2. Experience sells

Blogging fuels an adventurous heart and brings more curiosities. To me, my blog incites a sense of adventure within me. I feel the rush and excitement to travel to new places, try out new food, and experience new things. While all of these experiences enrich your life, it also helps you to sell your writing. Have you encountered a situation when your prospective employer or client asks you for a certain type of article, such as a topic about food? Look into your blog and see if you have any experience in writing about this topic — it could be a café review or an article on how to make pasta from scratch. These are your golden tickets to landing a job with your prospective client!

3. As a creative outlet

Think of your blog as a notepad. Writers or wordsmiths like us are creative people. We indulge ourselves in words, sentences, and stories to express ourselves and stay creative. If you’re gifted with the ability to turn words into captivating stories, use it! Write a lot, practice, and come up with your signature writing style. When you’re consistently writing on your blog, you’ll find that words and narratives come to you smoothly. Your blog will be your creative outlet to unfurl your skills as well as test out new writing styles you’ve adapted. You might find yourself deleting certain older posts you’ve published, and that is because you have grown as a writer. I’ve had my fair share of deleting my posts from time to time because my work has evolved, which shows my growth and improvement.

4. To learn new skills

Managing a blog does not only teach you how to write but also many skills that are related to it, such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) writing, content management, creating web graphics, website hosting, and many more. Phew, that seems like a lot to learn along the way, doesn’t it? But rest assured: If I can start with zero knowledge in these matters and work my way up to what I’ve become today, you can too! In this age where everything is slowly turning digital, these skills will assist you and get you far in life. Not only can you offer your skills as a writer, but also your skills in managing content, niche writing, and even web design!

5. Everything is online

These days, we no longer carry a physical folder of our works around with us. Everything is kept within a link for easy access—this is where a blog comes in handy. Putting your pieces on your blog ensures that your work is easily accessible by you and your clients/employers. Aside from that, if you have the itch to edit something quickly before meeting a prospective client, you can just log in and make the relevant edits regardless of where you are. I have a section on my blog that is dedicated to my published works, where prospects can view them easily and I have direct access to them without needing to go through my computer to retrieve a specific article.

There are so many more reasons why you should start a blog, but these five points are key reasons why you must have your own blog today. Now that you have found your purpose in starting a blog and you have some pieces on standby, how can you start to expand your blog or portfolio?

Before you post your works online, understanding what you are marvellous at is one of the most important parts of blogging. If you have an interest in cooking, centre your focus around food, recipes, and cooking-related topics. There’s so much to talk about once you have established your own niche or specialty. All these topics are written for different audiences. For example, a café review appeals to people who love to explore new cafes, while a recipe post will appeal to those who love to cook at home. Your niche and topic will help you to decide what type of writing style you can experiment with. But if you do not have a niche, fret not! Your blog is entirely yours to play around with. Don’t worry and just have fun writing whatever you want.

2. Start writing and posting consistently

Now your blog is up and running, you have an interesting topic, but you’re missing something. Doesn’t it look a little empty? Time to plug in your creative juices and make your first post. You can even import your previous works into your current blog. Remember, the blog is yours and it is up to you what you want to write. The client is you. Aside from your work, write constantly, and keep it updated. A good way to keep our blog healthy and active is to post at least once a week, or any schedule you deem fit. More writings mean more examples to show to potential clients!

Don’t limit yourself to only one style of writing. I have written short stories, poems, wordy articles, and even short articles on my blog. Although they aren’t published professionally, I have enjoyed writing them and if there is a need to show them as examples, they are part of my repertoire. Always prepare an umbrella before it rains. Don’t wait until your clients ask you for a certain type of article before you rush to get it written.

Now that you have found your purpose in starting a blog as well as the follow-through steps on implementing and expanding your writing portfolio, you are ready to take the literary world by storm. A blog should ignite your curiosity and be the reason why you crave to write and create. Think of your blog not only as your portfolio but also as a motivation tool that brings you closer to your dreams and career goals.

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Self Check-In Questions You Should Ask Yourself On A Weekly Basis

As we grow into adults, we’re smothered beneath responsibilities upon responsibilities. We forget our curious, innocent ambitions and drive to succeed as we grow up. Some of us settle for ordinariness as we just want to be comfortable.


Oftentimes, we lack a strong desire or drive to succeed, mostly because as we grow older, we get beaten down by the voices and opinions of others. Our perspective changes and thus, our ambitions are kept in a locked chest, nearly forgotten. We get so busy fitting into society or our bubble of comfort, we just want to stay afloat with whatever we have— never pressing on for more success. Hence when we are in our comfort zones, our ambitions, and dreams change. We no longer dwell on what we desire but instead, we settle for mediocrity and comfort. That’s when we give up on ambitions.


Ask every 10-year-old what they want to be and they’ll give you very enthusiastic answers.

“I want to be an astronaut!”

“I want to sew dolls!”






