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Chicken Soup For The Blogger’s Soul: Blog Anniversary Post

How to achieve success in blogging? Know the essential ingredients of blogging success in this chicken soup for the blogger’s soul blog anniversary post.
A successful woman blogger sitting with laptop sharing tips of blogging
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Blogging is a wonderful hobby and profession. Though it may seem very simple and easy, it takes time and efforts to be successful in blogging. Here is an old updated post that was published on one of this blog’s anniversaries to inspire and educate you about the tips of successful blogging. The SOUP acronym spills out all the blogging ingredients to taste success for new as well as seasoned bloggers. ~ Ed.

‘Tis time for celebrations!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 🙂

I wish happiness to you and your family, and I’m so glad you could make time to read this post in the holiday season.

The title of this post might have reminded you of the famous book “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” Never mind if you have not heard of or read that book because this article has nothing to do with it. 🙂

In fact, this post is all about the upliftment of the blogger’s soul.

I know you’re curious to know about this special inspirational soup recipe I’ve for the bloggers, but first an important message for you.

I’m celebrating the Aha!NOW blogiversary, along with Christmas and New Years!!

My blog completes 9 years today, and I have no one but my wonderful readers – YOU – to thank! 🙂

With Christmas just being over and as we welcome the New Year’s in a few days time, it just seems like yesterday, when Vinay and I sat on Christmas Eve in the year 2010 and started Aha!NOW.

After all these blogging years, I learned that being a blogger is not an easy task, as probably you too already know by now.

Blogging takes a toll when your life takes a roller coaster ride with all the happy and sad events  – balancing blogging and life is an art!

Sometimes, the disturbing events of your life just sap your energy, leaving you with no stamina to blog or be productive enough to do anything else.

The flight of your blogging dreams does not take off, or your blogging plans don’t make much headway.

But blogging must go on…

As bloggers, we must embrace the challenges, fight the odds, and bear the ups and downs. That is the never dying spirit of a blogger, isn’t it?

You’ve to spend your time and energy to find the best ways to uplift your soul and take blogging to greater heights, reaching out to as many people as you can.

Having been through difficult phases during my blogging years, I want to share my experiences, hoping that they help you in making your blogging journey a smooth and happy one.

Chicken Soup For The Blogger’s Soul

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Chicken Soup for the Blogger’s Soul

Bloggers have a special place in my heart because of all the hard work they do. It is sad that not all their efforts get appreciated.

They put in so many hours writing the content to the best of their abilities and promoting their posts to the world.

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Nevertheless, most of them are left deprived of success.

It is true that success may be interpreted differently by different bloggers. But I conclude that happiness and recognition are the two core elements that make the blogger’s soul smile.

That IS success!

However, most bloggers look for more. They need financial rewards and want blogging to bring them economic liberty, which is also important.

Do you also wish to achieve such blogging success?

Alas, that does not always happen as desired and planned.

The majority of bloggers never earn the name, fame, and money they dreamt of when they ventured into blogging.

I want to give these bloggers a rope of hope, and shine a ray of light to show them the direction, and give them a magic potion that brings a solution.

You, as a seasoned blogger must add your valuable blogging tips in the comments to help other fellow bloggers.

Without further ado, here’s my chicken soup for bloggers.

Try This SOUP For Blogging Success

I love acronyms, as they are beautiful summarizations that are easy to remember. 🙂

Here, SOUP is an acronym that means:

S – Subject, the blogger, and that’s YOU.

O – Object, the blog, which is YOUR BLOG.

U – Utility, the advantage, and this is your USP.

P – Promotion, the outreach, which is the seed for your blog’s SUCCESS!

Do you want to know how I got this idea?

Recently, I happened to revisit the basics of English grammar. The fact that the very basic of any language is the sentence structure struck to my attention.

Every sentence has to have a subject and a predicate, which contains the object. The structure of the sentence is based on the versatile relationship between the subject and the object.

Well, I am not going to go into the details of English grammar or even pull down a page from my kitchen’s recipe book. 🙂

I’m just deriving this from the analogy mentioned above that the structure of your blogging success is the relationship between YOU and YOUR BLOG, the blogging subject, and object.

Here are the four basic and simple elements of blogging for achieving success.

4 Essential SOUP Ingredients Of Blogging

The blogging success structure for bloggers always starts with the subject.

Subject

The Blogger is the subject. The process of achieving blogging success should start with the analytical self-introspection by the blogger.

Unfortunately, bloggers, in general, miss this important step. They start towing the line of others; they do what is done by other bloggers before them.

Instead, what needs to be done is as follows:

1) Know your interests

2) Assess your skills and abilities

3) Check your resources

Let me briefly explain these points.

