“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman
Today we share Rebecca Temsen’s story. Rebecca is a writer, entrepreneur, wife and a mother of two who is passionate about helping people to reach their potential and not just settle for the norm. Here she explains how her hobby has become a way of life.
There is no telling how much you’ll grow or how strong your energy will become once you are truly dedicated to a personal ‘cause’ or ‘purpose’. This ‘cause’ or ‘purpose’ is also called happiness and it is well worth chasing.
This is my story in pursuit of happiness…
I acknowledged my passion
From an early age I enjoyed being with people and encouraging them to do things to help themselves. Personal development is not about telling people what to do or giving my opinion, it’s about empowering people to resolve their own issues by tapping into all the amazing resources that are available out there and within themselves – it’s a case of being open to new experiences and opportunities and being willing to learn and grow.
I shifted my thinking
There is nothing like the Internet to find self-help resources. So one day, in a flash of inspiration, I decided to do what I love: combine my willingness to help others with the wealth of different resources online and start my own personal development website.
I started my blog five months ago, alongside my job in marketing where I work 35 hours a week. I work on my website during my free time, usually for between four and five hours at weekends, and I also read during the week which gives me plenty of ideas. I love self-help and I wish I could spend all my time on it.
I took the website challenge and created a gift that keeps on giving
Building my website felt really daunting at first. However I was determined to practice what I was preaching and teach myself, using every resource available to me online. Once my site was up, traffic began to come through and I started connecting with people all over the world – it was amazing! My website enables me to set out all the things I’ve ever learned and engage with other people in the process. I love the fact that people visit when they feel lost, or alone, or need some life guidance. In just one click I can be there to help and support anyone who needs personal development advice.
Image credit: Daily Cup of Bloom
I’m leaving a legacy
Having an online presence that can potentially influence people is ultimately what gave me the push to turn my knack for helping others into a lifestyle. Knowing that people who visit my site read our blog and benefit from using the tools and resources I recommend brings a feeling of immense satisfaction. It just motivates me to get more resources in place, write more self-help articles, and reach out to others in the personal development community to ask them to share their expert tips and advice.
My website currently makes a bit of money but not yet enough to cover the costs. Successful bloggers I’ve spoken to about this have told me that it takes time and commitment to generate a good income so this year I’m concentrating on blogging regularly, being passionate about what I do and spreading the word.
It helps that I’m now starting to make friends with other bloggers and editors, and I’m picking up lots of tips, advice and exposure along the way. Most of my readers now are following my blog because they see that I’m here to help, and this is what matters most to me, especially in an online world where so many sites are there to profit from us. I’d love to take my hobby to the next level and make it my full-time job so right now I’m focussing on helping as many people as I can by writing about things people want to read about.
Whenever I’m thinking about ideas for a blog post, I look at the things people want to learn. Sometimes just reading all the emails from my readers is what sparks my next idea. But at the beginning, it was different. I didn’t really have feedback to go with, and since I was already reading a lot of posts about self-help, I also started reading comments. Lots of people add their opinions, concerns and questions which helped me tremendously when looking for content to write about!
My most popular post was one I wrote early in my blogging days 9 Ways To Stay Positive In Difficult Times (with Infographic). I first wrote it as an article and after about a month with very little exposure, I decided to turn it into an infographic. As soon as I promoted it, readers started sharing it and since then I’ve lots of positive feedback.
What about you? What’s your personal ‘cause’ or ‘purpose’… your source of happiness?
Following your heart and trusting your gut feeling is often the key to discovering what you are really here to do and turning that passion into a lifestyle. Answer these questions as honestly as you can.
- What activities tend to keep you busy and engaged?
- Who, in your circle of friends and acquaintances, do you find it most comfortable to be around? This answer is important, as it shows whether it is you personally, or the environment around you, that you need to change.
- What are your skills? What do you excel at or do better than others? (No need to be humble here!)
- When are you most productive?
- What activities keep your energy levels high?
- What do you most enjoy learning or talking about?
- Who/what do you feel most passionately about?
Try it!
For me, doing what I loved meant creating a website which allowed me to be myself, share with others, and stay connected to what really matters to me: helping and inspiring people to change their lives for the better.
What does doing what you love really mean to you? What would you love to focus your attention on? How could you share your skills, passions and interests with the rest of the world? Remember the online world is big enough to earn you at least a few readers that, like you, share the same passion.
Start with words
I’ve always believed that we test our love for the things we most want to achieve in life through language, and writing down our hopes, dreams and goals via a blog or website is a great way to crystallize our thoughts. If you don’t like to write, use a talk-to-text program to do this. Once you’ve taken this first step gather together visuals, your own photographs, and shareable images online and start posting!
If you’re not sure where to start focus on your own journey: how you are making more time for your passions/interests/skills and why you feel inspired to share it with the world.
Keep it going!
If you love the process of creating a website dedicated to your hobby, the sky will be the limit. You’ll probably find that opportunities for growth appear as if by magic, new doors open out of nowhere and that you start to build a community of followers who will inspire and encourage you along the way. Who knows, you may also discover a whole new you in the process.
Over time your website may transform into something far greater than you ever imagined – and it could completely change your life.
Like I said earlier, there is no telling how much you’ll grow, or how strong your energy will become when you are truly dedicated to a personal ‘cause’ or ‘purpose’. But this is your life and your happiness and surely that’s something that it is worth pursuing.
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For more information about Rebecca and her work visit: selfdevelopmentsecrets.com
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