Luck Occurs When Preparation Meets Opportunity.

Believe it or not, one of the reasons I’ve gotten so lucky is because of this blog. I’ve been asked to sit on panels, do webinars, speak to students, and write articles for a local publication.

But before all of that, (like everyone else) I had to start somewhere. Luckily I met Mike Sansone during my junior year of college. Our conversation went something like:

Mike: ”If you’re graduating in a year, you need to be blogging right now. It’ll help you get a job.”
Me: “Blogging? That’s a fun word.”

I was clueless. So Mike started teaching me the basics… And I hated it. For two reasons: 1) I had nothing to write about. 2) I sucked at writing. (No. Like, I was really, really bad at writing. I’d spend two or three hours trying to write a post that would look something like this.)

Being a bad writer with nothing to write about isn’t the best foundation to start a blog. But I quickly realized that blogging isn’t just about writing. It’s about ideas. And conversation. And relationships. But mostly… blogging is about people.

It’s about relating to people who are going through the same struggles you are. Or having a conversation about a passion you share. Or simply chatting to learn something new.

What’s amazing is that everyone ends up being your mentor in one way or another. (Every man I meet is in some way my superior – Emerson) And what’s really fun is finally meeting these people in person. Because of blogging, I have friends in almost every major city in the U.S. When I was in Madison, I saw Ryan and Ryan. When I was in New York, I met Lindsey. When I was in Chicago, I met David and Allie.

These are the types of people that will change how you look at the world.

But blogging has also taught me a new way of thinking. See, creating good, original content on a regular basis is really hard. To do so, you have to start observing things, analyzing them, and figuring out how they apply to life. It forces you to be in a learning mode all the time.

So how will blogging change your life?

You’ll be smarter, more observant, and a much better writer… But most importantly, you’ll surround yourself with the people who think different, who share your ambition, and who have accomplished more than you.

These are the people that will teach you new things, mentor you, and continually push you to new levels.

These are the relationships that will change your life.

Editor's Note: This post was part of a contest in which Brazen Bloggers were asked to write about how blogging affected their lives. For a full recap and to read the rest of the submissions read this post.