Think about us when we’re 10-years-old. For me, it was 15 years ago. What did I tell people when they asked me what I want to be when I grow up? I can’t remember anymore. As we grow older, things change, and we can have new ambitions. But how far are we straying away from making it happen?

Why do we lose our ambition and drive to succeed as we grow up?

1. We are afraid of commitment

Curiosity gets the better of us at most times and when we go all in. Just like in a game of poker, “all in” means that we give our best shot at winning. However, most people are afraid of going all in. Why? Because they are frightened by what they think they will lose.

The same applies to life. We lose more than just money in life – loss of trust for the promises that we did not keep, loss of friendships, etc. What happens when you don’t hit your goals? You lose and this is what intimidates us. We are afraid to lose.

When we are afraid to go all-in and give our best when we try to achieve our goals, chances are, they won’t happen at all because we are afraid! By definition, success means an accomplishment of your purpose or your goals. But what is success without failure? If you said you wanted to be a reputable lawyer, go ahead! If you wish to start a business selling cookies, go ahead! Whatever it is you have in mind, don’t be afraid to get going and make it happen. The train of opportunities waits for no coward.

2. We do not have a clear purpose.

Not having a purpose in life and just passing your days without a clear ambition in mind is lackluster. When you have a purpose, knowing what you love and have passion for your ambitions, you get a clearer picture. A great example to find your purpose is to ask yourself “why”. In many instances, most people would ask why they are doing something. An example, why am I eating? Because I’m hungry. Or why am I drawing? Because it ignites my passion. “Why am I working?” Because I need money. The answers to your “why” is what fuels your drive to succeed.

When was the last time you asked yourself why you are doing something? Why are you in this current situation or place in life? And just because we forget to question ourselves, our purpose gets blurred. Our ambition seems foggy and as time passes, it gets forgotten.

3. We are lazy

There are many inconsistencies in life. As working adults, there are times where we are tempted to procrastinate at work. Oh, I know we all procrastinate at some things, but we are so good at it, we just never get caught. We work hard for a day or two, and later on, we tend to become lenient towards ourselves at work, procrastinating at every chance we get because we might feel that “we can do that later” or“we can do this tomorrow”.

We promised to wash the dishes later - the next day came around and the dirty dishes are still in the sink. We promised to do it but we didn’t follow up on our promises sometime later. The same applies to our ambitions and drive to succeed. We keep thinking we can work on it the next day or the next. But to succeed in our ambitions, we need consistency.

What should I do if I find myself losing my ambition and drive to succeed?

1. Take a leap of faith

When you choose to go all-in, you give yourself towards what you want to achieve in life. Be it your ambition or your goal. Your vision is what can be, what you believe, or faith in. Because you believe in it, you decide to take the leap of faith not knowing what is down in the rabbit hole. Will there be water? Or will you just hit the rock bottom? Most of us are caged in what we are taught and what we were told. However, isn’t it more exciting to go out and experience the world for yourself? Take the leap of faith.



Don’t be afraid, belief in yourself or your prowess. Having faith in yourself that you can do it and not letting voices or opinions tell you otherwise. If you think you can do it, do it. Start by doing the simplest things— you take one thing, one day at a time. Failures are bound to happen yet it's what you choose to do with those failures makes you take the leap of faith. Are you going to let an inconvenience or fear beat you down and stay down? Or are you going to get up and leap again?

2. Start small; Set smaller goals

Set milestones of tiny goals for yourself. Tiny goals will lead you towards your success and ambition. Tiny goals do look less intimidating and are easily achievable. Imagine looking at a giant pile of clothes to wash versus a few shirts to clean. Which would look more intimidating?

Tiny goals such as waking up at 6.00 AM every day or read one book a month is a great way to get started. Make sure you look it through because if you don’t what is the point? Discipline yourself and chug away. Set disciplinary actions if you don’t follow through. No video games, no heading out for a movie if you are not able to complete your tiny goals of the day. Starting the first step in the right direction is better than to not do anything at all. To find your drive, you need to know why you are doing it.

3. Find your purpose

Introspection is one of the most common ways to understand yourself. Your goals, emotions, and thoughts. The same applies to this scenario. Ask yourself, what do you want to achieve or see yourself having – putting food on the table, working in reputable firms, start a life with your partner, afford better education for your children, etc. All these questions lead to asking yourself the big W-H-Y. To find your drive, you need to know why you are doing it.


You are working hard because you want to afford a new car next year. You’re burning the midnight oil to study hard because you want to enroll in your dream course at university. Every action is related to a “why”, so find yours. Ask yourself “why” you are doing whatever you are doing right now.

At the end of the day, finding out your purpose would help you to not only figure out why you would want to achieve a goal but consistently motivate you to continue working towards it.

4. Be consistent

If you hit the gym today, come home 20 minutes later, you look at yourself in the mirror, you will see - nothing. The next day you do it again - 20 minutes in the gym and you look in the mirror - nothing. However, if you do this every day, I promise you that you will get in shape— you will see results.