Imagine that you have no interest in automobiles, but you start blogging about cars! You do that because everybody is doing that, and they suggest you pursue it.

There are some chances that you’ll be successful but would eventually end up doing a reasonable job. That is because your interest is not in automobiles – that is not your forte.

There may be a steep learning curve to excel in it, which may not be your cup of tea (or coffee, if you will)!

It is likely that you might fail at the job and quit after some time because this is not what you like to do.

If you start a blog about Internet marketing and have no marketing skills, you might not be able to make many sales and end up being burnt up.

One solution is to learn the marketing skills and keep practicing them. That is not bad if you have the ability, desire, and time to learn new skills.

You never know, you already might have the skills inherent in you and they just need an opportunity to unleash themselves.

It happened to me – I never knew I had the writing skills until there were circumstances bundled with an opportunity, which knocked at my door.

However, if you do not have the required aptitude and interest, you may not make much headway.

Finally, you may have big plans, but you have neither the time nor money to accomplish them. It may turn out to be a futile attempt forcing you to leave the project midway.

Now, I am sure you do not want to face such embarrassing situations.

Therefore, it is better to understand yourself first, know what you are good at, and want to do – go after your passion and be passionate in blogging!

The more you know about yourself, your motives, and your blogging goals, the easier blogging will be for you.

Object

Your blog is the object of attention (yours and everybody else’s too!).

It is where all the action takes place. It is the heart of blogging and should be crafted to suit your blogging requirements.

You should focus on your blog and provide what the visitor looks for, along with giving them the best browsing experience.

Here are a few factors that you need to consider to make your blog better:

1) Theme

2) Hosting

3) Design

Your blog theme makes a difference. No matter what blogging platform you choose, you can select from a number of available themes or templates.

If you can, it is always better to go with premium themes as they are coded better and offer you support. Besides, they may also have more features that contribute to your ease of blogging.

You may want to use a theme design that is appropriate for your audience. This may also include a proper layout and perfect color scheme, which may impress your audience.

There are plugins for creating opt-ins and tools for managing your leads as well as lists. You need to do a lot of A/B testing to know the best spots and styles for your blog.

Have you made your blog different or special in some ways?

I hope you have already made your blog easy to navigate with quick access, besides making it attractive and de-clutter it, so it creates less confusion to the end user.

Your site hosting also matters in aspects of your site speed and better user experience.

I shifted my blog from a small shared hosting to a big shared hosting and finally to a VPS hosting, and observed a lot of difference.

I’d suggest taking regular feedback from your site visitors about their preferences, experiences of your blog, and make appropriate changes.

The more you know about your audience and the ways to improve your blog, the easier blogging will become for you.

Utility

The utility is the advantage that your blog gives to your visitors.

How useful is your blog to the reader? Does it offer any special service or quality that sets it apart from other blogs in your niche? Why should people visit and revisit your blog?

I think this is the ultimate factor that determines whether your blog will be successful in the long run or not.

The following ingredients of your blog can provide the delicious recipe that may make your visitors come back for more!

Your blog will be successful if you know –

1) Who is your target audience?

2) What your blog audience needs?

3) How can you engage with them and help them?

The more you know about your blog audience, the easier it will be to achieve your blogging goals.

Once you have defined your niche, you also have to narrow down to a select audience. Now you need to cater to this target audience in specially targeted ways.

Suppose you selected the health niche and zeroed down to “weight loss” as your specific blog niche.

It is likely that most of the visitors are overly healthy or obese and look for articles, instruments, techniques, and food recipes that may help them lose weight.

You can also add related information, tools, and resources that may engage the visitors. Say, add a calorie calculator, BMI calculator, videos, or have health-related quiz as resources.

There are many things you can do – it is all limited by your imagination!

You can create a forum or a question and answer section where visitors would put forth their queries and come back to seek the solutions. Such helpful features add value to your blog.

Try making your blog useful by making sure it has the following ingredients:

1) Content

Provide compelling content that offers solutions or useful information. Don’t just rehash the content but add freshness, spice it up with new perspectives, and sprinkle your experiences in it.

Remember that content will always remain the king, so offer your best.

2) Interaction

Comments are the best form of interaction on your blog – make sure you reply to them all.

I consider comments like an important extension of the post as it comprises of useful personal experiences and views of the readers related to the post.

3) Resources

Who does not like freebies? Give your visitors something more than what they want.

Add up some resources as mentioned above in this section. More value your blog has, more useful it becomes.

There are so many aspects of your blog that you can focus on to win over your blog audience and make them your loyal friends.

