MY GOOD NEWS!
One morning last week, as I was sipping my first cup of tea of the day, an email pinged through from the lovely Eilidh Horder of www.eilidhhorder.com, telling me some very good news indeed. Eilidh had nominated me for The Blogger Recognition Award. It was such a great start to the day and really infused me with a big boost of positive energy.
Every kind act, I believe, creates a ripple effect of kindness in the world. This is such a beautiful award to receive as it comes from a genuine place of kindness and support within the blogging community. It is an award that truly does 'share the love', and to be praised and recognised so publicly for my writing - as well as all the hard work that goes into creating and maintaining a blog - not only brightened my week, but also made me feel a deep sense of gratitude.
Eilidh and I 'met' online through Transformational Coach, Nicky Clinch's free 'Warrior Woman 7 Day Challenge' (https://nickyclinch.com/warrior-woman-7-day-challenge/), a programme which empowers us to discover greater self-worth, inner-strength and the confidence to use our voice. As Nicky says, '"I believe that every single woman in this world has the Warrior Spirit within them. I found my Warrior Woman and I want to help YOU find yours too." And it is with this spirit of female empowerment and community that this Award has been given to me, and for that, I am even more thankful to Eilidh.
Eilidh writes about emotional and mental health on her blog, encouraging you to 'turn down the white noise and find your own song!' With posts ranging from ways to up your mental energy at work, to how to add the 'extra' to your ordinary and unleash your silly side, Eilidh's blog is open, honest and authentic, and feels a bit like you're having a natter to an old friend across the kitchen table, so do be sure to check her fantastic blog out. So much gratitude to you Eilidh.
WHAT IS THE BLOGGER RECOGNITION AWARD
& WHAT ARE THE RULES?
In a nutshell, the Blogger Recognition Award is a way to recognise and support our fellow bloggers in the blogging community, spreading the word about blogs that are well worth a read!
The rules are:
to thank the blogger who nominated you
to write a post to showcase your award
to tell the story of how your blog began
to give two pieces of advice to new bloggers
to choose 10+ other bloggers you would like to give this award to with a short comment about their blog, and
to let the bloggers know that you have nominated them, providing them with a link to the post you have created.
Simple!
THE STORY OF HOW MY BLOG BEGAN
My blog was born on the 1st January 2018. New Years Day seemed the perfect time for me to begin, and my New Year's Resolution was to write posts that would inspire, uplift and encourage any reader who happened to pass by.
My aim is, and has always been, to shine a light into the gloom, and to help people find the positives in their situation and their life. Cheesy as it may sound, if only one person reads just one of my blog posts and feels even a little bit happier by the end, then I'm happy and I'll feel that I've done my job.
The inspiration to start blogging was two-fold...
Firstly, my dear mum passed away in the late summer of 2017 and, unbeknown to me, she had left a letter for my dad to give to me after she had died. It is one of the most precious and truly beautiful things I own, and it is filled with so much love and warmth that I can't read it without shedding a bittersweet tear.
And in the letter, mum told me this:
They do say that mums know best, and mine certainly did with this piece of advice that showcases my mum's personality so well: a mix of 'wise woman' spirituality - 'Remember writing, it is written in the stars' - combined with practical, down-to-earth advice - 'Put your pen to paper and get on with it' and a dash of light-hearted humour - 'It is meant to be, make it so. I sound like the captain from Star Trek!' Just beautiful and always makes me smile. How can I not write with belief in me like that that even motivates from beyond the veil? Mum had always believed in me and in my writing, and this was just the nudge that I needed to commit to it more regularly.
Beautiful, wise, brave and infinitely nurturing, mum knew just what I needed to do to help me through the dark days to come after her loss.
True light comes from within, from the heart, from our innermost soul; I resolve to do my best to be a light to others through my writing and my way of being. I don't always succeed, but I do try. And we can only try our best - another one of mum's maxims...
