How Blogging Boosts Personal Growth & Brings More Clarity

When I left my job to focus on blogging and online business, my life changed a lot. It wasn’t just my career; almost everything shifted.

In just a couple of years, I’ve transformed—from how I spend my time to how I see society overall.

If it weren’t for my physical appearance, I think my old friends wouldn’t recognize me anymore. It’s like I’ve gone through enlightenment, and I keep learning more as I focus on building my blog.

Today, compared to ordinary people, I view wealth, success, and happiness in a totally different way—not tied to any material things. Frankly, my friends and other ‘normies’ might think of me as weird if we talk about these topics. Like…

• Most of them dream of owning a fancy car—not me.
• Everyone wants to live in a mansion near the city, but my dream is a small hut in the mountains.
• Lots of people aim to be the COO, CFO, CEO, CTO, or whatever starts with ‘C’ and ends with ‘O’ at a big company, but I wouldn’t dare take any chances…

I have several more ‘dissonance‘ with society and how it defines a ‘good life(?)’ But these differences don’t concern me anymore.

From the years I spent blogging, which include traveling, journaling, researching, and introspection, I know where I stand, and I stand firm.

Because of blogging and all the things I’ve done with it, I’ve grown personally and found clarity, which makes me confident in my choices and excited to chase my dreams.

I’m proud to do things my way—living life on my own terms, free of any regrets.

Today, let me share with you how I gain personal growth and clarity on my blogging journey.

Personal Growth Through Blogging

Honestly, measuring and explaining how much I’ve grown over the years is tough, especially without much feedback from others.

But when I look back at the challenges I’ve faced and how I handled them, I can definitely say that I’ve grown as a person.

To be specific, I’ve grown in three key areas or ‘dimensions’ of my life because of blogging:

• purpose,
• mental fortitude, and
• mindset.

I could probably list a dozen more, like focus, gratitude, and communication, but I think these three are the most important.

Growth #1: Mindset

Out of the three dimensions I mentioned, I think the improvements in my mindset are the most vital.

If I hadn’t improved my mindset, I wouldn’t have been able to get better in other areas of my life as quickly as I did. Or, honestly, I don’t think I would have grown at all and might have even quit blogging after my first failure!

Indeed, mindset improvement is at the foundational level of growth. And blogging, as an online business, paved the way for me to achieve it.

By figuring out how to blog and earn money from it, I’ve changed my thinking from an employee mindset to a growth mindset—a way of thinking that fosters resilience and a lifelong love of learning.

In simple terms, people with a growth mindset are more open to feedback, willing to take risks, and always looking to improve. They believe that putting in effort can help them get really good at something and succeed. This mindset helps them tackle challenges, keep going when things get tough, and see failures as chances to learn and grow.

How did I gain a growth mindset from blogging?

Well, I already knew a bit about the growth mindset before I started blogging, but I really began intentionally learning about it when I read tons of stories from successful bloggers.

(…and, actually, after watching some YouTube influencers showing how to make money online, too. I’m not super proud of this part)

Their stories about the journey to becoming a skilled blogger and writer—how it takes about six months to two years of working hard and just enjoying the ride—really stuck with me and made me think with a growth mindset.

Reading successful bloggers’ stories, I realized that…

• showing up every day,
• putting in steady effort,
• thinking long term, and
• always aiming to improve

…will always help me reach my goals—not just in blogging but in all my other pursuits as well.

Yes, I’ve internalized a growth mindset as I seek inspiration and advice for blogging and online business.

Anyway, I just want to share that I remember dealing with the Google Sandbox—that six-month waiting period before Google shows my site in their search results.

It was really tough for me as a newbie, but the advice about having a growth mindset from successful bloggers helped me stay motivated.

Now, how do I use a growth mindset? Whenever I make mistakes or fail, I don’t see it as a dead end but as an opening to new opportunities.

For instance, when Google wrecked my two niche sites, I viewed it as a redirection to thrive in the future. And so, I launched a real blog (exploretothrive.com) that shows my more authentic self.

Although this blog isn’t earning me thousands of dollars yet (since it’s only in its second or third month as I write this) this action has freed me from the threadmill of SEO (search engine optimization) and allows me to express myself much better now.

The real opportunity here, though, is the authenticity of this blog.

That’s the key to building trust and community, which acts as my moat against any algorithm changes that could affect my blog’s traffic sources.

