* Why do you blog?
* Why do you read blogs and other content to learn more about social media?
* Why do you invest time in tweeting, monitoring conversations, connecting on LinkedIn, sharing stuff on Facebook (and the list goes on and on)?

I'm listening to one of my favorite musical artists, Sara Bareilles, and I had an epiphany during her song, "Bottle It Up," from her passionate live album, Between the Lines: Sara Bareilles Live at The Fillmore.  The opening refrain of this song is "I do it for love. Love. I do it for love …" 

At First, It was Something Else …

When I first started blogging, a good friend asked me why are you doing this?

Initially, my answer centered around all the commonplace reasons you read from executive search experts and personal branding gurus:

* It's never been more important to establish your individual thought leadership
* If you're not visible online, "you might as well be invisible"
* The Internet is "the great equalizer" in proliferating your expertise and helping you find better professional opportunities
* A resume is not enough to differentiate yourself in an employer "buyer's market" — You Need a Blog!

There's a good bit of truth in those aforementioned reasons.  And in these uncertain economic times, differentiation and fighting for your corporate survival have never been more challenging.  I know this first-hand because I believe/feel like I'm fighting like hell to remain relevant and employed in Corporate America.

… but I Realized that I Do It For Love

I spent the past week putting together a multiple piece series on what I learned from the very smart and savvy, Tina Brown, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Beast.  It was during this writing process that I learned something very important. 

There is something incredibly liberating and empowering about blogging.  I'm not a professional blogger by any stretch of the imagination (and I hold zero delusions of grandeur of ever getting paid to do it).  The reasons why I love to blog include:

* Participating in a creative process and creating "something from nothing"
* Experiencing the freedom and autonomy of complete editorial control
* Seeing that other people actually read what you publish (thank you Google Analytics)
* And most of all, learning from simple trial and error

Yup, I do it for love.  It isn't sexy, but it's the truth. 

Fellow bloggers, if you've taken the time to read this post, please let me know your thoughts.  Thank you for reading if you made it this far.

P.S. Sara Bareilles is performing in New York City on October 26th at Feinsteins @Lowes Regency according to her tour schedule.  I wish my wife and I could be there …