The second part of how my blog came about is through the encouragement of my friend, Kath Anderson of https://www.kathandersondesign.com/. Kath is not only a truly fantastic artist, but also a veritable human dynamo, a bundle of artistic energy with a huge amount of drive, and seeing what Kath has accomplished with her art was a huge inspiration to me.
In no small part, too, my blog began with the love, support and encouragement of my husband, Adam - always an honest barometer of the things that I write and who proudly encourages me at every turn - as well as the cheerleading of my dad and my dearest friends.
So, I write this account of the 'genesis' of my blog with a very grateful heart...
MY ADVICE FOR NEW BLOGGERS
My advice is simple.
It is this: to simply flow...
To forget about the 'rule-book', which can be so stifling for writers and creatives.
To simply flow in the moment and write like the wind, without limits, without boundaries, without blocks.
To let your love and your passion for something drive your writing.
For me, I am truly passionate about wellbeing and sharing messages of positivity and personal empowerment, and so I write whatever is on my heart.
Don't worry too much about posting at certain times and with rigid regularity. I know that this goes against the grain, and I did try, at first, to post at routine times and on set days, but life sometimes simply does not permit this.
And when we don't meet our own self-imposed deadlines, it can make us feel judgemental of ourselves, as if we are not achieving, as if we've failed. And this is never a good mindset to be in for anything in life. And it also could not be further from the truth.
I know, from a business perspective, that regular posts and timing is important, but this post is not business advice; it is, rather, creative advice, which is by far the most important thing for me.
And as for me, writing from the heart, writing with purpose and writing with a message in mind are the only things that matter.
So live, write, flow, and post when the muse moves you...
BLOGS THAT I LOVE:
MY NOMINEES FOR
THE BLOGGER RECOGNITION AWARD
There are many many beautiful blogs out there, but ones that I wholeheartedly enjoy and recommend are the following:
1) https://thisconsciouslife.co/
Let husband and wife team, Emine and Paul Rushton, inspire you to live a slow, gentle, natural life, rooted in nature and sattva (the Sanskrit word for 'harmony').
2) https://nickyclinch.com/
Nicky Clinch empowers us to become our most authentic and aligned self, helping us discover that everything we need is already within us.
3) http://www.suzyreading.co.uk/
Chartered Psychologist, Suzy Reading, specialises in wellbeing, stress management and healthy lifestyle changes, reconnecting us with our calm centre and our energy.
4) https://ellentout.wordpress.com/about-me/
Eco-warrior and nature lover, Ellen Tout, posts thoughtful reviews of films, travel experiences, vegan food eateries and festivals.
5) https://www.streetwisdom.org/stories/
A blog that explores the global social enterprise that is 'Street Wisdom', bringing people together to glean inspiration from their everyday surroundings. As their website says, the initiative is 'Led by volunteer facilitators on city streets across the world' and 'free Street Wisdom workshops give participants the skills to access the ‘invisible university’ that’s all around them and find fresh answers to personal or work-related questions – with profound results.'
6) https://www.evekalinik.com/
Nutritional Therapist, Eve Kalinik, is a 'massive foodie' and 'gut enthusiast' who has a great recipe blog promoting a healthy attitude to food that is never about restriction.
7) https://www.wildnutrition.com/
Henrietta Norton posts inspirational healthy recipes and expert tips on ways to boost our health and wellbeing naturally.
8) https://www.kathandersondesign.com/
An entertaining art blog, written by the super-talented illustrator and designer, Kath Anderson. Full of reviews, art lessons and things to be thankful for, her posts never fail to make me smile. Take a look at her stunning portfolio too for extra inspiration.
9) https://thehappynewspaper.com/blog/author/emily/
A blog that celebrates all that's good in the world and a platform to share positive news and wonderful people.
10) https://happyologist.co.uk/blog/.
Susanna Newsonen's fabulous blog is part of her mission to make happiness happen for her readers.
And so, with a truly grateful heart for having received The Blogger Recognition Award, I am so happy to spread the love, and wholeheartedly commend all of the above blogs for their ethos: happiness-boosting, wellbeing-promoting and life-loving, each and every one...