#AwesomeBloggerAward – OMB

This post will be a little different from the usual personal finance posts as this site is a #AwesomeBloggerAward nominee. Fire and Wide (@FireAndWide) has honored us with this distinction, and I’m flattered. I’ve been blogging for a long time and never got an award. Thank you very much Fire and Wide!!

The #AwesomeBloggerAward is pretty straightforward; you get a series of ten questions that you then answer, then nominate a few people. That’s it, no crazy chain letters about misfortune or luck, and the only thing this has in common with them is that you pass the nomination along to at least 5 people with new questions. I’ll keep my nominations to the end.

Now onto the questions:

The questions are broken into two categories, the first five about blogging and the second five about my favorite person in the world, ME!! I hope the humor comes across in that because it sounded a lot funnier to me.

The blogging questions were the ones that I found surprisingly challenging. I’ve run this site for 14 years, so my motivations and general interactions with blogging has been longer than that. Many of the answers to the questions have evolved and changed in time, so my apologies

What do you love most about blogging?

The fact that anyone can do it. Yes, some people might not say the right things or have much to say, but that is generally true in person as well (was that politically correct enough?). This platform allows people to share their stories, experiences, and thoughts. The good ones, the ones that have something earnest and honest to say, will rise to the top.

It gives people a voice without being a big conglomerate to share their stories and experiences. The upside they might make some money on the way—all the better. As a platform, I think it’s fantastic because it allows people to dream; there are now countless examples of people making fortunes. Blogging done right can be a gateway to working for yourself.

I also love the fact that this forces me to learn and get better at my chosen topic and, more importantly, at communication.

Absolute favorite blog post ever (not your own)?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is going to be very bland and cliché. I’ve been in the blogging space and reading blogs for 16+ years. I’ve read so many great articles, I’ve forgotten even more great articles. I had to pause to think about it, and there isn’t a single A-ha! I don’t have one that comes to mind.

There have been some great ones by Ramit Sethi, Tim Ferriss (when he wrote long-form posts), and in the PF world, we have Mr. Money Mustache, J$ from Budgets are Sexy fame, and JL Collins to name but a few examples amongst many.

But if I had to pick a single post, I would be hard-pressed; most of the great bloggers have left their mark on me and my writing and, more importantly, my thinking.

Proudest Achievement with your blog?

Again, this one is, unfortunately, a little cliché as well. The fact that I’ve had this site for almost 14 years is one that comes to mind. I’ve been pretty bad at keeping it going smoothly (or at all some years). I lost all my previous content a few years back (not a point of pride), but the fact that it’s been going since 2006 is a point of pride for me.

Best advice for new bloggers?

If you’re going to write a blog, come up with a schedule, and stick to it. Engage your audience

Ambition for your blog?

It’s a bit of a mixture of spreading knowledge and information, allowing me to learn and grow by sharing my thoughts and experiences. Realistically the final one is to make side income off the site by expanding on it to a money producing business (this is a way off at the moment).

If you could live anywhere in the world – where and why?

The first things that came to mind here were Paris and Tokyo. We honeymooned in Paris, and I just fell in love with the city. I was there as a tourist, so I am sure that had a large part of the appeal, but there was just something magical about it. The second was Tokyo because I’m a closet Japanophile; the culture somehow managed to capture my attention (let’s be honest, it was probably Samurai that did it), and I’ve wanted to go ever since. I am sure that if I went for a visit, it would change my perspective a little.

The challenge with this question is that the answer continually changes, I’m a curious soul, and I would be equally keen on living in Nepal, or Rome, Or England or Rio, or… this list could go on for a long time.

What motivates you most?

This is a really tough question; it’s changed over the years, and to be perfectly honest, I have never really figured out the one exact thing that motivates me. In the past, it’s been money, social interaction, and health, to name a few. Lately, it’s been the freedom to choose (can you see why I picked up and dusted off my blog again?)

I think that having freedom is currently what is driving me; once you have the freedom, things like curiosity and exploration can take over.

Most valuable life lesson learned?

If you don’t have your health, then nothing else matters.

In one of my posts that I managed to lose, I wrote about this: in 2014, I had a stroke and almost died. It wasn’t a mini-stroke – it was a full-blown one, and it took me about a year to recover to where people didn’t know and a couple more years to fully recover my confidence. I should find that old post and put it up.

If you don’t have your health, the rest is ancillary. Secondary to that is don’t do shit that you hate, you only live once.

What is your best and worst quality?

You mean I have to pick only one?? I’ve got a few that really shine, so again it’s a bit of a tough question.

When it comes to the best quality I would have to say I am genuine, I don’t sugarcoat a lot of things and generally what you see is what you get. I’m outgoing and make connections quickly and easily.

For the worst qualities, I overthink things. I’m analytical by nature, but that is a two-edged sword, how many times have you hemmed and hawed about a decision for too long? Tying into this, I do tend to get distracted.

I should probably leave it at that, or this might turn into an in-depth psychological self-assessment.

Now it’s the fun time of this post. I get to pass this along to the next group of people with my questions.

My Questions:

1. What lead to you to blogging?
2. What is your biggest struggle with Blogging?
3. What is your favorite blog, and why?
4. What is the post you’ve written that you’re most proud of?
5. If you could meet one person from history, who would it be and why?
6. Name one thing on your bucket list.
7. If you could go back to school, what would you study?
8. Who is your favorite author? Why?
9. What habit would you change?
10. Name a guilty pleasure.

Who – my choices:

Here’s the fun part where I get to nominate a few people.

• A Chat with Kat (@chatwithkatblog)
• Minding my Thirties (@MindingMy30’s)
• Joney Talks (@JoneyTalks)
• 5 AM Joel (@5amJoel)
• The Dollar Blogger @DollarBloggerBo)

How this works

The idea is pretty simple, but just in case here are some basic rules I found:

Header Photo by Ariel on Unsplash