Growth #2: Mental Fortitude

Mental fortitude is another part of personal growth that I’ve noticed I’ve improved in over my years of blogging.

To me, it’s one of my most important developments because the more I build this ability, the more unbeatable I become in any game of life.

In simplest terms, mental fortitude is our mental and emotional strength that keeps us going amid challenges, obstacles, and adversities. In a way, it’s like the ability to maintain positivity in difficult situations. Yep, let’s talk about grit, resilience, and persistence!

Just like I improved my mindset, the online business side of blogging was key to developing my mental fortitude.

Chasing the rewards of building a successful online business helped me grow an ability that “removes the option to give up in any situation,” which is, in ways, what mental fortitude is all about.

Looking back, I developed it through a cycle I went through repeatedly while building my blogs.

So, what cycle related to blogging am I talking about? This:

1. I write a bunch of blog posts,
2. then I feel burnt out or tired because those posts don’t give immediate results,
3. after that, I remind myself of the rewards of having a successful online business or blog (for me, it’s the chance to travel and have freedom),
4. then I get motivated to write another blog post again, and
5. I repeat the process.

Here, we can see the importance of having a reward or reason that kept me going and how persistent I could be if I always had a vision or goals.

These are the things I’ve realized and keep in mind that explain why my mental fortitude is stronger now. I mean rewards, goals, reasons, and vision—I’ve learned that they help me stay determined and focused, so I always remind myself of them.

By keeping them in mind, I also become more persistent in accomplishing the things that matter most, even if they’re hard to do and take a lot of effort.

Honestly, my most recent year in blogging (September 2023 to August 2024) is a great example of how I really relied on my mental fortitude. It was the year when my two niche sites were hammered for no reason.

Any publisher who was hit hard by Google’s rogue algorithm updates in September 2023 onwards knows the pain I felt. Those of us still publishing today definitely share the same level of emotional and mental resilience.

To show just how tough it was, consider this: Google’s series of updates wiped out years, even decades, of hard work from thousands of independent publishers.

And the worst part? It all happened in just a few weeks and months.

What kept me from giving up? My desire to live the life of a successful blogger and online business owner—a life filled with travel and freedom.

This is my goal. My vision. My reason.

Growth #3: Purpose

Purpose is something I’m truly grateful to have established in the three aspects of my life where I’ve experienced personal growth through blogging.

Why? Because it’s what I deeply seek and fuels my journey.

I believe purpose is the most important thing in life, not only because it’s an unshakeable source of motivation that no one can take away from you, but also because it’s what truly gives our lives meaning.

Defining purpose and explaining how blogging gives me purpose are really complex topics, so I thought it would be better to share them in another blog post.

You can check it out here: How Blogging Has Given Me Purpose After Quitting My 9 to 5.

Blogging Gives Clarity

Together with personal growth, having a clearer understanding of myself, my values, and my goals—or simply clarity—explains why I am a very different person now.

In life, clarity refers to having a clear understanding of your goals, values, and what you want to achieve. It helps eliminate confusion and uncertainty, allowing you to focus on making decisions and taking action with confidence.

What paved the way for me to find clarity? Of course, it was blogging, but specifically the writing aspect and the flexibility that comes with it.

Clarity Through the Flexible Nature of Blogging

Flexibility? I mean having total control over my schedule and tasks.

Blogging is a flexible job that lets me shape my life the way I want, like becoming a man who understands the world better. I want to learn how everything works so I can avoid becoming enslaved by material things and the pressures of others.

(I just want to share: I honestly can’t imagine getting any clarity in my life if I hadn’t pursued blogging and just stayed in my corporate job. Spending a third of my day there left me too drained to focus on anything else, like self-improvement.)

Anyway, for the past couple of years, I’ve used the flexibility that blogging gives me to explore and learn about my deep interests, which I believe will be beneficial for me.

Wondering what that is?

In one word: Europe.

I love everything about Europe—its history, architecture, and nature. The deep roots of Christianity and Catholicism, which I’m affiliated with, only fuel my fascination with the continent.

The beauty and philosophy of Western civilization genuinely captivate me. Ideas from Europe and the West, like chivalry, Stoicism, Romanticism, and Existentialism, are just a few of the fascinating topics I can’t wait to dive into.

