Darren at ProBlogger.net talks about recapturing the joys of blogging, having been inspired by another blogger who wrote: "As I’ve lived my life out on the blogosphere for over two years (I started in December 2003), I found it to be something very pleasurable. It started out as a hobby, then morphed its way into a business. Somewhere along the way, blogging ceased to be fun and started to become more like work. When it did, my posting slowed down dramatically…."

He then quotes some tips, which I'll re-quote here as they're very good:

• Blog about what you have a passion for
• Read other blogs
• Take a blogging holiday on occasion
• Set regular times to blog

It got me to thinking about my own experiences with blogging, and my own joys. I've been 'blogging', as such, since 1998. Over 7 years now. SEVEN YEARS. I started as an 'online journaler', back before blogging was called blogging. In fact, I only actually became a 'blogger' mid-2005, but that's only because my 'online journaling' became known as 'blogging'. And because I started using a blogging tool to continue my online journaling.

My passion for the past 7+ years has been writing about my life, and all the personal and not-so-personal experiences within it. Blogging increased my exposure, allowing me to become part of a larger community of bloggers, and has been invaluable for that reason. But along the way, I've always been writing about my life, my passion - and the passions I have within it.

It's true that when you start to forget why you write, and you start to change what you do in order to accommodate either other people or your own altered priorities, then you start getting away from the joys you experience from doing it. When it becomes more of a chore than a pleasure, then it's time to either return to the beginning and start again, or simply to stop what you're doing and go do something different.

With everything in life, if you're not enjoying what you're doing or experiencing, you need to change it so that you do. If you can't change it, you have to get rid of it. Or 'retire it', as Darren calls it in relation to blogs.

I can see myself 'retiring' some of the blogs I've started, but haven't had the passion to continue... but I really doubt that I'll ever be retiring this blog. Seven years of joy tells me that this is going to go on forever. In 2050 I'll still be blogging. Even though the technology will be different, and I'll be 83, I'll still be blogging.

• How long will you be blogging?
• How long will you continue doing what you're passionate about?
• Are you even passionate about it?
• Can you be?
• Can you find the passion, or restore the passion?
• Can you let it go and do something completely different?

These are questions you might need to ask yourself, as you sit there wondering if you should write another post for a blog you don't enjoy.