The same principle applies to drive yourself to succeed in your ambitions. It's not about how big or how much you can do, it's about how long you keep doing it. A journey never stops, it will only stop when you stop.

I do understand how tiring it is, to keep going but my ambition still seems so far. I feel like giving up. But if I take a quick look around, I’ll see how far I’ve come. Tough it out and continue, you’ll find that you’re closer and closer to the finishing line.

There are many things that we think we can’t do, and that happens when we stop believing and lose confidence in ourselves, thus not being able to put our hearts into making it happen. Most of us are lost, not knowing where to go from wherever we are— some of us are not even sure if we are on the right path in life. We get confused and intimidated by the people around us questioning us of our ambitions and future.

I’m here to remind you that you are not the first to go through this puzzling part of life and you will not be the last. As long as you remember that you used to have great, big ambitions, stay the course— no matter how big or how many things you dream of wanting in life. It is always our ambitions that drive us forward. Stop staying stagnant in your garden, water it, and watch it bloom.


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This article was initially published on Crunch by Nuffnang here.

We see our father as pillars of strength but when it comes to educating us— be it about schoolwork, sports or sometimes comforting us during tough times, they may come off as nonchalant. You can go to him with a problem with your schoolwork and instead of going step-by-step with you, he gives you the answer and asks you to figure out yourself.

I grew up thinking my dad taught me nothing, but let me tell you how wrong I was. I just didn’t realize sooner about how different both of my parents are, and my father is equally as great a parent as my mother.

Why are fathers often misunderstood in contributing to who we become today?

1. Fathers are goofy

My father can make funny scenarios in any situation and often jokes about it. It’s frustrating. When a roasted chicken in the oven didn’t turn out right, I would have panicked and felt dreadful. My father, on the other hand, makes a joke about the burnt chicken and tells us we’ll just order in for the night. They are goofy because sometimes, there is no point in worrying and regretting something that didn’t turn out right, so just laugh it off and find an alternative.

2. Fathers encourage risk-taking

While there are times when taking risks requires a big leap of faith, fathers are often the ones encouraging us to leap. 

“If you don’t take the risk that comes with doing something you want, you’ll end up regretting one day.” 

I never understood every time my father took the risk to build a business from scratch, but I came to realize that taking risks is how you make the most of your life. It was something he wanted to happen— that is why he is willing to take the risk than to regret not trying.

3. Fathers appear nonchalant

Have you ever been in a situation where you asked if you’re allowed to go over to a friend’s place for a sleepover, and your father allows it without any questions? In truth, their answers are always a “yes”, if they don’t sense any danger in doing so.

Sometimes you wish your father had more concern towards you, but to them, it just shows that they trust you to be on your best and wish you to have fun because you’re only going to be this young once.




Image: Women's Web

4. Fathers discipline more strictly

When we think our mothers are strict, wait until our father gets angry. That is when you know you’re in deep trouble. Deeper than any abyss. Most of the time, our father is chill and tends to not care much if you’re doing things rightfully; but when you’re doing something wrong, fathers won’t hesitate to discipline you strictly. I remember being scolded so harshly by my father and I still remember his lessons to this day.

5. Fathers are always easy-going (ironically)

Almost to the point where it seems like they do not care. When I had my first heartbreak, I was not only hurting but also frustrated at myself. My father wasn’t an emotional man, his approach towards my confused feelings was laid-back, it almost seemed like he didn’t care. 

He didn’t say a word of comfort or get mad along with me, but he did tell me that some things in life would hurt but don’t dwell on it. He cares for me, but he didn’t want to react emotionally to get me more riled up, hence it appears as if he doesn’t care.

6. Fathers are silent workers

Of course, in this time and age, some fathers helped a lot in doing house chores like washing the dishes, folding laundry, or cleaning the windows; but it is still the harsh truth that most of these duties fall onto their wives. 

As I grew up watching my father not helping with the household, I thought he was mostly lazy, but little did I know, he was constantly on call for work, taking business calls, having meetings at home and working longer hours than usual to make sure we all have our necessities met. 

He’s a silent worker. I learned that he is fulfilling his responsibility, and we are expected the same for our roles in the household or any environment.

7. Fathers do not coddle you

I remember in the younger days, I wanted to ride a bicycle so badly. My father put me on a bicycle and asked me to start paddling. Getting wobbly and falling over at every attempt, my father just stood and watched while encouraging me to figure out how to work it myself. 

Instead of spoon-feeding us with what we need, fathers always make us learn by ourselves. They do not offer things on a plate for us, instead, they give us an empty plate and ask us to fill it up ourselves, because we cannot expect to have things easy all the time.

Easily, fathers are mostly misunderstood for their unique ways of shaping us into who we are today. Our fathers taught us many lessons in so many unconventional ways, where it seems almost as though they are doing it wrong. 

Their approach towards nurturing us is sometimes confusing; but truth to be told, they have been guiding us and teaching us in their own little quirky ways. Our fathers will always play an irreplaceable role in contributing who we become today — however unusual their methods may be.