Thriving Blog & Life
I’m not nearsighted anymore! ? I’ve always had glasses since I was 7 years old and after that, my eyes just got worse and worse, almost reaching -8.00. Crazy! I finally got my eyes corrected and thought I’d vlog the experience for any one of you guys who are interested in getting LASIK eye surgery. (more…)
My life is feeling much more well-balanced as opposed to focusing only on one area of life, like work. As important as it is to make a living and as much as I relate my self-value to work, it’s not everything. Some of us are just workaholics. I used to even “backdoor brag” about how much work I was doing like:
Ugh, I’m getting sick because I haven’t been sleeping enough from all the work I’m getting.
*eye roll* ?
And I thought that was a good thing! Because I equated my value to the amount of work I was doing. And I would work a lot to keep my self-value high. And whether I knew it or not, I ended making decisions to choose work over my health. So not only would I sleep less, but I would also skip bathroom breaks until I could no longer hold it. And when I do that, I’m basically saying, “I choose work over my health.”
And now my doctor is telling me to stop that or I’ll get UTI. I know this sounds like too much information but I wanted to share this because you might see where you could be making yourself a second, third or fourth priority. That said, workaholic or not, some of us are just really busy. And I totally get that. But that doesn’t mean our health has to suffer.
So today’s video is going to be specifically about mental health because it can easily get overlooked. And when we improve our mental health, our physical health usually follows. So I’ll share really simple things I’ve done to improved mine even when I’m busy. Feel free to take anything I share and make it yours. And each thing I share can be done in as little as 10 minutes. (more…)
Every month, I design calendar wallpapers & printables to not only help you organize your life but also brighten your day! This isn’t necessarily a blogging resource but it was a popular request from my followers who wanted to see a glimpse of their calendar in the quickest way possible.
Feel free to personalize it and make it your own! My subscribers like to circle important dates like events, birthdays, and even paydays.
If you love these wallpapers, I’d love to see it in action! Post a photo on your Instagram story/feed of your experience with my wallpapers and tag @travelingpetitegirl. Your photo might be shared by my account (with credits to you, of course!) for extra exposure of your account or blog. (more…)
What I thought was a petty move to change my Instagram account handle, turned out to be MUUUUCH bigger. Two weeks ago, I experienced one of the worst nightmares that could happen to any content creator. I got hacked. Everywhere. Instagram. Facebook. Email. Bluehost. And even Teachable and Transferwise (I found out this hacker tried to steal $500 USD from me). And the last straw was when my blog, the headquarters of my content, got deleted and defaced.
In today’s video, I share how I got hacked, how I restored all my accounts within 24 hours, and what I did to prevent it from happening in the future. (more…)
Do you ever feel like you’re in this state of paralysis where you think you’re not good enough and you’re scared of people finding out and you’re afraid you might get exposed as a fraud, a liar, or an impostor? You’re not alone, and there’s a word for it. It’s called impostor syndrome.
And if you’re feeling this way, I totally get you. It’s super uncomfortable, and it’s stressful, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. You can actually use it to your advantage. How? Keep on reading 🙂
So let’s talk about impostor syndrome!
I drove back home at 4 am, thinking I was never going to see Vivek again. He was leaving for Japan in a few hours and I didn’t give him my real name or my number. I took my meeting him as a random but pleasant 4-hour conversation with a stranger in the middle of the night.
I got back home and moved on with my life. Little did I know, I would wake up to a message on Instagram from a guy saying he felt dumb for never asking my name or my number, and how he had been looking all over the internet for me.
2 months later, we would go on our very first date in Thailand for 10 days.
5 months after that, I would visit him for the first time in Okinawa.
1 year later, I would move in with him.
And 1 year after that, he would propose and we would get married.
I had the intention of being single before we met. I originally wanted to date men to make myself more comfortable around them (given my past). Who knew that through this journey, I would actually meet my future husband ♥
Here’s the story of how my husband and I randomly met each other at a hotel party, how we dated long distance, and how we got married. Not just sharing my side, but my husband’s side too 🙂 (more…)
As a content creator, I always have to get myself into a certain mood in order to create. But feeling motivated and feeling inspired has a shelf-life and I can’t depend on waiting for this feeling. If I did then I wouldn’t be here making this video. In fact, my goal has been to post consistently every week and it’s been difficult because I’d wait for myself to be inspired. And where did that get me? Nowhere really. I was only able to post for 3 weeks straight.
And because I let myself down, I get in a rut. And because I’m in a rut, I don’t create. And because I’m not creating, it makes me feel stuck. And when I’m stuck, I just want to spend my money on frivolous things, and then my bank account dips and it just makes me feel even worse.
