Happy International Blogger Day!!

The job of the blogger is one of the most “addictive” “challenging”, and “demanding” fields because you’re “at work” always. It is not easy to constantly generate content; to find something truly worthy to show to readers. I also want to thank everyone who reads my blog, you have been there with me throughout this journey. And to all my co-bloggers – Happy International Bloggers Day!!

Want to know why am I proud to be called a mommy blogger?

7 years fast forward

Today when I sit back on my writing chair and recollect my blogging memories, it only brings a smile to my face. It makes me nostalgic; it makes me feel happy and content. Overall, it’s a bag of mixed feelings. Something that I started out of my interest in writing and using my time meaningfully has become my passion and off-course career option. Even before I stepped into the blogging world, my writing journey had already begun. When I wrote my first parenting article for the Austin South Asian Local Newsletter, I experienced the joy and satisfaction of seeing my name printed as an author. It was magical. I didn’t know that one article will carve a path for me to become a blogger.

My introduction to blogging happened with my first blog, “Annapoorna”. I had this blog which was never showcased on any social media. To be honest, I wasn’t using any social media other than Facebook.  Annapoorna, as the name suggests, was a food blog where I used to share dishes that I would make. Neither was I following any posting schedule now any sharing it on Facebook. But after I understood the structure of a blog and read a little about blogging, it was pretty clear that I want to do it. And that’s how in 2014, Mothers Gurukul was born.

Related article: https://mothersgurukul.com/restriction-road-new-destination/

Still, I wasn’t aware of the technicalities or terms we use in the blogging world. I didn’t have any blogging friends. But as I started to write guest post for other websites, I came to know more bloggers. And during this process, I found my first blogging friend – Rakhi Parsai (blogger at lifethrumyeyes). At that time, she was with the world of moms, and I was a contributor there. Our friendship bloomed over the period of time and today, she is a dear friend of mine. Blogging has given me many friends and taught me many lessons. On International Blogger Day, let me share those with you. See if you find any similarity.

9 lessons which blogging gifted me:

• Have patience
• Be authentic
• Always be a learner
• Blogging taught me that our mind is full of ideas
• What you learn out of the blogging zone can be of great help
• Be professional
• Importance of listening to our inner voice
• It gave me a chance to improve myself
• Time management

Have patience:

Blogging is not just about publishing and starts earning. When I stepped into blogging, money-making wasn’t my goal. But financial satisfaction gives us an extra boost. So, with time, as I gained confidence, my network expanded, I started to get paid projects. But it took a few years to reach that point where brands began to reach out to me. Or I can negotiate with them. 

Be authentic:

I respect authenticity. Whether regarding any person or work, I like to keep things simple and as natural as I can. Internet is full of information on every subject. But each one of us has a way of interpreting it. And that is what makes unique. Drawing inspiration from others is good but losing our identity is not advisable. We all stand for ourselves. Even if we all belong to the same blogging community but we have to prove ourselves at our level.  

Always be a learner:

I stepped into blogging with minimal knowledge. I didn’t know how to fix technical issues in my website or install plug-ins, widgets, etc. But I learned everything. There is still a lot to be learned, but I know if any basic goes wrong, I know how to fix it. The same goes with the other aspects. Whenever there is any new update about SEO or anything related to that, I try to learn about it. Blogging introduced me to many concepts which were entirely new for me.

Blogging taught me that our mind is full of ideas:

At this point, almost everyone would agree. We, as writers, see a subject in everything. There are days when we are clueless about what to post, and the next minute, we have a complete draft ready in our minds. How? Because we just saw something around us that can be the baseline of our next post. Has it ever happened to you? Well, it happens to me all the time, especially for my podcasts. 

What you learn out of the blogging zone can be of a great help:

I realized this from a couple of certifications I have done in the past. Recently, I have done two more certifications from Udemy. One was NLP Master Practitioner, and the other one was Parenting with EFT Tapping Practitioner.  These courses gave me a new angle of seeing the parenting or self-care, or motivational topics I discuss on my blog. So, once again, I will say – be a learner. Gain as much knowledge as you can use it in the best possible way. 

Be professional:

If authenticity in anyone attracts me, then second is professionalism. I try my best to maintain a professional attitude in my work, and I expect the same from others. If I have promised anyone any submission on a specific date, then I have to follow it. Whether it be giving them anything recorded or reply to their email or phone messages, the last thing I would expect to happen is keeping them waiting for my submission.

Importance of listening to our inner voice:

I have always believed in listening to our inner voice. Our inner voice will never misguide us. I listened to my inner voice not just once but twice. And I am proud of my choices. Do check out this video in which I talked about our inner voice.

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A post shared by MothersGurukul Mom (@alpanabapat)

It gave me a chance to improve myself:

These days, live sessions are trending. With every video, interview feature, or live chat, I get an opportunity to improve myself. Earlier, recording a video used to make me feel bored, but I am enjoying it now as I am doing it more often. 

Time management:

How can I forget this? I never had to struggle with finding time to finish up my tasks, but the workload has gone up with time. And it is testing my time management skills along with writing skills as well.

I should thank blogging for gifting me with these eight lessons that will keep growing with every passing year. How is it going for you?

Special Thanks to Sivaranjini who told me about International Bloggers Day. And also for featuring me on her blog The Thank You Blogger in Celebrating Spirit of Blogging series.

Once again “HAPPY INTERNATIONAL BLOGGERS DAY!!”