I was talking to my friend Ray Sadler recently about blogging. We were discussing the fact that the idea of blogging is increasingly appealing to people even though they may not know the full extent of what blogging requires. They like the idea of blogging, but aren't thinking about the commitment to blogging that's necessary. Ray likened it to sex because the idea of sex, and sex itself, is great, but not everyone is ready for the baby that may result from the sex. You may say, "yeah, but what about birth control?" Well, there's no birth control in blogging. You're either prepared to do it for the long haul or you should abstain. It's really that simple.
Your blog requires feeding with a regular diet of good content. She requires regular care and attention. She'll wake you up in the middle of the night with an idea that you absolutely have to get out of your head. She'll expose things about you that you never knew about yourself. She'll challenge you, frustrate you, and bring more joy than you ever thought a little blog could.
The next thing you know she's all grown up and getting attention from guys like Google and Yahoo! Pretty soon your blog's introducing you to people you would have never known otherwise. Some of those people will help your business. Some of those people will become friends. Some of those people will need your help.
Then, one day down the road, you'll be thinking about your blog and realize none of that would have happened without her. That's when you know it was worth the time, effort, frustration, and expense...and you'll smile proudly.