Update: 16 blogs to boost awareness! Added three more fitness and health blogs to raise your awareness.  Thank you for all your suggestions.  I had a great time going through them, learned a lot, and am excited to share them with you!

A short while ago, I made a critical decision about the direction of Grokkery: this blog is dedicated to raising the level of self awareness in the world.  The more I reflect on grokking, the more I believe that self-awareness is at the root of it.  There will be an emphasis on personal development and self improvement as creating awareness demands developing and improving yourself.  I’ll decorate this cake with a frosting of science fiction (because I like it) and discussion of the power of stories (because they change lives) – better than chocolate.

In that spirit, I want to share the blogs online that I feel are teeming with inspiration for those seeking self-awareness.   I’ve roughly categorized them, but there will be some overlap.  If you click on every single link here, I’m pretty sure you’ll find content that will raise your awareness and potentially change your life.  Why wait?

Life/Inspiration/Business

Gaping Void – Is there anyone in the blogosphere not already tuned into the wisdom of Hugh MacLeod? Perhaps a few. The cartoons that Hugh posts (used to – you have to join his newsletter to get them now) are crazy inspiring to me as an artist and entrepreneur. His book has shaped my views a creator. Aside from his edgy witticisms on the back of business cards, his insights on marketing and the general direction of business seem pretty sharp. Do yourself a favor and take a deep look into the Gaping Void.

White Hot Truth – When I first found Danielle LaPorte’s blog, I immediately was captivated by her writing style. There is so much passion, love, fire, and truth for entrepreneur’s on this site, that I was immediately hooked.  I shouldn’t have been surprised that her content is pretty damn white hot, but most times a name like that would just be “marketing.”  Not so here.  Check it out if you’re at all interested in being inspired and stoking your own fire.  This is also a pretty powerful and inspiring resource for women.

Jonathan Fields Blog – I am a relatively new follower of Jonathan Fields, but that’s OK – he’s had quite a following for awhile. This is a blog that really embodies the intersection of life, business, creativity and marketing – with an entertaining and authentic writing style.  If you need an alternative perspective on your own life/business, he has a great message for you.  Definitely someone that I am going to continue to follow.

Personal Development

Steve Pavlina – Controversial, insightful, challenging and inspiring.  Not for the comfortable (he will challenge your ideas) or the close-minded among you.  He has shared his journey through life, business, marriage, divorce, psychic connection, polyamory, love, personal development, dietary choices (vegetarian to vegan to raw foodist), and more.  If you’re looking for a personal development guru online, this man is the place to start.  Your awareness will be raised by every article of his that you read.

PluginID - I had the pleasure to run across PluginID recently and also had the pleasure of emailing with the author, Bud Hennekes.  There is a wealth of useful knowledge on his blog, all bound to raise your awareness.  The writing is to the point, with great stories behind them.  The entire message is Plugin to your Identity – what could be better?

Revolutionary Man - Perhaps more than most on this list, Revolutionary Man has impacted my life.  To be completely honest and authentic about it, I can’t imagine life without the tools I’ve learned and applied from Jayson Gaddis, his blog, and the coaching and training I’m involved with through Revolutionary Man.  If you’re a man, visit the Revolutionary Man blog.  Do it twice.  If you’re a woman, click three times.  Once for yourself, and twice for the men in your life (hint: direct them to it).  Revolutionary Man has really opened my eyes to owning my own experience and definition of manhood, the power of authenticity and the power of brotherhood.

Lifestyle

The Art of Non-Conformity – Chris Guillebeau has an amazing site about living a non-conformist lifestyle.  What does that mean?  It means actually living your dreams.  That is a pretty non-conformist lifestyle, and his content is a huge cattle prod (you’ll like the feeling though) in that direction.  He has some great “Unconventional Guides” that will point you toward living the lifestyle you want.

Tim Ferris’ Four Hour Work Week Blog – The (famous) Four Hour Work Week book also has a blog.  4HWW was one of those books that I intended to read for a long time and never actually picked it up – until the expanded version came out with a super shiny and colorful cover.  Then I had to buy it (I like colors … and the idea of  ”working” less).  The whole idea behind 4HWW is that it gives you time to actually live the life you want, without waiting to be retired or a millionaire.  Sounds amazing.  And it is (I’m working toward that).  Give yourself the gift of learning how to live the life you want, and check it out.

