Celebrating 100 Blogs: The Pros of Blogging

Time to celebrate – this article marks my 100^th blog for Baby Boomer Bliss.

Yeah, baby!

Yes, writing a blog is challenging and time consuming, but all in all, writing this blog has been a wonderful experience for me so far.

How so? Here are five ways:

Helps Me Stay on Track

As I face new challenges in my life, Baby Boomer Bliss serves as a reminder to keep a positive attitude, be grateful, and choose to be happy. Writing about my life has been downright therapeutic in fact!

Personal Rewards

When people write to tell me that information I’ve provided has helped them in some way or inspired them to make a positive change in their life, it touches my heart.

Creative Outlet

Even though I’ve been writing for over two decades, I still love writing both as a profession and a creative outlet. I’ve never written a blog before so it’s been a learning experience and provided new creative challenges.

Connecting with People 

Then there’s all the interesting people I’ve met along the way including readers, other bloggers, people I’ve interviewed for articles, and authors. As I’ve connected with other people, they have educated and supported me along my journey.

So, yes, blogging can be used as a great marketing tool and to help build that important author’s platform if you’re a writer, but it is rewarding in so many other ways!

I’ve been at this for a year and a half now and about 7,000 people have visited my site so far. About 200 of you have subscribed. I’m so grateful to all the people that have stopped by to visit, left insightful and thoughtful comments, or subscribed to my weekly updates. A BIG thank-you! 

When I reach these milestones, I’m always curious what articles performed best and generated the most interest, so I’ll share the results with you:

Numbers 1 and 2

Evidently a lot of you menopausal women related to my blogs. Keep Laughing with the Seven Dwarfs of Menopause and Staying Happy Through Menopause were my two top performers. The first article was based on a series of articles I was hired to write for Hot Flash Daily on the evil Menopausal Dwarfs: itchy, bitchy, sweaty, bloaty, sleepy, forgetful, and psycho. Oh, what fun I had writing these humorous articles! You gotta laugh or cry, ladies. Whenever possible, choose laughter.

Number 3

Five Ways to Become a Happy Go Lucky Person came in at number three. As I wrote in the article, perhaps being cheerful and endlessly optimistic is a bit annoying, but who cares? Actually, I am envious of those people because, although I have my silly moments, I am WAY too serious most the time. Evidently, a lot of you feel the same way.  If you want to discover five secrets to get you started on the path of that devil-may-care attitude, check it out.

Number 4

My very first blog came in at number four:  Why Older People Are Happier Than Baby Boomers. Don’t gasp, but in this article I proposed that our authority-averse, rebellious boomer generation just might learn something from the generation that precedes us to help us find our bliss now.

Number 5

Finding Happiness with Grandchildren clocks in at number 5. I’m not surprised. As I wrote in the article, grandchildren are the living manifestation of who we are and what we’ve accomplished. They represent the best of what we’ve successfully instilled in our children and an opportunity to build on that heritage. Like many people, I find that the rewards of family life only grew richer and more fulfilling as each new grandchild was born.

Number 6

You probably know, music has the power to lift you out of a funk. Immersing yourself in a work of ethereal beauty that sends chills up your spine like a symphony or a great jazz player wailing the blues is an effective strategy to transcend sadness. Playing an instrument or singing is even better. Music and Happiness comes in at number 6. I listed 15 of my favorite songs that never fail to put me in a good mood. Check them out and see if you agree with my choices.

Number 7

We boomers are sentimental about our roots. Just listening to Hotel California, watching Jaws, or seeing an old episode of The Brady Bunch on TV can make me nostalgic for the 70′s. In fact, thinking about all the cheesy stuff that made that decade unique – bell bottom jeans, mood rings, earth shoes, the Hustle line dance, shag carpets, and ding-dongs – can still make me smile. Makes me pine a bit for the days when guys at school called me foxy. Looks like many of you feel the same way since my blog, Why Being Nostalgic Can Make You Happier, made the top ten.

Number 8

One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein: “Happiness never appeared to me as an absolute aim. The ideals that have lighted my way are kindness, beauty, and truth.” I listed 15 more of my favorite happiness quotes to share some tidbits of wisdom that you can try to incorporate into your life in this blog: Fifteen Awesome Happiness Quotes.

Number 9

Finding Happiness as an Empty Nester came in at number 9. I thought when my youngest son, Christopher, moved out, I wouldn’t be like those OTHER mothers who cry a river and mourn the loss of motherhood. No empty nest syndrome for me! Boy, was I wrong. You can read all about my experience along with tips on how you can find your bliss after your last child leaves home in this blog.

Number 10

What’s wrong with being a Pollyanna? Absolutely nothing, according to experts who agree that a positive attitude benefits everyone, especially as we get older. My blog, Five Ways to Cultivate a Positive Attitude, rounds out the top ten.

So there you go. Going forward, I will keep in mind my most popular blogs as a way to select future subjects to keep my readers and subscribers interested,  informed, and hopefully inspired.

Once again, thank-you for supporting my efforts and stay tuned for more articles. I post every Thursday. Please subscribe if you’d like to receive the latest updates by email.

Stay blissful and I’ll see you next week!

Images courtesy of Stuart Miles and Kromkrathog at FreeDigitalPhotos.net