However, I can’t deny that visiting the old continent is my dream, and that’s the one of the main reasons I’m so interested in learning about it.

I even created a niche site dedicated to Europe because of my passion for this continent. I intend for it to serve as my personal digital guidebook for when I finally go there.

That site? It is called WanderInEurope.

Well… I created WanderInEurope also because I want to make the most of my efforts in learning about Europe. If I can monetize my passion through a blog, turn my learning into something that earns me money, and ultimately be helpful, then why not?

But yeah, I can’t stress enough how happy I am to have learned so much while drafting these articles.

From the great stories of emperors like Napoleon and Maria Theresa to the heroic tales of legendary commanders like Prince Eugene of Savoy and the inspiring legacies of classical musicians like Mozart, I really satisfied my curiosity.

Most importantly, these European personalities, although they’re already dead, taught me resilience, greatness, a balance between ego and responsibility, and more.

Yes, greatness—it’s something I’ve come to understand about myself after learning their stories and finding inspiration in them. I realized that a part of me wants greatness too.

However, it’s not about being vain or thinking I’m better than anyone else or being adored by many. It’s about inspiring others, leaving a positive mark on the world, and lifting others up.

In a way, this greatness feels like the purpose I’ve been searching for.

(I just want to share: Christ is the one who initially inspired me and continues to inspire me every day to seek this kind of greatness.)

Clarity Through the Writing Aspect of Blogging

Understanding my true interests in life (traveling and running an online business) is another kind of clarity that blogging helped me find.

How? Well, it’s the writing aspect of blogging: clarity is one of the big benefits of writing.

Yes, writing works wonders for our minds, helping us understand ourselves better. Based on my experience, I believe it has to do with the process we go through when we turn our thoughts into written pieces.

I’m not a professional who can break down how our minds work, but I can share my own experience, and that should shed some light on it.

Well, there are two moments in my life when I realized (or keep realizing) that I love traveling and that I’m the online business type.

• The first was when I was hobby blogging about my travel experiences on Instagram.
• The second is today, as I write blog posts for Explore to Thrive.

The first one goes back to a time when I wasn’t officially blogging and was still working my 9-to-5.

(I say “not officially” because I wasn’t using WordPress or any content management system.)

Back in those days, I had a demanding corporate job, and traveling and writing or journaling about my adventures were my ways of coping.

• My trips offered a solid escape from the incredible stress of work, allowing me to break free and recharge.
• Writing and publishing my stories? They let me capture those experiences, helping me relive the thrill and excitement of my travels along the process.

I traveled all year, visiting at least one destination each month. And many times, I found myself writing non-stop, which made me realize that this is what I want to do—travel and share my adventures through writing.

I can tell you my enthusiasm was really high (especially since I already had an idea that I could earn from blogging). However, I can’t exactly say what have happened in my mind.

Looking back, I only have an idea, and I think it’s this repeated process that made me realize how much I love traveling and blogging:

1. I recall what I experienced, felt, and saw.
2. Then, I subconsciously compare those memories to my current reality as I write.
   • Ahh, I absolutely love those stunning landscapes, amazing people, and thrilling adventures!
   • Ugh, I can’t stand those frustrating meetings, soul-draining work environments, and endless traffic!
3. I stack the insights that come my way after I ponder the thoughts of the day.

Of course, my big realization that I want a life of travel and freedom didn’t come from just one writing session. You can picture me writing more than a dozen times a month whenever I could:

• on the public transportation,
• in the pantry at our office,
• or on my bed,
• wherever!

It took me over a hundred writing sessions before I made that decision.

Yes, I had writing sessions more than hundred times—and more than a hundred times I wrestled with my hunger for a life of adventures and no regrets against the idea of being socially safe in an office all my life and working for someone else’s dream.

And guess what triumphed?

Fast forward to today, and the writing part of blogging is still what brings me clarity.

It’s become my tool for introspection, helping me recall my experiences, connect the dots, and come up with ideas to understand myself better.

In fact, by writing my recent posts for Explore to Thrive, I not only reminded myself why I started blogging and why I shouldn’t give up, but I also made it clear to myself what new core values, like authenticity, I need to live up to on a deeper level.

You can see how I talked about my core values in my blog posts on topics like blogging in the age of AI, the role of self-awareness in creating a business-ready blog, and putting in hard work for meaningful pursuits.