Ever since I joined the blogging community in January, I’ve found it to be the most inspiring journey I’ve ever been on.
I’ve come to believe you not only have to be self-motivated to be a blogger, but pretty darn optimistic too. Why else would anyone publish something they put their heart and soul into several times a week for no pay, and for possibly very few readers? It’s pretty incredible when you get right down to it.
I guess we’re the kind of people who might have built a baseball field on a corn farm in the middle of nowhere and said, “If you build it, they will come.”
And, that’s why I say it’s been an inspirational trip. To see all these talented writers and entrepreneurs cast their nets out each day and pull in schools of readers and new subscribers, and to know they all started just like me – with maybe a handful of subscribers, or less. It’s amazing, and it sure should give brand new bloggers a lot of hope too.
The other thing I find so inspirational about the blogging community is the helpfulness of bloggers. I’ve never experienced such openness, sharing and camaraderie in any of the work experiences I’ve ever had. I would never have dreamed that someday I’d call people I’d never met from across the globe – my friends, but I do now. I also could not have imagined that starting my blog, which led me to join the A-List Blogging Club, would’ve opened the door to my becoming the marketing director for The Daily Brainstorm – but, remarkably, it did.
That said, I’d like to introduce you a group of bloggers most inspiring to me:
Leo Babauta (who needs no introduction) – Zen Habits & mnmlist & Write to Done, co-founder of the A List Blogging Club – best selling author of, The Power of Less. How could you not find someone who set the standard for self-development blogs, and whose blog was named by Time Magazine as one of the 25 best blogs in 2009, inspiring? ‘Nuff said, right?
Mary Jaksch – Goodlife Zen – and co-publisher of The Daily Brainstorm & co-founder of the A-List Blogging Club, editor-in-chief of Write to Done – Mary’s personal story is very compelling. If you haven’t read it – you absolutely must. You will be inspired. Here’s the link: How I Met Good Fortune Half Way – and You Can Too.
Barrie Davenport – Live Bold & Bloom – editor-in-chief of The Daily Brainstorm. Barrie’s work ethic is unparalleled – I know this from the emails I receive late into the night. She launched her blog only 6 months ago, gave it her all, and now has over 2000 subscribers. That’s incredible!
Katie Tallo – Momentum Gathering – managing editor for The Daily Brainstorm. Katie writes beautiful posts – some read like poetry. I so admire how often she publishes. She was back from vacation one day and she had a post out. If she could bottle her energy and sell it – I’d buy it!
Jean Sarauer – Virgin Blogger Notes – managing editor of The Daily Brainstorm. Jean writes for new bloggers trying to master the techniques and technology that come with blogging territory. She writes incredibly funny, down earth informative posts that have me in stitches, and have helped my blog immeasurably.
Steven Aitchison – Change Your Thoughts – guest post editor of The Daily Brainstorm. Steve’s passionate about helping others and passing on his immense knowledge, and you can clearly see it in his work. He constantly comes up with new and fresh ideas to help his readers live more fulfilling lives.
Arvind Devalia – Make it Happen – editor for Self-development and Spirituality sections of The Daily Brainstorm. Arvind’s blog is so totally heartfelt. The first post of his I ever read about the loss of his father made me weep. Trust me, Arvind’s posts will be move you to tears and to joy.
Lisa – Privilege – editor of Lifestyle section of The Daily Brainstorm. Lisa writes about the high WASP privileged lifestyle – something I know very little about. Lisa’s blog absolutely fascinates me in the way I was captivated by the BBC series, Upstairs Downstairs.
Scott Dinsmore – Reading for Your Success – editor of Biz & Bucks section of The Daily Brainstorm. Scott consumes books like I eat Raisonets® and whips up book reviews for the fun of it. If I don’t have time to read a self-development book – I now just go to Scott’s site for a great synopsis!
Aileen Mahoney – Kaizen Vision – editor of News & Views section of The Daily Brainstorm. Aileen writes about small changes we can implement that have a big impact upon the quality of our lives. I’m the type who looks to make big sweeping changes – but I’ve learned the value of small steps from Aileen.
Farnoosh Brock – Prolific Living – photo editor for The Daily Brainstorm. Farnoosh writes about a myriad of topics in her lifestyle blog from communication to entertainment, my favorites being books and culture. And, she illustrates many posts with her own terrific photography!