Promotion

The promotion is mainly about increasing your blog outreach.

You need to feed your blog to help it grow. It needs visitors (aka – traffic), and more visitors.

If the growth of your blog remains stunted, you may not be able to achieve your objectives.

Many new bloggers are only able to acquire a few followers on social media, hardly some comments on their blog, and not more than 500 daily site visitors.

Somewhere, something goes wrong for them.

So, how do you increase the outreach of your blog?

Here is something that I did, which might help you as well:

1) Blog Commenting

Blog commenting is what got me started and later made me popular as the “Queen of commenting” and helped create a distinct identity for me as a blogger.

I stuck to writing quality comments, reciprocating visits, and making sure to follow all the blogging etiquette.

My focus was not on promoting my blog but to create real relationships with fellow bloggers.

As a result, I get plenty of comments on my blog posts.

2) Social Media Promotion

You must be already doing social media promotions. However, are you getting the desired results?

Speaking of myself, I made sure to promote the posts that I commented on, and those blog owners mostly reciprocated. I didn’t forget to thank those who promoted my posts.

Moreover, I promoted my posts heavily on social media. This includes Twitter and Triberr, Facebook, Google Plus communities, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and others.

3) Join Bloggers’/Blogging Communities

Joining blogger’s communities helped me, especially when I became a part of Triberr and joined several Tribes. There we promote each other’s posts on Twitter.

Many new bloggers join blogging communities because that helps them receive comments and visitors on their blogs.

Are you doing all this?

Yes, such extensive promotional activities require time. This is why blogging is not easy!

You need to follow the 80/20 Pareto principle – Promote others 80% of the time, yourself just 20% of the time; promote your content 80% of the time and spend 20% of your time creating content.

If you are not doing your promotion right, you should not complain if your blog fails to take off.

You can also take the guest blogging approach. However, make sure to contribute your best guest post, reply to all the comments, and promote it to your social media followers.

If you do not do that, you will not be doing justice. Remember that as a blogger your reputation matters. Be friendly and helpful.

How Did You Like The SOUP

Was my chicken soup for bloggers tasty? 🙂

I hope it helps you in some way or the other. These are just some simple blogging tips, yet the very basics that are utterly essential.

Here are my takeaway tips for you:

Make sure that you –

  • Blog about something that you are passionate about – find a blogging niche that catches your interest.
  • Choose to blog about something that matches your existing skills or that requires a skill that you can learn.
  • Find your USP – Unique Selling Proposition. Think about what makes you different from others – and are doing the same thing that you want to do.

Take it from me that if you follow the blogger’s SOUP, you’ll never land yourself in a thick soup. 🙂

Here’s wishing you all the best to earn the name, fame, and money in blogging!

For those of you, who are new to the blog – you can learn more about my journey from here, my mentions and interviews. You’ll find more information on this blog about page.

Thank YOU!

I cannot end this post without thanking YOU and all the wonderful readers of this blog. I appreciate your constant support and express my gratitude for making me a part of your life. It means a lot to me. 🙂

I wish you have a very good time during this holiday season, as it’s the time to bond with your loved ones and take a break from blogging and your work! You deserve the much required get-away too!

Thank YOU for being a valued reader!

Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays everyone. 🙂

Over To You –

What did you do to make your blog successful? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments of  what more should bloggers do to avoid failing in blogging and what would your soup for the blogger’s soul contain.

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  1. Hi Harleena,

    Good to have you back. Thanks for cooking up this chicken soup for blogger.

    Your post is timely. Happy holidays and anniversary. Wishing your blog long life.

  2. Hi Harleena,
    What a joy to be here again after a long gap.
    I am here again from Bizsugar wherein this is curated. And I upvoted and commented.
    Oh. My. How I missed this delicious soup! :-). 🙂
    Indeed this is so delicious that you made with lot of good ingredients!
    Yes, it’s really good to the souls of all Bloggers.
    I am bookmarking it for my further reference.
    Keep sharing.
    May you have a wonderful week. 🙂
    Best
    ~ Phil

  3. Hello Harleena maam,
    A belated yet very happy and best wishes on your blogiversary maam & sir! 🙂

    Needless to say, when you have been around for so many years you know the ins and out of the business and once in a while it comes out exuding from insightful posts like this.

    Loved your tips and yes we have to take the SOUP seriously.I am a stern veggie (so I rarely eat onions even) so I will still have this SOUP as a SOUP omitting out the chicken in it.

    No blogs can succeed without the utility factor. In fact, utility is the thing that sets each blog apart from the another. Similarly, joining blogs of others/communities and outreaching for promotions are also extremely important.