Zen Habits- One of the most popular blogs out there, dedicated to simplifying and improving your life.  Core philosophy?  Minimalism.  It might not be too wrong to say that Leo Babauta popularized the concept of minimalism on the web.  That should tell you something about the quality of content here.  Practical, applicable, and definitely life altering if you adopt the practices.  Click click.

Far Beyond The Stars - Everett Bogue over at Far Beyond The Stars was my gateway drug into the world of minimalism.  The content is stellar (pun intended, please enjoy) and inspiring.  I feel that his story is great and the message and content he delivers are worth sharing widely.  There is a lot to be said for how much adopting minimalist practices (you don’t have to go to extremes to do so) can really clear your head and raise your awareness.  Everett happens to be saying them quite well.

Finances (and Legal)

Man vs Debt – A real man with a real story about his financial journey.  He’s not a financial professional (he’ll tell you so), but that in no way stops his content from being amazingly applicable to the average consumer’s life.  This blog is a truly human message about money.  It is not all about cash, investing, etc. – it is about a journey, and you can see it or be a part of it.  The human element tied into the practical suggestions are what keeps me going back.

Get Rich Slowly – Ever heard of a “Get Rich Slowly,” scheme?  I haven’t either – probably because it would keep the person selling it from getting rich quickly.  Get Rich Slowly is a wonderful resource for learning about money.  It is pretty comprehensive and is extremely easy to understand.  Have you ever found money to be a confusing topic?  I have.  This site clears a lot up and helps you gain awareness around your financial life.

The Startup Lawyer - This site was the only reason to add the parenthetical to the section title, but I deemed it worthy.  If you are at ALL entrepreneurial minded and want some great, well-qualified advice about the legal aspects of creating a start-up, visit immediately.  Immediately. If you’re not the type to start your own business … well, I wish you the best in your job.  If you’d like to be inspired by the potential for something other than “the grind,” then see what he has to say. I wouldn’t recommend it so highly if it wasn’t amazing, so what are you waiting for?

Health & Fitness

Nerd Fitness – Upon finding this site, I was drawn in immediately.  Fitness + nerdiness was a match made in heaven for me.  Once I got past the title and started to dive into the offerings, I was impressed with the content and the community.  There are a lot of passionate people here.  If you’re interested in embracing your inner nerd, but also embracing your super sexy, strong self, check this out.

Find Your Balance – @emilsit (Thank you again!) kindly shared this site with me via Twitter when I put out the call for help.  This blog is written by @Mpfennighaus, and it blows my mind.  Just being on the site makes me feel more healthy and centered.  I love the approach to health here – it is very holistic, natural and personal.  It is just plain fun to read, and I can’t recommend it enough.  Probably my favorite in this section.

Fitness Spotlight – This site went into my personal RSS as soon as I read the first post.  There is a huge amount of valuable and USEFUL information here.  The content is entertaining, well informed, and sans sales-pitchiness (common to a lot of health blogs).  If you want to learn about your body, your health, your illness or wellness, your diet or your fitness, take a look at Fitness Spotlight.  Thank you to A Life Reinvented for sharing this one in the comments!

Yikes! I realized as I was compiling this list that I don’t have any healthy and fitness blogs I follow regularly enough to recommend following. I feel like this is such a critical area to achieving your optimal experience in life. When you are body-aware, you can be more aware of your entire life.

I’ve certainly learned a lot from some of those listed above – Steve Pavlina shared an amazing 30 Day Trial of raw foods which inspired me to do one with veganism a few months back (didn’t stick – made it difficult to eat out in Kansas City).  Leo Babauta also champions veganism.  I’m still lacking any “official” blogger resources on health and fitness though.

So is there any chance that you’d be able to recommend a few? If they’re great, I’ll edit this post with a few links to them so that they can be shared with the world (with a credit to your brilliance for suggesting them of course).

Getting Aware

The above list is in no way intended to be, “comprehensive,” although I am working on a much larger list to share. In a world of limited time, I try to wisely use my time in learning by picking excellent mentors and teachers. The folks mentioned above are some of the most vibrant and effective I’ve found.

Who in the online world has affected your awareness? Is there anybody that you feel is missing from this list and needs to be mentioned?  I’d love to hear!