I find many, many bloggers inspiring, but this group is particularly inspirational to me because of how much they give. Leo goes way beyond the call of duty in the A-List Blogging Bootcamps. He turns an hour session into 1 1/2, and sometimes a nearly 2 hour course where he allows us to pick his brain clean of blogging knowledge! Mary is a master juggler able to keep, what appears to me, an infinite number of balls in the air, while at the same time selflessly reaching out to offer help and advice to struggling bloggers.
As for the volunteer staff at The Daily Brainstorm who work tirelessly to put together a new edition each day, while still maintaining their jobs, relationships, responsibilities, and their own blogs too – I take my hat off to them. Can you imagine what kind of orchestration it takes to put together a publication of this kind when there are nearly 115 contributors, and each of the editors is located in a different time zone? It boggles the mind! (Of course, without the steadfast efforts and technical know-how of co-publisher Geri Langlois, who is truly the man behind the curtain, none of this would be possible.)
All these hard-working talented bloggers inspire me to be my best, and for that I say, Thank You. To be so inspired is truly a priceless gift.
Who inspires you? How has it affected your life?
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I could not agree with you more Angela. And it’s an honor to be included on your list. The community really is amazing and the amount of heart and time everyone puts into their passion is what makes it such a powerful and inspiring group to be a part of. And I know we are just getting started!
Great article,
Scott
Hi Scott,
I’m so glad you agree!
How could I leave you out? It’s my pleasure and privilege to work with you on The Brainstorm team!
I know, I can’t wait to see where we are next year at this time!
Thanks so much for coming by and commenting!
Angela
You have named a number of true stars of the blogging community. Isn’t lovely to celebrate the people who make life special.
Thank you Angela
Hi Marion,
Thank you so much.
I’m so lucky to work with such a talented group of individuals.
Angela, you are a doll. I’m a little late to the party — tree falling incident, but I just want to say, “thank you”. It is an awesome group to be a part of. I can’t believe how amazing, thoughtful, supportive and loving everyone is in the blogging world — maybe it’s just my little corner, but wow, what a corner. Your enthusiasm and caring for those you work with and blog with is truly inspiring. I hope we shall always be friends. Oh, and if any of you guys get together — call me and I’ll hop on a plane and come right over. Much love.
Hi Katie,
Let’s just call it fashionably late!
Sorry to hear about the tree. I hope there wasn’t too much damage?
I agree we are in an amazing corner of the blogging world!
I’m inspired every day by all the wonderful bloggers I read, and by those I work with at the Brainstorm.
I think a get together is a fine idea~!
Thank you so much for coming by and adding to the conversation here.
Hi Angela,
What a superb list of blogging inspirations!
My story is a bit different than most because I went a step further and invited fellow bloggers from out of state to meet at my home..and in October I shall meet two more who inspire me..So I have made actual live connections and friendships that enrich my life…
My inspirations within this community are too many to name, but my two mentors and Angels are Tess with Bold Life and Jan with Awake is Good…and then Lance with Jungle of Life adds a layer I couldn’t imagine..there are many who inspire me to reach and stretch and challenge myself…
In life my Being is inspired by pretty much anyone who shares their story..I am genuinely interested in who you are today and who you would like to be..listening allows me to open my heart to magic on all levels..I am inspired by all mediums of art and creation…
My soul is inspired by the sun, moon, stars, and all in nature…
Joy, you did go a step further! That’s really fabulous!
Tess, & Lance! Wow! I’m not familiar with Jan but I’m going to check out her blog now.
I can’t wait to read the post about your get together~!
Thank you so much for visiting and commenting.
What an inspiring and celebration post!
I love watching and experiencing the amazing growth of The Daily Brainstorm it’s incredible teamwork and incredibly inspiring people.
I too am inspired by each one of them!
I must say you have profoundly inspired me to get back in touch with my intuition and make a sincere effort to grow it. It’s amazing the affects we can have on others peoples lives.
Hey Aileen,
Yes, it is amazing to watch the growth of The Daily Brainstorm, isn’t it?
I’m glad you’re working on your intuition too!
If I can help you with that in any way, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Thanks so much for visiting and commenting Aileen.
It’s a pleasure working w/you! And, thank you for showing the value of Kaizen!
Hi Angela! Thanks for the list of wonderful bloggers. I just joined the A-List Blogger Club last week, a day before the master class with Leo. The information he offered during the class regarding headlines was so useful that I went ahead and changed all my headlines to date. 🙂
Lately, my inspiration and motivation has come from Leo Babauta and the beautiful bloggers on the A-List Blogger Club. I’m grateful for having joined such an elite club with fascinating bloggers.
Loving blessings!
