A New Phase

Photo by Jake Hills on Unsplash

So after a long time of not writing any articles, I have decided to get back to blogging. 

When I heard about blogging for the first time, I didn’t know how to do it.

My mother was the one who suggested it to me. I think it was after learning about it from a friend who goes to the same church. I checked out their blog and I thought the process was simple enough. It seemed like a good opportunity to improve my writing and possibly earn money on the side.

The Beginning

So I started blogging in 2011. I didn’t really have any idea how I should go about it. So I just started writing whatever comes to mind. As I grew and matured as a person and as a writer, my writing became more nuanced. I also learned more about blogging throughout the years.

But ever since I learned about it, it evolved from just a simple hobby to a dream, the dream of being able to stay at home, sit in front of my computer, and earn a living.

However, this wasn’t a simple thing to do. It is very tedious work. So much time and effort go into maintaining a blog and creating content. It requires so much investment and you wouldn’t really see results right off the bat. Moreover, it gets quite expensive if you want to take it to the next level.

Since blogging requires a lot of investment, I thought of getting a job to accumulate enough funds to invest in it. Having a job would be a means to eventually reaching my dream, which is to write for a living. But come to think about it, it would be difficult to juggle between having a job and maintaining a blog. Plus there are blogging platforms out there that are free. You just need to be creative with them.

The first blog that I started has already evolved several times. I made numerous changes on my blog. I started out with Blogger then moved it to Wordpress. And now, I’m moving it back to Blogger.

Note: When I moved the blog to Wordpress, I actually tried hosting the blog myself because other bloggers say it would help in driving traffic. But I learned a very important lesson from that experience which is: Content is key. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a free platform like Blogger or Wordpress as long as you are able to reach your audience. If your writing is good, people will go to your blog and read it.

I changed the name of the blog as well. For anyone who probably saw the posts I shared on Facebook, it went from Living in Angst to Living under Grace. After a while, I changed it again to My Two Cents Worth. And now, I think I have found a home for my blog. I would probably stick with this last name that I came up with: Miah Learns to Write.

And essentially, that’s what this whole endeavor has been about. It’s a form of expression that I can only seriously do as I reflect on life and things that interest me. Things that I see and hear and feel, and things that inspire me. And I guess it has also been a form of self-discovery. I wasn’t sure of what I really wanted to do in life even after I finished my studies. I was still pondering about it.

Now

But after watching several anime and Youtube videos, after going on several interviews for companies, I decided on pursuing my dreams instead of waiting for the right time. I decided that I’m going to take a chance to get there one step at a time. I have more determination now to reach for those dreams. So that’s why I’m sort of re-launching my blog.

I don’t really know where this will lead me. I’m also not dismissing the idea that I would work in the corporate world. If I do however, I would probably take opportunities in line with my passion. But for now, I would like to see where this blogging endeavor goes. And perhaps, if an opportunity comes along that aligns with my dreams and goals in life, I’ll take it.

Even though I initially started blogging so that I can make some cash on the side, I kind of want to take it seriously now. It was just a hobby back then while I was still studying. But now that I’ve finished college, I have time on my hands. Furthermore, I’ve had a taste of what the corporate world is like after my interviews and a boot camp. And though it is the easiest way to earn an income, I really don’t see myself in that setting for a long period of time.

So I’m going to try and pursue my blogging aspirations. Not only that, I also want to learn programming because someday I want to venture into the tech industry. I also want to learn different languages because I want to travel. These are just some of the things that I really love doing. And that’s why no matter how difficult it may get, I’d still want to keep on pushing and reaching.

Take-away

I’ve learned that if you love to do something, it doesn’t really matter how much you make or what other people say or think. Because the reward for it is that feeling of fulfillment that you get by doing what you love. I know it’s cliché but I guess I didn’t fully understand what that truly meant until just recently. So here’s to this new phase in my blogging and writing venture.