Have you ever heard or read something that was so inspiring, so perfect for that point in your life, that you just had to write it down and look at it again? Maybe even print it out or stick it on your wall?
That’s how I felt about quite a few things I heard at Meet the Blogger, a gathering of over 100 interiors and lifestyle bloggers in Amsterdam last weekend. The main agenda, of course, was blogging, but the real highlights for me were bite-sized pieces of advice that could also apply to any area of one’s life… the kind of life lessons that deserve to be pondered, printed and yes, maybe even stuck on a wall.
Since we could all use some inspiration now and then, I’m taking my Meet the Blogger notes out of my notebook and sharing them with you in a way that I hope you’ll find inspiring too. Feel free to grab these “notes” from here or from Flickr—just leave me a comment to say thanks, if you do!
As keynote speaker, one-woman empire Frida Ramstedt of Swedish interior design blog Trendenser shared the lessons she learned along the way in her rise from average student to blogging millionaire. Her first step: finding what she was truly passionate about. (And it wasn’t what she was studying in university.)
Not certain where your heart truly lies? One simple thing you could do, Frida suggested, is to ask yourself this question.
Frida also talked about choosing a niche and becoming an expert at something. I think this is a great way to look at gaining skills and not being limited by what you can do now:
One of my biggest struggles as a freelancer is learning to charge for my work. You should see how I turn myself inside out discussing rates with clients! As a Pinoy, getting over hiya (shame) is like trying to combat a genetic disease with willpower. Frida’s excellent rule of thumb might just turn hiya from a severe handicap to a useful barometer.
It’s all about knowing what you’re worth. When my husband saw me lettering this, he came over, hugged me and murmured, “Yup, that’s a piece of advice for you, all right.”
I also enjoyed the short workshop by Yvonne Eikenduijn of Yvestown, who runs a blog that’s as pretty and pristine as her own home. Despite her huge online following, Yvonne’s blog is ad-free—which makes the fact that she actually does have sponsors an interesting case study. Her strategy?
I thought Yvonne showed a lot of character and integrity in the way she makes sponsor content fit her life and personality. She was a powerful reminder that each of us have a unique perspective that counts, and that taking the extra effort to put your own spin on things is always worth it.
Thanks to Frida, Yvonne, and all the speakers and organizers of Meet the Blogger for inspiring these handwritten notes. Which of them would you stick on your wall?
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P.S. It was also great to catch up with the amazing Thea and Toni, and to meet such lovely ladies as Maartje, Fleur, Judith, Steffi and Laura. I wish I could have met more people, but hey… there’s always Stockholm!
