What Blogging Has Taught Me

In December 2015 when I started sharing original stories (not plagiarized), my brother Bob Njinju recognized my writing talent. He informed my brothers about it in a WhatsApp group of ours, telling them that I needed exposure.

I am not sure what Bob had in mind when he said I needed exposure. But I have gotten the exposure after I rebranded this blog in 2016 to what it looks like now and began sharing links to my blog stories on social media. And that blogging experience has taught me a number of valuable lessons.

The first lesson I have learnt is that not all people are as kind and good-natured as I am. I used to send friend requests to all familiar people I came across on social media, like their posts and comment on the ones that touched me.

Much to my dismay, I came to find out that some people hate me. Those haters of mine have either refused to accept my friend requests or avoided liking and commenting on the blog links I share on social media. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some have even unfriended me.

The second lesson blogging has taught me is that people out there are busy grappling with problems and trying to earn money to pay their bills. They will therefore not take time to visit my blog unless my stories are entertaining or enlightening. That lesson has motivated me to post stories of the highest possible standards.

Initially after I rebranded this blog in 2016, I thought people would stop what they were doing to read my stories and then sing my praises. I was not only grossly mistaken but also lacking in skill because, as I figured out recently, most of the stories I shared back then were subpar.

The third lesson I have learnt is that there is nothing wrong with sharing stories everyday, contrary to what some "friends" had made me believe after they instructed me to stop bothering them with many emails. Imagine when I rebranded this blog in 2016, I'd share a blog story with my circle of friends and then give them five days to digest the story before sending them another one.

It has dawned on me that it was not my frequent sharing of stories that was wrong; rather, it was my choice of friends. I kept in touch with some rotten characters who I thought were my chums but all they did to me was put me down. These days, I occasionally review my circle of friends, drop the ungodly ones and add those whose values match with mine.

The fourth lesson blogging has taught me is to be thick-skinned. I have been roundly criticized in a certain coding forum where I have turned for help when developing this blog. One member of the forum who calls himself Deathshadow doesn't pull any punches. He has pointed out, rather crudely, how outdated my coding is.

Perhaps the most important lesson I have learnt is to write authentically. Before I rebranded this blog in 2016, I used to pretend how funny, brilliant and fortunate I was. I would do a lot of lying, exaggeration and plagiarism in the stories I shared with people.

With time, I have mastered the art of telling the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth. And boy, it takes a great deal of courage and wisdom to show our real selves to the world. As for me, I am finding peace and freedom in being authentic. What's even more fulfilling is when people relate to my stories.

All in all, blogging has made me a better person. It has improved my clarity and fluency of thought so much that I now enjoy my evening exercises during which I jog and walk to my hometown of Kiserian. While doing the exercises, it is as though I tool in a well-engineered car that makes doing 80 feel like 50.

My inner glow shines through given the way some folks go out of their way to greet me. Even little boys and girls wave at me. And then there is this old man who calls me Kipchoge when he sees me jogging. (Kipchoge is a famous Kenyan marathoner.) A likable old man he is.

By the way, I have started monitoring how people are visiting this blog. Seeing even one person has viewed my blog in the past 30 minutes fills me with immense joy. My goal is to grow the blog's audience to 25 people every hour.

You see, this blog is a business, just like the shop my late mother ran in Kiserian for over twenty years. I am imagining how Mum would have felt if two hours passed by without a single customer stepping into her shop. That would have saddened her. So, I ask God to bless this blog just as He did Mum's shop.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on what blogging has taught me, you might also enjoy another one on "Blogging as a Profession" which I wrote sometime back. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.