Getting to Know Yourself Through Your Blog

Through writing, people tend to get to know themselves a little better. Writing can often be a reflection of who you are, who you want to be, or even reflect who you think you are. The fact of the matter is, writing anything, whether it be a letter, an essay, a blog, or even a book, is an outlet for the inner workings of the mind, the heart, and often the imagination. Tapping into that could help you create some pretty interesting posts, however, many new bloggers hold that honesty back, or don't have enough writing experience to let it out.

As you blog, you'll most likely find things you want to blog about, but perhaps are hesitant to actually post. There usually comes a point where you realize what you want to blog about, a part of who you truly are, and the point where many bloggers begin to hold that honesty back. Some blogs are meant to be ultra personal, such as a life experience blog, or particularly business oriented; even a happy mix between the two. Yet others are purely fictional, or simply meant to be entertaining and humorous. But it's when you hold back that honesty - quite often the blog becomes stiff, boring, and lackluster.

One way to really get to know your true writing style is to write a few posts with no initial intention to publish. Really let out some of the things you want to say. Let them sit unpublished and unread for a few days, and then go back and read them. Try reading them out loud and really listen to what they are saying, giving yourself the opportunity to actually hear what you wrote - you just might be surprised. I can't tell you how many articles I have written for other people, and once I read them on their websites, I was shocked to realize what I had actually written. Amazing really, the thought that I write totally differently when I know my name won't be attached to the article. But that's also when I really get to know myself, to know what is actually going on behind who I believe I am. When I write with anonymity, my style changes, my thoughts translate into the articles and posts in a more honest way.

Perhaps the reason so many bloggers hide behind relative obscurity is so that they can really let go without fear of what people will think. Since the internet creates a somewhat permanent record of what people write, many people are very careful to only write what they believe makes them seem smart, kind, or perhaps on the other hand, they can be callous and ruthless without fear of personal retaliation from those they anger. But regardless of whether or not you write anonymously, the things you write are still a reflection of a part of yourself. Even if you hold back more often than not, it is still a reflection of your fears or your inhibitions. Perhaps even a reflection of the fear of ourselves, or what we are capable of. Maybe in some way this would be a more honest world if we all wrote our thoughts in relative obscurity, hiding our faces behind our blogs, letting people know what we really think; honesty revealed in its fullest form.