EOY 2014—A SMART Blogging Year in Review

At the end of 2014 and just like last year, I thought it might be interesting to do a review of some of the things that occurred here on SMART Living 365. Lest you think this post is all about blogging and has little to do with you, please keep in mind that it is SMART for all of us to look back occasionally to see what we have faced and overcome, what we’d perhaps like to do differently, and how that might impact the future. So, with three and a half years of experience behind me, here are several things I learned and experienced during the past year.

These were the top ten most visited blog posts that I wrote in 2014.

#10   25 Quick Tips To Help Right-size Your Diet, Exercise And Health   This blog post is part of what I call my “right-sizing” theme where I explore aspects of our lives that can be adjusted to fit our individual needs and experiences. When you think about it, rightsizing can fit just about every area of your life so our health and eating are no exceptions.

#9 50 Inspiring & SMART Quotes To Start Off 2014   This was sort of a surprise to me because it was so fun and easy to do. I read quotes ALL THE TIME to inspire and motivate me and I was happy to share them with all of you.

#8 7 Traps We Use To Imprison Ourselves and How To Get Free   I wrote this post right after my computer crashed last summer and used the writing to lift myself out of fear and worry about the experience. So many times I find that writing about what I’ve gone through and ways I’ve been able to successfully move through it, I’ve freed myself from a potentially self-imposed prison.

#7 To List or Not To List? 5 Reasons For And Against The List Post   After reading advice on other blogging expert websites, I read that the “list post” is one of the most successful ways to get people to read blog posts. In case you haven’t noticed, I do list posts quite a bit. This post had a poll that showed me that most of my readers like them about half the time, but if you look at this list of top read posts you’ll see that all but one of them are list posts.

#6 7 Ways To Keep Fear & Worry From Hijacking A Happy Life   In spite of what some people believe, I too have challenges in my life just like everyone else. But what I attempt to do when faced with things that bring up fear and worry is to take steps to change that reaction. This post shares what I believe to be the most helpful.

#5 5 Ideas to make your 2014 Your Best Year Ever I actually believe that every single year we are alive and breathing can be our “best year ever.” So after looking over this list of ideas I strongly recommend them for making 2015 your best year ever.

#4 Be Good or Get-Better? Your Choice Says A Lot About You   When I first read about the idea of “be good” or “get better” as explained by Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D., I was fascinated. I was glad to see others were too because this powerful idea explains why some people continue to grow and move forward and others are content to stay where they are.

#3   Ten Awesome Benefits To Growing Older   As a baby boomer I am rightly interested in all things that show us how we can not only age happily, but how we can all improve our odds and do something similarly. Many people focus instead on the downside to aging, perhaps it is time we all did exactly the opposite.

#2 15 Ways Simple Living Relieves Anxiety & Reduces Stress   This blog post attempts to blend the aspects of simple living and minimalism together to show how this can be beneficial to our mind and happiness. While the obvious benefits of a simple life are less debt and stuff, the real benefit is the freedom we feel from the weight of living a consumer driven empty lifestyle.

#1 10 Commandments For A SMART & Simple Life   I think one reason this was the most popular is because I kept the approach simple and recognizable. Most people who read and study simple living will be familiar with all ten of the suggestions. Still, keeping it simple is what the post is all about and the approach worked.

A few other notable events occurred here on SMART Living that you may or may not have noticed.

• In June I published my first “blog to book” that I titled Simple * SMART & Happy—A SMART Living 365 Guide to a Sustainable & Meaningful Lifestyle. The book is available both on Amazon as an ebook and as a paperback book and is selling nicely as an alternative to reading my posts on a computer.
• At the end of September I began working with illustrator and website designer Sarah Moore who helped me freshen up my website with a sharper look. Some of you might not have even noticed the change, but I think it helps communicate my message in a better way.
• In late October I received my invitation to join the Huffington Post Blogger Community. I am now able to submit and have published my blog posts to a wider variety of readers around the world. To date five have been published.
• In November I published my first sponsored post. Why I’m A Grateful Quitter And Why I Wish Everyone Else Was Too While I do not accept advertising on this site, and have been offered other sponsored opportunities, only those that I feel match the mission of SMART Living will ever be accepted.

Naturally there were other things that happened including the first post of mine to ever generate over 50 comments and having some of my posts published on other websites like Midlife Boulevard.  But perhaps the most interesting thing continues to be what I am guided to write about and how you all respond.

I’m aware that SMART Living 365 doesn’t fit the “typical” blog here in the blog-o-sphere. And I’m also aware that those who read what I write are not the typical readers. So I am incredibly grateful to have this venue to share ideas with those who care to travel along. A special thanks to those of you who subscribe to SMART Living so I know you care about receiving notice of my posts. Even more thanks to those of you who take the time to comment now and then. Plus, I appreciate those who don’t completely agree with my ideas, because your interest showed that you had at least thought about the subject and felt safe enough to share your feelings on the topic in a different way.  I am grateful for each and every one of you.

So let’s see where we go and what is revealed in 2015.  Remember, I hope to continue to comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.  May your New Year be as Sustainable, Meaningful, Aware, Responsible and Thankful as possible.  In other words, let’s all stay SMART 365!