It's now been a year since I started this blog. You may have sometimes wondered what it’s about. ("The topics are all over the place." "Then she comes out with this personal development stuff." "What's that about?")
To be honest, I've been trying to figure it out myself. All the experts say you should find a specific topic (a niche) for your blog. That way your readers know what to expect. Ideally, you become an "expert" on that unique topic, climb to the top of the search results, and generate more readers.
Rebel that I am, I resisted this practical advice. I couldn’t imagine writing about just one topic (how boring). Even if I could pick one, there’s only so much you can say before you start repeating yourself.
So, I let things play out for awhile, and tried to figure out if there was a common theme to my posts.
Lifestyle Blogger
Turns out I'm not the only blogger who doesn't want to limit myself. They even have a name for us – "Lifestyle Blogger". We write about a variety of life topics that interest us. So do these topics of mine at least have something in common? Sort of.
I like to write about things like personal development (lifelong learning about ourselves and the world we live in). With some travel and retirement posts periodically thrown in.
I guess you could say I'm writing about personal growth and how to expand our mind, body and spirit. Discovering and acknowledging inner strengths and weaknesses, and embracing change, so we can reach our full potential.
Or to put it more simply – learning how to be the best person we can be. Now that covers a lot of topics and is something many people can relate to.
What is Personal Development?
Personal development (aka self-discovery, self-development, self-improvement, personal growth, Be Better, …whatever you want to call it), is different for everyone. After all, we each have our own personal hang-ups. And although we may sometimes put on a good front in public, the truth is, there's always room for improvement.
Below are the five areas of personal development:
- Mental (e.g. exercising your brain, learning new things)
- Social (e.g. learning to interact with others and learning from their experiences)
- Emotional (e.g. understanding feelings and how they shape our thoughts and actions, developing emotional intelligence)
- Spiritual (e.g. your beliefs and values, finding meaning and purpose in life)
- Physical (e.g. nutrition, sleep, exercise and movement)
Benefits include the following:
- Increased self-awareness and self-esteem.
- Increased mental fitness.
- Greater resilience.
- More knowledge and learned skills.
- Improved personal and professional relationships.
The Personal Stuff
Originally, I was only going to write a blog with factual information, no personal stuff. Then I thought I would include just enough personal history to make a point. Next thing I know my life is an open book, and you know more about me than you ever wanted to. (I begin to see why people engage in TMI on social media. It’s addictive.)
Although this is not meant to be a personal blog, you now know about my decision not to marry, my child-free status, and even my sexual orientation.
You know about my family relationships (mother, father, sibling), my travel experiences, and my retirement journey. As well as my physical wellness routine.
For whatever reason, people seem to like the personal stuff. I guess it makes the posts more relatable and therefore more memorable. (I’m under no illusions that people find my life fascinating. I don't even find it fascinating.)
Even if it doesn't feel like it sometimes, we're all constantly learning, developing, and changing. Maybe my life experiences and observations will help you in your own journey. And you can do the same for me with your comments.
Popular Topics
I find it really interesting to see which blog posts seem to resonate with people and generate the most hits. The retirement and travel posts are pretty popular. So is the one I did about Christmas (Is Christmas Worth the Effort?). Maybe it’s the provocative title.
The trivia lists (famous women, nature) are also pretty popular. I'll have to do some more of those.
I’ve got some interesting topics lined up for year two, but I’m always open to requests. Just send me an email or leave a note in the comments if you have any suggestions. (I read and appreciate all your comments.) I know you have your own busy lives, so thank you for taking the time to read my blog. And please feel free to share it.
Everyday Tips for Improvement
Since I can't help myself, I'll now leave you with a list of tips on How Can I Improve Myself Every Day?:
- Plan ahead.
- Set goals.
- Accept challenges.
- Learn something new.
- Stop complaining.
- Practice mindfulness.
- Have a good laugh.
- Limit your screentime.
- Learn to say no.
- Look to the future.
- Get a mentor.
- Eat healthy.
- Stay active.
- Get enough sleep.
- Drink enough water.
Have you done any of these recently?
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