So I feel like I get stuck at least once a week. And there are a few things I’ve learned to get myself unstuck, reignite the spark inside, and find inspiration to create. Sometimes, it’s not just to create but to also love my husband, take care of my cats, call my family, and make friends. Just going out there to experience this gift of life that I have.
So if you feel stuck in a rut and you want to get inspired, watch my video. (more…)
I never had a word to name what my everyday life looked like. I just knew I liked simplifying my life and enjoying the little things. Turns out there was a name for it and it’s called “slow living” or “hygge.” I wouldn’t say I live a perfect slow living lifestyle but I do like to incorporate elements of it into my daily activities.
And I do believe it has contributed to being content with what I have (and with what I don’t have). Especially after cutting off excess baggage from previous relationships and hardships, and even things in my closet.
Here’s what I like to do in the weekend to live a slower-paced lifestyle. It’s a great way to take a step back from the grind of life. And I hope it inspires you to take a step back and slow things down too. ♥ Here’s my day in the life of slow living, hygge, or whatever you want to call it. (more…)
Every month, I design calendar wallpapers & printables to not only help you organize your life but also brighten your day! This isn’t necessarily a blogging resource but it was a popular request from my followers who wanted to see a glimpse of their calendar in the quickest way possible.
Feel free to personalize it and make it your own! My subscribers like to circle important dates like events, birthdays, and even paydays.
If you love these wallpapers, I’d love to see it in action! Post a photo on your Instagram story/feed of your experience with my wallpapers and tag @travelingpetitegirl. Your photo might be shared by my account (with credits to you, of course!) for extra exposure of your account or blog. (more…)
I’m a cat mom! It’s been almost 2 months since I adopted kittens and it’s been quite a whirlwind. I’ve always wanted cats. When I was in Japan, I’d always visit cat cafes. ALL THE TIME. But it wasn’t a good time to adopt. Finally, we moved here to Germany and after we got settled in our home, we got kittens through a local adoption Facebook group. Here’s my experience adopting feral kittens, preparing for their arrival and what it was like the 30 days after they arrived. #kittens #adopt #adoptdontshop (more…)
It’s been getting colder recently and which means I’ve been craving for a spiced drink to warm me up. Then, I remembered the chai tea my mother-in-law made every day when she was visiting my husband and me for a month. I remember the spicy kick and fresh ginger flavor the first time I had it.
My mom taught me how to make it and she said to share her recipe freely with you guys. So I hope you get to enjoy this homemade chai recipe that you can easily make. It’s not your traditional chai recipe but it’s an easy recipe to recreate at home. You won’t be going back to Starbucks for chai tea lattes anymore 😉 (more…)
Every month, I design calendar wallpapers & printables to not only help you organize your life but also brighten your day! This isn’t necessarily a blogging resource but it was a popular request from my followers who wanted to see a glimpse of their calendar in the quickest way possible.
Feel free to personalize it and make it your own! My subscribers like to circle important dates like events, birthdays, and even paydays.
If you love these wallpapers, I’d love to see it in action! Post a photo on your Instagram story/feed of your experience with my wallpapers and tag @travelingpetitegirl. Your photo might be shared by my account (with credits to you, of course!) for extra exposure of your account or blog. (more…)
One of my biggest struggles with blogging is blogging consistently. My goal is to publish 1 blog post/week. And while on some weeks it’s easy, it’s difficult on others. Sometimes, I don’t have the time (which is not true, I just don’t make time). But other times, I don’t feel motivated to write. Do you understand that feeling?
But with these tips, I’ve been able to post consistently that it eventually lead to the growth of my blog. So here are my tips to write a blog post fast in 90 minutes so that you can blog consistently, save yourself time, and grow your blog!
Start off with a simple topic that will not only be easy for you to write but will also be easy for your reader to digest. If the topic you’re writing about is too big, break it down into a smaller topic. I recommend keeping a list of topics to write about that way when it’s time you write, you already have an idea. This can easily be a list of ideas you saved on your phone or a document that you have saved somewhere.
Is it a guide? Is it a list? Is it a step-by-step how to? Is it a story? Figuring this out will determine the outline of your blog post. Now it’s time to write your blog post! Here’s the 90-minute breakdown.
Hop over to Ubersuggest or Pinterest and type in keywords of the blog post you have in mind. You might find other keywords that people have used to drive traffic to their blogs. Just don’t click on these blog posts and read them. Only do this if you think your blog post has gaps and you want to fill things in. If you want to learn more on how to research keywords, check out my post below.
