Blissful Blogging: the ONE thing your blog needs to rise to stardom

Hello gorgeous.

In September, I celebrated 11 years of blogging. Can you even believe blogging has been around that long? Last year, I shared these tips as I celebrated my 10th year. This year I wanted to do something a little different, for a few reasons. One, this last year I have learned so much as my blog has gone through a huge transition. A name change, a new look, etc. Two, I cannot tell you how many people I have spoken to who have been back and forth about starting a blog. It’s like this very interesting complicated dynamic that I am completely fascinated by.

Let me just tell you, I absolutely love blogging. Like I seriously cannot name something I have done consistently for the past 11 years almost daily with such joy. My heart truly loves blogging. I also know the impact that a blog can make in someones life. It can launch a business, it can change a life, it can be a platform for creating a new community of like minded people, it can rescue those who are struggling. It is also THE #1 marketing tool for any business owner/person with a mission or cause, in my opinion. It is a free, easy way to get your message out there to the world with one simple little click. One internet search and your content could be just the thing someone out there is looking for.

Can’t you tell I believe so much in blogging? Back in 2011, I published an e-book on Secrets of Style Blogging. I wanted to create a simple and super fun guide to share with everyone who was asking all the blogging questions. Perhaps I should write a new, updated version? I’m kind of on a mission to support bloggers, mostly because I see instagram literally causing so much stress and anxiety for people. Blogs have always been such a positive, uplifting experience to me. It’s like a beautiful community I can’t help but support.
Because I feel like one blog post will NOT do it justice, I have decided to create a series of Blissful Blogging articles to give you all of my best tips and tricks. That way you can save & bookmark them by category to refer to as you grow and build your blog. In the first post of the BB series, we are going to get into the ONE thing you have got to understand before you continue on or start your blog….

Story time: The other day I was chatting with a girlfriend, who shared with me that she, in fact, was a blogger. I had no idea because she has a career in the hospitality industry. She told me, “I’m a blogger, but I haven’t really posted in a while...I don’t know what to do with it, I’m just not sure about the name, I’m stuck” . Another secret, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this all too familiar story.

I’ve also noticed that the bloggers I used to read daily, haven’t blogged in months. I often hear that blogging is dead, a completely Saturated market or I get DM messages asking how to start a blog. It’s a spectrum across the board of people in a complicated relationship with....their blog. At first I wanted to title this post “how to make money as a blogger” just to entice people to read what I am about to say. Because I think so many people have intentions to start a blog to make money, or gain a massive following and monetize it. 

But it is the total wrong way to go. You must go backwards and start from your passion. When you use your passion to fuel your blog, magic will happen. It won’t feel hard at all. It won’t feel like work, it will feel like you are filled with purpose and your life gets to expand beyond yourself. When you open your world to becoming a messenger for the masses, you are making a change in the world. Then the followers, the money and all the things will come. You just can’t start there.

For me, it took me 6 months to get my blog noticed and recognized and I had my very first sponsor. However I started blogging in 2008, I had no idea what i was doing. I blogged for 6 months, every single day with a lit up passion for interior design. I went all out on everything i could possibly share and I shared it consistently. In fact, I probably over shared but that’s okay because from my experience, valuable content is what keeps people coming back and reading your blog like an addict.

YOU MUST PROVIDE CONSISTENT, MASSIVE VALUE TO YOUR READERS 

This should be your main focus. “I am creating a blog to give value to other peoples lives”. When you make this your ‘why’, your path to success will be shorter than the average blogger. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t the photos or the amount of social media followers you have. Your content is king when it comes to growing a blog. Search engines are out there looking for your content, not your photos, not your catchy logo. They are looking for the key words, the text, the phrases, the information that you provide on the internet. Your content is what will help you grow your message and gain a massive following.

Here are some ways to help ensure that you are going to create a blog of value….

• Start a blog based off passion, meaning and purpose first. Most everybody gets it backwards, they ask “what could I blog about” to make money? Don’t start out for the money. That isn’t what you want to align with. You’ll get super frustrated and burn out quickly. OR if you blog because of someone else passion or to be like someone else, it won’t flow. It has to be your specific passion and interest.

• Align with your passion and the money flows to you. When you’re in alignment with your message (god given purpose on this planet), you can’t help but succeed. You’ll know when you’re on the right track when you can create 15 blog posts in a row like fluid. When the content just pours right out of you. You’re aligned. The universe will help you, it’s like when you’re up to good, helping others, in it for the message over money, you’ll be rewarded.....with ease. 

• How can you find what content to blog about? Get super clear on your vision. For example, I have a friend who started a blog talking about her love for clean beauty. When she got super clear on her purpose and her vision, she was able to find things to discuss about that topic with ease. The content informs her readers about holistic beauty products, what chemicals are bad for you, her beauty routine, etc. When you do something that is already your passion, its easy to research and find informative and relevant information for your readers.

• Think about it this way…if you had 5 minutes to chat with your friends at lunch and they ask what you have learned this week, what would you tell them about? Think about that. You would give them your favorite hairdresser, a new movie they need to watch, your amazing shoes you found on sale, how you got your kids to eat veggies, etc. Sharing the tips, tricks, info and all the wonderful things that you know is your best bet to ensure your blog is a success. Why? Because its authentic to YOU! Authenticity always wins.

MORE TIPS FOR HELPING YOU GENERATE SUCCESSFUL BLOG CONTENT

 I recently read a book by the incredible Brendan Burchard called Millionare Messenger, Make a difference and fortune sharing your advice. I have gotten so much value out of this book, I highly recommend reading it. He breaks down a few questions for you as you are looking get clear on your message. Take out your journal or notepad, grab your favorite hot tea and really think about these questions. Use these to really help you narrow down your focus so you can easily create valuable content.

