How Blogging Changed My Life

The Executive Assistant's Toolbox was born two days after my birthday in July of last year. We're both Leos.

After a somewhat rocky (but overall exhilarating) start, my blog-baby is now, what I consider, an energetic yet slightly awkward teenager. I love her and she's taught me a lot. And I mean A LOT. Not only about myself but about my life - where I am and where I want to go.

The recent publication of my first e-book (The Effective Executive Assistant) was a major milestone for me. It got me thinking about how much blogging changed my life. I thought I'd share that, for those of you who are interested in blogging in the future or just for people who are curious about the Executive Assistant behind the Toolbox.

I've had two jobs

Since the day it started, this blog has been like a second job for me. I dedicate an average of about two hours each and every day to the maintenance and care of it. Maybe others work more hours or fewer, but this has pretty much been my standard during the week. On weekends, I've spent entire days redesigning, writing, researching, etc.

It could probably more accurately be described as the "daughter I never had," or "the daughter I haven't had yet" as it's something I've (quite literally) birthed, raised and am now watching grow. It always needs my attention and I never tire of its presence in my life. I think about it WAY too often - things I can do to improve it, make it more useful, attract more readers, make it more beautiful. Admittedly, it's an obsession - but one that I don't consider negative in any way....except perhaps one.

Which brings me to my next point...

I've been forced to manage personal time carefully

Never before have I had to manage my personal time as carefully as I manage my professional time. As you can see, with this kind of passion, one can easily become consumed and lose sight of what's really important. There was a time there that I spent every waking minute while at home in front of the computer. Needless to say, Mr. Toolbox and the kitties didn't appreciate that. In fact, I dare say I almost drove them to the edge. Well, I drove Mr. Toolbox deep into the World of Warcraft (which he is now addicted to and claims it is my fault for ignoring him). Who can blame him, right?

What I had to learn was some serious self-discipline. I had to organize my time effectively so I could accomplish what I wanted to with the blog and still maintain my relationship. To do this, I set clear blog-tasks for each night of the week. I then allowed myself only to do that task, and I gave myself a time limit. If I finished early, I stopped and spent the extra time with Mr. Toolbox. If I didn't finish in the appropriate amount of time, I had to stop and pick it up again the next day.

Exploding curiosity

The internet amazes me. Every day, I realize anything is possible here. It is truly overwhelmingly enormous and just.....SO cool! People are really doing great things out there. On the news, all you hear is that the economy is awful and recession is a certainty. But online - people are positive, risking it all to create something new and some are succeeding beyond their wildest dreams. (Read about Leo at Zen Habits quitting his job to blog fulltime!) Others, like me, are just happy to be a part of it - contributing to the dialogue and being involved. What this has meant for me is a sudden spark of curiosity I haven't felt since childhood. The opportunities are endless....truly infinite. I get a tickle of excitement thinking of things I want to investigate, research, learn, talk about, and share with others. I've never, ever considered myself any kind of computer geek. Now, I get all hot and bothered by CSS and HTML. It's a whole new world of geeky stuff I never knew I liked! The internet is a thrilling thing to be a part of. We are so lucky to live in these times.

A new community

In this vast internet universe, I've found so many new friends - people who inspire me and intrigue me. People I feel like I know intimately yet haven't ever met. It's a little weird sometimes, but overall I have to remember that all interaction is unique - communication can happen in many different forms. This is a different way of interacting but it's a valid, important way. I am able to meet people from around the world - people I never would have (or could have) met in any other way. It's a revolution of sorts. We're creating a new social scene online. It's something our kids will take for granted but which we get to explore at the ground level.
New, huge goals...and growing!

For the first time in years, I see potential everywhere. My goals are big and getting bigger. This e-book is just one of many big things I envision for this blog and my career. I'm setting incredibly high goals and I truly believe in my heart that they are achievable. It's a wonderful, scary, exhilarating and absolutely OUTSTANDING feeling. For those of you considering blogging, here's my advice: Go for it. Give it your all. Put a piece of yourself out there and don't give up when it feels like a lost cause (because it will at some point). I realize that it's all worth it when I read some of the emails I get from people who are looking for help or guidance or just a friendly person who knows what they go through at work each day. The people who tell me I'm inspiring them, helping them, bringing something positive to their world - that's what really matters.

It's an honor to do what I do here. And I thank you for reading.

Talk about it