On that note:

We turned 5 today!! Yippie! Yappa Dappa Doo! 🙂

(The feature image is part of a blessed spiritual retreat I am attending. Bet you noticed the 5 oil lamps here. )

We have loved “writing out loudly”, what we have been guided to by the universe, all this while. I’ve said this before, but it won’t hurt to repeat myself –

“I believe the universe writes through us. And those spilled words are sent as precious nuggets of grace.”

Happy Fifth Blogiversary my precious, Natasha Musing.

Though we’ve been around much longer – 16 years to be precise. We began with a Blogspot account. But technically speaking these 5 years have been the most productive, fun and gratifying. The deep connections I have built over the years, the free flowing love that is showered; continues to warm the cockles of my heart.

This celebratory post is some-what a gentle nudge for many of you. This includes my friends, acquaintances and also those of you who love writing, but haven’t had the motivation to get started.

I feel you. I really do. After all I’ve been there long enough – not writing, even when I craved to. Then, one fine moment I was bitten by the “blogging bug”.

I believe we are all given the gift of expression, to tell stories and to write. Share on X

I may not have been as regular as I was in my initial years, but every time I come here to punch in those words; something magical happens. It feels like a fuzzy, warm home-coming. One, where soft, sparkly confettis, gently fall on my aura and being, filling me up with infinite love and gratitude. 

“Sharing is caring”, they say and I’d love to tell you how blogging has been life-altering for me.

Without much ado, let us begin the celebrations with a dose of inspiration to get you at least started, on this path. I promise you won’t regret it, if you do; hit me up. I’m ready to take both your roses and brickbats!😃

 

5 Reasons Why You Should Blog:

1. For the Joy of Writing:

I have heard most people who enjoy writing say, how much they wish to from the bottom of their hearts. Yet, they never get started, mostly due to lack of motivation and the time to write.

When the words are itching to spill out of our being and they don’t; it leaves the person/writer feeling bereft and empty. Resonates?

I stopped writing regularly for almost 10 years and I was miserable. Of course, in the interim I wrote professionally and in parts  here and there. But the faucet of creativity was clogged. I felt the words bubbling within my being, but then, I didn’t find it relevant to make this a personal goal or discipline.

Thereafter, one fine day, after years of deep deliberation, I chose to toss away my professional writing (to a sabbatical), and simply write for myself and for the joy of writing. I was totally jaded and uninspired writing for health communication, for more than a decade and half.

It all began on a trip to the misty hills of Coorg, South India in 2013 and God’s Own Country, Kerela in 2016 when I began journaling my anecdotes as Facebook notes.

Thereafter, three years later Natasha Musing came into being on WordPress- on a cold, wintery yet cheery 6th day of December, 2016.

 

2. For the Joy of Expression and Creativity:

“Perhaps I write for no one. Perhaps for the same person children are writing for when they scrawl their names on snow.”

– Margret Atwood

I completely resonate with Ms. Atwood. In my blogging journey, I have primarily written to satiate my soul. That’s when the words pour from the heart. I don’t worry too much about my readers, or what they will think. (except of course grammar and typos) All I do is put my soul into the words that come through me. If it resonates with them – great. The fact that it resonates with me and is true to myself is *gold*, and that’s what matters.

Blogging is a beautiful platform to express your feelings, experiences, thoughts and emotions. It could be a travel escapade, a poem, a recipe, a story, or a long lost tale, your imagination that went on an overdrive; and much more. This is a platform, where in all possibility you will not be judged, on the contrary you will find there are so many riding the same boat as you. Some may not say so. They may just silently read and move on, while some may. You choose to enjoy the voyage.

When you express yourself, you heal unhealed part of yourself, in ways unfathomable. You also offer a part of yourself to the world. Inspiring them, or helping them heal their pain, or landing on their being as a ray of hope; in more ways than you could ever begin to imagine. 

Sometimes the thoughts/experiences that you write in a journal may remain buried in that journal, forgotten and gathering dust. With a blog you can archive your words in the digital format. Who knows where this piece of your loving creation will land, while resonating with someone who needed it most. On some days that person will also be you!

Creation has a certain magic around it. If we don’t initiate the process when the ideas come floating into our being, they find another person.

Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book Big Magic, ” Ideas spend eternity swirling around us, searching for available and willing human partners. (I’m talking about all ideas here: artistic, scientific, industrial, commercial, ethical, religious, political.)”

When we don’t tap into them, they land on someone else’s being. That someone else may just grab them with both hands, putting them into action. By then you may then have lost a golden opportunity in the making.

The universe truly works in mysterious ways. 

This has happened to me a few times, therefore I share it with such conviction. 

 

3. For the Joy of Discipline and Rhythm: 

I wholeheartedly believe, blogging helps with a certain amount of discipline and routine. One which is non-negotiable. 

If you can’t start with a blog right away, then start with a journal. You will get there eventually. 

Fix a time. Tell yourself its a date with yourself, and keep that sacrosanct. No distractions, no work calls, or coffee dates with friends. Keep the phone away, or on silent mode, and get cracking. It’s your gift to you. 