1. Who are you and what have you been through in life that you feel others can relate to? 

2. What have you overcome and how? 

3. What did you figure out along the way? 

4. What did you succeed at—what results did you get? 

5. What is one thing you feel really helped you in life & how can you use what you’ve learned to help someone else?

That could be something like....

A mom who shares budget friendly purchases, 

A modern & fun way of dealing with weight loss struggles, 

Overcoming an auto immune disease with gluten free living,

Organizing expert for modern moms,

Beauty tips for the budget babe, 

Handling three kids as a working mom,

In today’s saturated blog market, it takes BIG VALUE to stand out. So, don’t just create content like my 5 favorite shoes. You want to get into it, get specific. Talk about why those shoes, where you would wear them, who you saw wearing them, who makes them, why they would look good on anyone. Make sense? HOT TIP: The more specific with the details, the more valuable the content. I teach strategies like this for blogging success in my course and newsletter, be sure to sign up here.

As tempting as it is to just start a blog with no specific niche, it will be much more difficult to get deep into good content. I promise, the more you narrow it down your vision, the easier content will flow. If content ideas aren’t flowing for you, go back to the questions about and think about where you might need to rethink your vision.

I hope you found this post helpful. Don’t worry, this is going to be a series of blog posts on blogging in an effort to help those of you who need a resource. I love blogging and I am very passionate about women using a blog as a tool to upgrade their lives. It’s still very possible to create a massive following through a beautiful blog and change the world.

Love you, Ashlina

p.s. if you love this post, share it with your friends. Especially the ones who need to read it. You can also listen to the podcast, episode No. 9 for more blogging tips.

Night Routine: Why bubble baths are an essential part of your wellness practice

Some people are shower people, others are bath people.

I truly enjoy both but for me there is absolutely nothing on Earth better than a hot bubble bath at the end of the day, I love it as much as I love the hot sauna. It is hands down one of my favorite things to do. I like it hot, really, really hot. Perhaps it’s because I am a quarter Hungarian and the Hungarians are known to enjoy the art of the bath, you know?!?

Anyway, I’m an avid researcher of wellness, always looking for a good way to practice more wellness and self care. Especially as I understand how to take care of my body better during each phase of my menstrual cycle.

I stumbled across an article talking all about how science shows baths are better for you than showers. In a Japanese study, 33 people were to do 2 weeks of baths only and then 2 weeks of showering only.

According to the study, subjects reported that the two-week bathtub bathing period improved their health and skin conditions and decreased fatigue, stress and pain. Researchers hypothesize this has to do with hyperthermic action, which increases body temperature, stimulates the metabolism and eliminates metabolic waste products – ultimately, causing the body to feel refreshed.

After reading this I turned to my favorite wellness guru, Kimberly Snyder who talks about using baths as a way to combat fat loss. Here’s what she found:

There have been many studies about how hot baths may help with weight loss and fat burning, and there are two primary ways they work.

• The first, is via the removal of toxins through your skin, which is your largest eliminative organ. Heat opens up your pores and then also causes you to sweat, and this is certainly one of the best ways to assist detoxification each night.

• The other mechanism is a bit more scientific or technical sounding, but research shows that hot bathing can increase the circulation of free fatty acids (FFA), which mediates many adverse metabolic effects, including insulin resistance.

• One study on Korean subjects showed a marked increase in circulating FFA levels after bathing, which is evidence that the bathing triggered lipolysis, or the breakdown of lipids. In other words, the bath helped their bodies break up fat.”

Ummmmm. Yes, please!

You may also like:

🎀 How to decorate your bathroom like a spa sanctuary

So, while you may be a quick shower gal, I highly encourage you to add one to your day. It’s most effective when done at night before you go to sleep.

Here’s why you should take more baths….

• Spiritual Benefits. Water has excellent spiritual cleansing properties (think baptism), and you can use a bath to cleanse the energy of the day. Focus on allowing the stresses of the day go down the drain with the bath water.

• Fat Loss. The heat from the bath can spike your metabolism and promote the breakdown fat cells. This is especially beneficial for your body to do while asleep.

• Soothes Muscle aches and pains. If you use a bath soak like epsom salt, the benefits are amazing (this is an entire blog post on its own). Epsom salt provides your body magnesium which promotes a deeper sleep and helps with digestion. It also soothes sore joints and muscle pains.

• Stabilizes blood pressure. The heat you experience can help to balance out your blood, therefore very beneficial for the heart.

• Improves sleep quality. When you take a bath at night, science shows that the bathing minerals can help to eliminate the mental fatigue you experience on a day to day basis. Which increases the ease of moving through your sleep cycles & helps you fall back to sleep if you wake up.

MY PERSONAL NIGHTLY BATH ROUTINE:

I like to set the mood with soft lighting and calming music. I use a mini speaker to really get the good sound quality. I prep by drawing the bath with very hot water. I always, always, always fill up my hydroflask with fresh, cold water. It’s so important to hydrate yourself well while soaking in a hot bath. As it’s filling up I add some epsom salt, I really like using the Dr. Teals Himalayan Pink Salt, it just feels really good and detoxifying. Sometimes I will add a drop or two of Peppermint essential oil, not too much because its very potent but it really adds a spa like quality to the whole experience. I also like to add bubbles using whatever body soap I’m currently into. I have crystals strewn around the bath and I light a candle and place it on my bamboo bath tray. Then I dry brush my body before I get in the bath to really get the blood going. I place my robe next to the bath so I can wear it after. Then enjoy a nice long soak.

So, are you a bath person or a shower person?

If you love this post, then you will really love this one too.

Have a blissful weekend.
Love, Ashlina