looked at the reporter. After listening to the questions, the man told the reporter his story. Beginning from his childhood to the teenage years and to his adult years, the man narrated the details of life he had, with family, with work and with people in life.

After the interview, the reporter was touched and thanked the man for sharing his life. As the reporter walked away and shaking his head to awaken himself back to the present reality, he recalled a phrase the man spoke that impressed and touched him deeply. The man said that he was used to being thankful in every situation so much that he would say "thank you" at all times.

Used to being thankful.

:)