Lifestyle Blogging: An Easy, How-To Guide!!

I’ve been surfing the web a lot lately, and I’ve discovered a wonderful new source of inspiration: LIFESTYLE BLOGS!!!  They’re not fashion blogs.  They’re not travel blogs.  They don’t specialize in comedy, politics, or food.  Truth be told, they don’t really specialize in anything—except telling you how to live your life!

Which begs the question: Do YOU have what it takes to be a lifestyle blogger?!?  Because it could be SO MUCH FUN!!!

Ask yourself:

1.     Am I alive?

2.     Do I have at least one working finger, allowing me to type?

3.     Do I have Internet access?

If you answered “Yes” to all three questions, CONGRATULATIONS!  You are 100% qualified to start a lifestyle blog that tells other people how to live their lives.  Think that sounds presumptuous and egotistical?  Think no one really cares what you have to say?  THINK AGAIN. 

You’re about to enlighten people with completely important, original ideas they could NEVER have dreamt up on their own.  For example, if it weren’t for lifestyle blogs, I would never have heard of such things as “green tea” or “springtime.”  I would never have learned how to spend the perfect rainy day (movies and hot chocolate) and I’d have NO IDEA who Ryan Gosling is!!  

 Scared to get started?  DON’T BE!!  :-)  Just go on Pinterest and see what girls are into these days.  Maybe pick a quote by an author you’ve never heard of and ramble about whatever it inspires.  Dish out some juicy metaphors and have FUN! 

…Still struggling?!?  Don’t worry!  Your best gal-pal Annamal is here to make this even easier for you.  Here’s the basic outline for a blog post.  Follow it, and you’ll be a lifestyle guru in no time.

1. Introduce your subject!  Throw in some questions to really engage your audience.  You want them to know that you’re their buddy!  Here’s an example:

My newest obsession is daisies!!!!  Have you guys heard of them?!?  Aside from being so cheerful, bright, and beautiful, they come in tons of glorious hues, and they symbolize new growth!!!

2.  Find a way to relate this back to your life, to make your post meaningful and potent and deep!

I’m so glad that daisies remind me of new growth, because right now, my life is FILLED with new beginnings!!  I’m getting ready to graduate from college, so this is a scary but exciting time for me!!! 

3.  Now begin imparting your infinite wisdom to the lesser vessels reading your blog!

Are you, too, facing changes in your life?  What are you ready to begin?  Challenge yourself to a fresh new lifestyle… as fresh as a daisy, bursting into bloom!!!  LOL!

4.  If you haven’t already, now throw in an inspirational quote superimposed on a pretty picture!  Honestly, the quote doesn’t even have to relate to what you’ve been talking about.  Just having it there will show what an artistic and inspiring human you are, in touch with your reader’s needs.

I don't know where 'somplace' is, but I guess I should go

5.  Keep giving your readers random bits of advice before finding some finagled way to relate it all back to your original idea.

Take on a new goal this spring.  Eat more kale.  Go on long walks.  Take time to meditate daily!  If you dwell on what you’re grateful for, be it your family, Jesus, Greek life, or something else, you will be FILLED with JOY and HAPPINESS and you, like a daisy, will brighten any room!!!  

Good luck, future bloggers!!!  Start spreading inspiration!!  And always remember:  LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE!!!!!!  <3

PS:  Annamal Crackers is now on Pinterest!  Help spread the word by pinning your favorite pics and posts:  http://pinterest.com/annamalblog/ 

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Inspiration: How To Achieve Your Dreams!

Think Fast: What’s your favorite quotation? 

If you just answered, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” then congratulations!  I can tell that you’re really socially aware, you read a lot of Gandhi, and that you’re obviously totally original.  But if you weren’t one of the 19% of people who went straight for the eye thing, maybe you’re one of the 27% of people who answered, “Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

Dammit, I need to address something.  If you shoot for the moon and miss, you’re not going to land among the stars.  What with there being no gravity in space and all, you might float around for a while, but chances are you won’t have made it up that high anyway.  You’re probably going to fall and die.

Understand, I don’t have a problem with dreams.  Barack Obama inherited dreams from his father, and now he’s President of the United States.  Justin Bieber never stopped beliebing, and now he gets to record songs with Will Smith’s son.  I just have a problem with inspirational quotations about dreams.  I think that they’re stupid.

“I’m a dreamer.  I have to dream and reach for the stars, and if I miss a star then I grab a handful of clouds.”

MIKE TYSON said that.  Because no one seems to scream “I like fluffy white clouds and eating ears” more than this guy:

Photo: deliberationroom.com

Mike Tyson has also been quoted saying, “I’m on the Zoloft to keep from killing ya’ll.”  He has a professed love of pigeons and is obviously a total softy.

“Man is a genius when he is dreaming.”

-Akira Kurosawa

Woman is a genius when she is not retweeting bullshit about dreams.

“If you can dream it, you can become it."

-William Arthur Ward

I dream of being the next Missy Franklin.  Good thing that’ll happen.

“Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough.  You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it."

-J.M. Barrie

I used to love that quote, until I realized that it is MISERABLY SAD.  It reminds me of that time I left my family and friends to go to a boarding school for the arts where I couldn’t eat.  And then my dream still didn’t come true.  Ha!  Haha!  It’s so funny because it’s not funny at all!  It’s just true!  Moving on.

“Good things come to those who wait.”

-Assumedly some bad mom

I think that proverb is supposed to teach patience, but it’s often applied to dreams in a “Someday-My-Prince-Will-Come” sense.  But waiting for good things to happen, or waiting for your dreams to come true, is a TERRIBLE idea.  Working towards them is a good one.

I grew up believing that if I was passionate and driven and strong, I could do anything I wanted with my life.  It was an unfortunate side effect of having really supportive parents and a 1^st grade teacher who believed my love of “Boxcar Children” stories bespoke of unparalleled genius.

But I got tired of dreams not coming true, so I made it my mission to fashion a foolproof method to guarantee that they would:

“I’ve discovered the secret to making all my dreams come true.  The secret is to have really vague dreams."

-Annamal Crackers

Specificity kills dreams.  I just ate a chocolate granola bar, and I enjoyed it.  And you know what?  I have always dreamed of “having enjoyable experiences.”  THAT DREAM CAME TRUE JUST NOW.  It has been my life-long dream to have love in my life.  And guess what?  I have a cat who truly loves me.  BOOM.  Dream achieved.  I dream of good things happening—any good things happening—so that my dreams come true every day. 

“Reach for anything and if anything happens, then you’ll be okay.”

Inspirational.

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