Hi Andrea,
Welcome to my blog and to the A-List Bloggers Club!
I don’t do much chatting during the class ’cause I never want to miss a word that Leo is saying!
Having been a journalist – he really knows his stuff!
Wow, I’m glad you got so much our of it that you changed some headlines!
That’s awesome.
Being with all the helpful bloggers in the club is amazing!
Please let me know if I can ever be of help to you in any way!
Connect w/me on FB – this way we can easily exchange messages.
Thank you so much for visiting and commenting Andrea.
It’s a pleasure meeting you.
What a great list you have compiled there! I know those names and you have awesome taste. Bloggers can be the most amazingly generous bunch and I love that you took a moment to honor some of the stars in this community. )
Hi Emma,
I’m glad you enjoyed this post!
This a wonderful bunch, and I’m having a great time working with them.
But, there are many, many more bloggers who inspire me.
Thank you so much for visiting and commenting!
Hey Angela,
I’m so glad you included Jean in the list. She is a real inspiration with her giving heart, and her genuine friendliness.
I find usually that the people who inspire me most are not those that have reached their goals, but those who are working their butts off to reach their goals.
It’s the struggle that inspires me the most. When I see the passion in someone, it’s like rocket fuel for my soul.
Jered,
I agree Jean is a gem!
What a great point you have. I hadn’t even thought of that, but now that you mention it do feel the same way too. The ones who are working so hard to get there – plus they really extend themselves to you and are inclusive, rather than exclusive are truly the greatest inspirations!
Thanks for bringing that up, and thanks so much for visiting here Jered.
Hi Angela
A couple of names in your list who have inspired me – Jean and Farnoosh – and I’d like to add a couple.
Barbara Swafford over at Blogging without a Blog for giving me a sense of the blogging community and showing me the etiquette of blogging, and John Hoff over at WP Bloghost for showing me how to sort out the technical issues involved with WordPress.
I could go on…. but I’ll leave it at that.
Hi Keith,
Thanks so much for sharing those links with us!
I’m going to go right over and look into the two sites I’m not familiar with.
Thank you so much for commenting Keith!
I hope you’re having a great weekend.
Angela,
You are so right about the passion and commitment so many bloggers have. The most notable blogs put there, some of which you mentioned, were started by people who just wanted to provide a message and inspire others. They had no clue how impacting and influential they would become. I have actually recently joined the A-List Blogger Club, and have barely tapped the resource. I have been learning a lot, but certainly need to reach out to more people and share in mutual growth. Thanks for the post Angela.
Hi Joe,
Welcome to my blog – and the A-List Blogger’s club.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.
If there’s anything I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to email me!
It can be pretty overwhelming at first. I’m still learning every day too!
Please connect with me on Facebook too – a lot of us A-Listers connect daily on FB.
Thank you so much for visiting and commenting Joe.
Hi Angela,
Sounds like whole daily brainstorm and Alist Club people are supportive!
People who inspires me are Zenguy, who is always so positive and calming force in my life.
My both kids who are always smiling.
Many unknown volunteers who help thousands of people, kids, and animals everyday!
Everyone who makes effort to be helpful in real and blogging world!
Everyone who makes an effort to be true friend!
Hi Preeti,
I’m so happy you stopped by.
I’m sure Zenguy is a fabulous inspiration for you.
Your kids are so adorable too!
Thank you for sharing those who inspire you with us here!
I have to get over to read your post.
Angela, how sweet of you to have me among your favorite bloggers *blush*! And I am so happy you feel this way about blogging. You reflect exactly my thoughts and all you say here resonates with me deeply. It’s hard to explain my passion for blogging to others outside of the blog world but to me, in addition to all you say, it is also a self-reflection for us, it’s an amazing opportunity for growth and an exercise in articulating our thoughts and feelings and self-improvement eloquently. Plus all the people, the fabulous people. Really, what’s there not to love. They can’t pay me enough to stop this :)!
Hi Farnoosh,
Of course I included you! I was writing about the talented staff at The Daily Brainstorm.
I totally agree. Until you start blogging you have no idea that this is a real community!
I’m hooked! Like you, they couldn’t pay me enough to stop either.
Thanks so much for visiting and commenting.
It’s so true, Angela! It’s been my goal since earlier this year, when I quit a horrible awful job and decided to go back to freelancing and start blogging in a serious way–to surround myself with inspiring people, people I can learn from, people I can grow with, smart people, nice people–all that.
There’s the saying “you can’t soar with eagles if you’re hanging out with turkeys” and, no offense to turkeys lol but I have to have inspiring people around me because I’ll either get dragged down by the uninspiring or annoyed lol. Or at least not get inspired.