This is why you want to figure out the kind of blog post you’re writing. If you’re writing a how-to post or a step-by-step guide, your outline will be broken into steps. If you’re writing a list, your outline will be broken down into the number of items in the list. If you’re writing a story, your story will be broken down into the main points that are important in your story.
To keep your writing simple, I suggest keeping your outline not more than 10 points.
Explain each outline with more detail. Keep each explanation simple and go straight to the point.
Share a few things about how the tips you’re about to share improved your life and how you think it can improve your reader’s life too.
Don’t include any new information here. You want all the information in the body of your blog post. In your conclusion, you’re just tying things together & wrapping it up. And don’t forget to include your call-to-action asking your readers to subscribe to your email list or follow you on social media!
Do this step for as many times as you need to. For some people, it can take 5 minutes. For others, it can take 30 minutes. I say it can take 15 minutes for a blog post of a normal length.
Now it’s time to make your blog post easy to read and skim by using headlines and bolding any important sentences. And also breaking down any big paragraphs into smaller paragraphs.
Hopefully, by this point, you’ve reached 90 minutes and you’re finished with the writing component of your blog post.
Turn off the TV. Step into a quiet room. Maybe play some music that’s conducive for writing and concentrating. I like to listen to classical music, movie soundtracks, and this famous girl here.
The goal is to get yourself to write from start to finish and make mistakes. Not to write the perfect blog post. A lot of people come to me and say, “Jojo, I can’t blog because I can’t put my thoughts into words and make it succinct.” My answer is, “That’s a lie. You don’t allow yourself to make mistakes that you can’t even get into the groove of writing because you’re already revising & editing things in your head before you write it. Stop that.”
The great part about writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time. Or even the second time or third time! Writing is a process and it’s part of the process for your words not to make any sense at all. Have trust in yourself that you will get it right in the end.
You’ll find that about 10-15 minutes in, you will get in the writing zone and everything will pour out. Don’t wait to feel inspired to write. If I did that, my blog would be pretty bare.
And that’s okay! Writing is a skill that you practice and nurture. No one is born with this skill. I promise you, by your 3rd or 4th blog post, you will be much faster and succinct in your writing.
This Chrome extension is like Microsoft Word where it underlines any words in red if it’s misspelled or the grammar is wrong. I always have this turned on in my computer. Even when I’m on Facebook, it tells me if my post has any mistakes. Most of the time, it’s right. But sometimes, it isn’t. So use it to your discretion.
I tend to write sentences that are way too long that if someone were to read them out loud, they would lose their breath. Hemingway Editor helps me edit that down. It’s a website where you copy & paste your writing and it will tell you which sentences are hard to read and which sentences could read simpler.
This is just to make sure your blog post is SEO-friendly so that you can actually have people read it. It shows up right below your blog post editor and it will let you know how to make your blog post optimized for search engines. Because this is for editing, I recommend not looking at this plugin until after you have written your post from start to finish. Otherwise, it’s going to get in the way of your writing flow.
Guess what, I followed these exact tips and ended up finishing this blog post in an hour & 15 minutes. Depending on how in-depth you’re going in your blog post, this process can take less than 60 minutes or 2 hours. So it will really vary on the blog post your writing. But I promise you, if you follow these tips, writing your blog post will go by much faster. I hope with that these tips, you’re able to write faster and blog consistently so that your blog can grow!
Every week I send my subscribers a weekly tip to their inbox to start off their week. You’ll also get access to my free source library too! Click here to sign up.
If you’re a new blogger & you’re wondering how to grow your blog with 0 views & 0 followers, then you’re about to learn a lot of things in this video!
In my personal experience from growing my blog in the last few years, I can say there is a lot of outdated information out there that I used to follow that actually ended up wasting my time like for example, Instagram pods & Facebook follow trains.
Especially when I was just starting blogging, I really thought the key was focusing on my social media accounts to grow my blog but I was soooo wrong.
I mean, there are ways to do it, but you would need to commit a lot of time to really succeed in it.
I’m going to share easy tips that grow your blog that doesn’t require you to spend hours commenting on other people’s posts or following them, hoping they’ll follow you back.
I’ll show you were put your time & energy and get the most return because let’s be real, you don’t have all the time in the world and you just want to hit the ground already.
So let’s get started!
It’s a HUUUUGE struggle when you’re working hours on end on your blog and no one is reading it. Especially when you put so much heart and energy into it. It doesn’t mean you suck as a blogger. It just means there are some things to look at that you can easily fix. And that’s what you’re going to find out in this post!
So if you’re wondering why no one is reading your blog, here are 6 harsh truths why and how to easily fix them! (more…)
