If you're new here, check out the Best of Balanced Life Center and be sure to subscribe to receive the latest updates via email or RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

This post is a part of the Season of Gratitude Series. You can participate, writing a gratitude post and telling me about it. For more details, click here.

As I mentioned earlier, I was introduced to the world of blogging in late 2003. I learned a lot about virtual communities, social media, search engine optimization, and the Internet just by blogging myself. But the best part about my discovery are the blogs themselves. Here are 9 blogs I am really thankful for.

Someday Is Now - One of the first blogs I ever read. I was attracted to it by the title. Marla documents what she calls her wourney with weight loss. She’s frank, funny, and honest, as she shares with the world her ups and downs. I learned the Edicts of Exercise from her. You are a trouper Marla!

Smart Money Daily - Jon, whom I “met” on the Rich Dad boards, started Smart Money Daily as an experiment. He actually wrote the code behind this blog. Incidentally, Jon also hosts Art of Money. He introduced me to the Carnival of Personal Finance and to Problogger. Thank you for sharing your journey of financial freedom with the world Jon.

Consumerism Commentary - Flexo’s practical information about personal finance was instrumental in coming to a balance from Rich Dad thinking. You need a healthy dose of both to succeed financially. Consumerism Commentary was also the home of the Carnival of Personal Finance, the first blog carnival in which I participated. The carnival was great because it introduced me to a healthy spectrum of financial information, and it got me familiar with the idea of a blog carnival. That carnival now has it’s own site, the Carnival of Personal Finance. For being the home of that Carnival, I say thank you. I can’t imagine the hours that were spent keeping up with it.

Steve Pavlina - I found Steve from the Carnival of Personal Finance. I found it odd that he was submitting an article about personal development there, so I checked out his site. I must admit that I kicked myself for a long time (still do every once in a while) when I perused the site and saw that he had done what I wanted to do. Steve’s site is the best source of personal development information today (October 2006). Thanks for the “reality” check Steve.

Problogger - The consummate encyclopedia for bloggers whether you’re in it as a hobby, a part time gig, or a livelihood. Problogger helped me to wrap my head around the whole blogging world. Imagine a place that was a virtual course in professional blogging: from what to write and how to attract readers, to how to monetize your blog. Darren, thank you for sharing your experience as a professional blogger with us.

blog/" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/outbound/www.livingroom.org.au/_br_/_blog/');">Living Room - I think this is Darren’s first blog. Interested in all things spiritual, I was intrigued by the concept that I could talk about spiritual stuff through this medium. Combined with my Steve Pavlina find, this blog really helped me to realize that blogging could be about anything. It facilitates a friendlier voice and it helps to increase the sense of community around any given topic. It opened up a whole new way of thinking about things. Thank you for being an example of the power of the medium.

Copyblogger - I am not a writer, but I’m becoming one. Copyblogger has helped me with my headlines, style, and closings. I still have a long way to go, but I think if I continue to read his site for the next year and put it into practice, my writing will improve significantly. Brian, thank you for sharing your expertise with all of us.

Passion Meets Purpose - Kammie has a fiesty style that comes through so clearly in her writing. Reading her, helps me to remain focused on my purpose everyday. It’s like a call back to who I am. Thanks Kammie!

Creating a Better Life - Another recent find, Lyman’s site is the home of the Personal Development Carnival. Through it I have found a community of individuals who are also in the personal development business, and people who are also dedicated to raising consciousness. The carnival is a great way to mingle virtually with like minds. Thank you Lyman for starting corralling this community.

Today, I am enthusiastically grateful for the medium of blogging for giving me a voice. A medium that will be instrumental in changing the world. It gives us all an opportunity to learn about other cultures, spiritual paths, and life opportunities. It opens up dialogues where maybe oceans or mountains may have been obstacles.

Which blog are you grateful for today?