So I am happy to know you and, at the very least, be familiar with everyone on your list!
Hi Leah,
I’m so glad to know you too!
And, I love that saying about the eagles and the turkeys.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.
But, it’s true. You’ll eventually become like the people you hang around with, so wouldn’t you want to surround yourself with uplifting and inspiring folks?
Leah, thanks so much for visiting and commenting!
Thanks Angela for including me in such exalted company – much appreciated.
Who inspires me?
Easy. You:-)
Hi Arvind,
It was my pleasure to include you!
Aaaw, chucks. Now, you got me blushing.
It’s a very unselfish group of people, too. We all want the best for each other. Leo was one of my first blogs that I read on a regular basis. He’s an inspriration to all.
Hi Betsy,
That’s what quite a few people have said. Leo was the first blog I ever read. Before that I always, thought, why would I want to read a blog? He is an inspiration to us!
Thanks so much for visiting and commenting Betsy. Congratulations again on you one year Blogiversary!
Hello Angela!
Thanks so much for introducing me to new bloggers!
Who inspires me? Hmmmm…
I just wrote today how Joel Comm inspired me to blog. I’m super inspired by the awesome community of entrepreneurs I get to hang out with (offline, no less!), and you’ve most definitely inspired me… it’s why I visit your blog.
I have say, I’m most inspired by the people who read my blog and who are looking for ways to change their lives. To grow, and to explore.
It’s funny… just this morning I was thinking about how MUCH I love to read other blogs. Most bloggers speak from the heart and with a genuine desire to selflessly share what they know and what they have learned! It beats reading the doom, gloom and mayhem found elsewhere on the net and in print!
Great post and thanks again,
Theresa
Hi Theresa,
Thanks so much for visiting here.
It’s so true – I love to read blogs. It is very uplifting compared to all the gloom and doom out there – you’re so right! Bloggers are so willing to help – it just blows me away!
I don’t know who Joel Comm is – I’m going to go over to your blog and find out.
Thanks again for visiting and commenting.
Thanks for all these links. I love to write but I also love to read. It is what inspires me. So I am with you 100% on this. The more we share, the more we grow. It also reminds me of “Think and Grow Rich” by Napolean Hill. He talks about the improtance of the Mastermind group…those who inspire and support your mission. We’re not alone!
Rosemarie,
I had forgotten that. Yes, Napolean Hill does recommend we have a group to inspire and support our mission. I’m so glad you mentioned that here!
No, thank goodness we are not alone. I’m here for you!
Thanks so much for visiting and commenting.
What I love about the blogging community is that they understand sowing and reaping. They are constantly giving value and sharing… and in turn receiving it ten-fold. This is the way it should be.
My first blogging inspiration was Chris Brogan.
I am still constantly inspired by the likes of Emerson to Lester Levinson… not to mention Shakespeare (my parrot).
Hi Rob,
Yes, that’s right – we are reapers and sowers! (Not grim reapers…)
That’s what I love about bloggers too. It’s the most uplifting experience I’ve ever encountered.
I have to get over to read your post…..I’ve been so busy.
I have a master class starting..in 1/2 hour with Leo, so I can’t be late for that!
Thanks so much for commenting Rob! I truly value your support, and I AM inspired when I read your blog!
Hi Angela,
Who inspires me? Other bloggers, my family, my friends (other bloggers;),my grandchildren, my nearly 90 year old mom, my hubs. I feel so blessed to live in our time and be a part of the blogging community.
And about Leo, he was one of the first blogs I read and I’ve downsized every area of my life because of his inspiration. Isn’t life grand?
Hi Tess,
There are many more bloggers who inspire me – you being one of them!
I guess that’s why Leo is the grand daddy of blogging (lol – he’s not even 40!) because his is the first blog we ever read. I discovered him through some article I read in Jan ’08, when I had my financial advise blog, that said he was just a regular guy from Guam that had attracted a following of 100K to his blog. I was soo amazed by that.
I felt such a warm glow when I read this. Granted, that might be because of our heat wave 🙂 Seriously, what a beautiful tribute to these people I also love dearly. I am so grateful to know you and call you my friend, Angela.
Hi Jean,
Glad you enjoyed this post. I meant every word.
I do call you my friend also.
I wish you weren’t halfway across the country so we could actually meet!
And, you do crack me up!
I took a humor writing course at The New School – they offer it online.
I think you could end up with a syndicated column Jean!