When I first started writing my blog (it was really an online journal; no one read it but me) I had the chance to discover all the funny, inspiring, creative and moving blogs women are writing.  I also found that in addition to some of the most popular ones, there are some less-well-known gems where the writing really spoke to me.

If you want to follow multiple bloggers or just find a variety of blogs that on topics you’re interested in, I highly recommend BlogLovin.  It’s a great app that categorizes blogs (fashion, food, inspiration, etc.) and lets you search for individuals and blogs you might be interested in reading. Then, it creates a “newsfeed” of the latest posts from everyone you follow, and it updates your feed every time there’s a new post.

Three posts in particular really caught me this year, landing in my inbox at just the right time:

1) Sarah Bessey’s (SarahBessey.com) “This is the Point Where You Wish You Could Quit:  On Climbing Mountains and Metaphors.”  This post literally appeared first thing in the morning on the day I wanted to quit the major life change I was in the middle of.  I had been working really hard and I was emotional and just didn’t think I had it in me to “finish the race.”   Then I read Sarah’s post and was so encouraged by her words that I immediately created an “encouragement” board and pinned it.  The best line:  “I used to be there and now I am here and I did that on purpose.”  Perfect timing.

2) Glennon Doyle Melton’s (Momastery.com) post “The One Conversation That Could Save your Teen’s Life (And Your Own).”  This one was so inspiring!  It put into words what I wish I could have written myself.  If you are a “yes” person – if you have trouble saying no – it’s a must-read.  She translates that “can’t say no” weakness into what it looks like in teen language – explaining that humans will default to “yes” in circumstances where saying “no” creates awkwardness…. And guess what?  Our teens have the opportunity to say “yes” or “no” to a thousand temptations in their young lives.  And they don’t like awkwardness.  So we shouldn’t just tell them to say no, we need to tell them HOW to say no. I saved it and read it with my daughter.

3) Helene In Between (HeleneInBetween.com) – there wasn’t necessarily a particular post of Helene’s, but I discovered her when I read an article about her being named Dallas blogger of the year (she has since moved to Nashville). As I got to know her blog, I loved her enthusiasm and her tips for writers.  If you’re a blogger, she’s got some fun ideas and lots of information on ways to creatively maintain and grow your blog.

What topics or posts or bloggers inspire you?  I’d love to hear.  I’m still new at this and looking for more to follow!