Even if this entails just writing for 5 minutes, five times a week, go ahead do it. It’s alright if you begin with three times a week too; if 5 feels tough to start off with, But fix those days, please.

But start. Begin where you left the words. They await your arrival, to be adorned in your journal or blog. 

When I started blogging, I wrote every day – Monday to Friday. 10 am to 1 pm. I said no to duties, chores, invitations during that time span. I told friends and family I wouldn’t be available to take calls and attend to things in that time frame. It was like going to work. I felt pure, driven and meditative. You can make this happen too.

Those five days of the week were the best for me so far. I would get withdrawal symptoms on weekends and couldn’t wait to get back on Monday. Then came a time when I blogged on a Sundays too. Then every day with the A-Z writing Challenge for a month. 

It’s good to have a blogging schedule, a calendar of sorts. You could blog twice or thrice a week, That way your audience knows when to visit you, and you have a structure in hand.

4. For the Joy of Sharing & Connection: 

Blogging connects you to the world wide web and a bunch of people with similar tastes, thoughts, ideas. Blogosphere is a unique platform where you can share, and simultaneously learn from each other. 

I can’t begin to thank the universe enough for the set of wonderful friends I have met in blogophere. You know who you are!

Though we haven’t met, yet we feel a deep connection. These friends possibly know some of my darkest and brightest ideas and thoughts, as opposed to the ones in my day to day life. We even email/message each other, cheering one another when the going gets tough.

The blogging world offers many lovely writing prompts, which ensure we are regular each week with our posts. One such blog hop was #WordlessWednesday which I was hosting for the last 3 years.

I’ve taken a bit of a break now. There are others who host the same prompt. It’s a fun blog-hop party we would bring in each week, even though we were in the far flung corners of the world.

I cant begin to thank other blog hops like Monday Musings, Micro Mondays, Weekly Smiles, Friday Fictioneers, Thursday Tree Love which helped me take my blog to another level altogether, while I made some precious friends. 

5. For the Joy of Relevant and Lucrative Work Opportunities:

Your blog may double up as a resume and portfolio, especially if you are a writer. It may give your prospective employer an idea of what you write about and how you write. You could even monetize your blog, depending on what genre you write on. 

I have chosen not to monetize my blog so far, for reasons totally personal. I don’t wish to make it a branding platform, yet if I like something truly, I freely share about it here. Anybody reading may benefit from these personal experiences. I don’t enjoy the concept of trailing ads and pop ups, and have therefore stayed away from them.

 

Blogging can leap-frog your journey as an author too. Thanks to blogging, I wrote Travel Epiphanies and April Anecdotes, my first two books and wrote for an anthology, Autumn Gales. 

Do what floats your boat. We are all like trees, yet diametrically different like the apple, mulberry, mango and cherry trees. Unique in our ways and offerings. 

 

6. For the Joy of a Rich Legacy:

This is a bonus point for all my readers as a blogivesary gift and very close to my heart.

Your words could be a vibrant tapestry of a rich legacy you leave behind for your children, grandchildren and great-grand children. Even though you may, or may not have a big fat will or land to bequeath your children with; the generations after you will be proud and blessed to read about your trysts, stories and adventures.

This is one incredible legacy, to leave behind! I call it passing on good ancestral karma. :):)

 

On that note, adieu amigos!

I hope you have enjoyed reading these tips. If not do tell me what resonated and what didn’t.

Drop your question if any, in the comment box and I’ll be happy to respond. 

 

Love, Light, Laughter.

Happy writing, Happy Blogging.

 

Natasha <3 <3

 

After note- a key one:

Thank you Corinne, Suzana, Zina, Rochelle, Trent, Sandee, Steve, Betty, Brian, Marie, Cathy, Parul, Esha, Rochelle, Keith, Jackie; for all the fun we’ve had hosting together and joining your blog hops. 

I met Chandra, Keith, Kenneth Cole Schneider, Veronica, Diana, Esha, Parul, Saumya, Shinjini, Shailaja, Rachna, Roshan, Moon Moon, Rajlakshmi, Mayura, Shilpa, Vinitha, Pragun, Monika Ohlson, Patrick, Shiju and so many others, thanks to blogging. I owe you guys big time, and have learned so much from you. So, here’s the tightest hug from me to you. <3 <3

Infinite gratitude to Corrine and Shailaja for always being ready with your blogging tips and guidances too. Means the world.

Apologies if I have missed naming you. I really feel deep gratitude for these lovely connections and you live in my heart.

Before you go, here are the blogiversary posts from the past years. Do check a few Guest posts if you like. I was blessed to have a bunch of erudite bloggers join my celebrations in the past years. 

On Turning One: #MondayMusings

NatashaMusing is Turning Two! : #Blogiversary #AmWriting

Three Down, More To Go: #Blogiversary #BlogAnniversary #AmWriting

On Turning Four: #Blogiversary #BlogAnniversary #AmWriting