Does blogging have a positive ROI?

I’ve been blogging since 2008 –  I used to do so once a week to build up my online profile. Now I post about once a month. My tracking data suggest that I have a small, loyal, unsolicited following that's about the same size as my LinkedIn network. I could conclude that there's no direct, or obvious, return on my blogging investment, and that it's a waste of time.

Q: so what’s the point if my blog is more like a personal diary than a published work?

A: practice, not popularity, makes the master.

On one of my dog-walking routes I pass by an old Chinese woman who does her Tai Chi routine alone and in silence every morning. No one greets her, interrupts her, or tells her that she’s doing great. She’s a study of meditation in motion. Graceful, focused and precise. She is a master immersed in her moment. 

Four to five times a week I swim in the local community center. I see two kinds of people:

• people who are about 40-50 years of age that to keep fit and are squeezing an energetic 1/2 hour swim into their hectic daily schedule.
• older asian women. About 60-75 years of age. Like the Tai Chi Master, I see on my morning walks, these women are also inspirational examples of meditation in motion. They swim with grace, pace and intention. 

I used to confuse many of those I worked with by appearing to have a solid answer for every communications problem that they brought to me to sort out. They’ll know as much as I did - and more - if they stick with it for 40 years. A few will, most won't. 

Blogging is a mental exercise that I (continue to) use to hone my communication skills.

It forces me to think clearly and succinctly, and it affects everything else that I do. 

The masters I see in the park and in the pool encourage me to become a master as well. And to trust my heart and follow it down new, unknown paths.