    Thanks for this insightful and refreshing post, and wishing you all the best wishes again.

    -Swadhin

  4. Wow this post hit spot on.
    You touched on all the things that interest me as a new blogger myself.

    I only now really start to realize that blogging is not as easy as I first thought. Fortunately, I write on something that really fuels me, and I feel it’s important to bring to the world, so it keeps me motivated during the rough times.

    Thank you very much for all the suggestions and time spent.

  5. Hello,

    Well I just stumbled on this post and I think it takes lot of effort and hard work to maintain a quality blog for so long time.

    I wish you a great success ahead of you.

  6. You have about 2 years’ worth of blogging experience on me. I began in January 2013. Wording Well was born in February 2014. It’s been a great ride, hasn’t it?

    I love this “recipe.” Of course I do; I’m a wordsmith! I love acronyms and mnemonics of all kinds!

    Thanks for feeding me 😉

    1. Hi Lorraine,

      Is that so? Yes indeed, time has just flown and one never realized how these six years have just passed!

      So glad you liked the chicken soup – I guess a healthy one for you 😉

      I don’t have it as I am a vegetarian, but yes, love to feed everyone for sure!

      Thanks for stopping by and wishing you every success in this new year as well 🙂

  7. Hi Harleena

    I am late into the party but Congrats on your Anniversary and I love this chicken soup that you have shared.

    The points you shared are just spot on and they are gems that can be used by any level of blogger. It takes a lot to blog but the experience is awesome and blogs have shaped the world in ways that we never imagined.

    It is great to know you Harleena and you are simply awesome. Happy new year

    Thank you for sharing. Take Care

    1. Hi Ikechi,

      You know you are never late, in fact, always welcome to Aha!NOW, being such a treasured member 🙂

      So glad you liked the chicken soup for the bloggers soul. Yes, they can be used by any kind of blogger, and you are right about the experiences that count with the several blogs coming up in a big way nowadays.

      Thank you for your kind words and constant support, and the feelings are likewise. It’s been a wonderful journey so far, and it has been a good one due to wonderful friends like you. Wishing you every success and happiness in this new year as well. 🙂

    1. Hi Nishad,

      So glad you liked the chicken soup article. Thanks so much for your kind wishes!

      Wishing you a happy and prosperous year ahead as well 🙂

  8. Happy anniversary Harleena! Six years – wow, time sure does fly by. I’ll be celebrating six years in March. It’s good to see that you are having wonderful success with your blog and I wish you many many more successful years. 🙂

    I know exactly what you mean about blogging taking a toll when life turns unexpectedly. We had similar situations with our parents…and you’re right, blogging must go on.

    Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I love the acronym you gave for SOUP and your explanations are right on.

    In my SOUP, I would change Promotion to Patience. Like you mentioned, life has a way of taking a toll on blogging and when a new blogger is seeking quit fame and money, it can wear on their patience when they see nothing is happening they are quick to quit blogging.

    I can’t wait to see what you have in store when you return. I love surprises!

    Enjoy your break and I wish you all the best in 2017!

    Cori

    1. Hi Cori,

      Thanks so much for your kind wishes 🙂

      Yes, been six years, just like yours coming by, and it all seems like only yesterday we started, isn’t it? Time flies my friend, and we are just left wondering where it all went!

      Agree with you there, and I hope your mom’s feeling better now. I guess bloggers are humans too and they need a break, which only rejuvenates them, and then they are back with more power, just as your latest post tells us! Looking forward to all that you’ve planned, especially the new shop coming up – must be exciting!

      So glad you liked the soup recipe and all that’s written and could relate so well to it. You are right, without patience, we just cannot move ahead, and things take time, especially in blogging and any kind of business. Rome, after all, was not built in a day! Good things come to those who wait.

      Thanks for stopping by, and we are gearing up for this new year, though taking it slow at the moment till we are fully back. Wishing you a great year ahead my friend – thanks for always being there 🙂

  9. Hey Harleena,

    Congratulations on your blog anniversary!

    I met you about 2 or 3 years ago, but I thought you’ve been blogging a lot longer. You always have that professional feel to your blog to me!

    The acronym you came up with is priceless. I’d have to say the “S” for subject is a step that a lot of people skip. I know I have! But this will definitely lay out a strong foundation and give bloggers direction instead of being all over the place.

    Great share Harleena and may you have an even more prosperous New Year!

    1. Hi Sherman,

      Thank you for your kind wishes 🙂

      I appreciate your kind words, and those words really made my day!

      It’s not you alone – I think most of us tend to miss it when we start our careers as bloggers, but somewhere down the line we learn and change our ways, isn’t it? So glad this post could help in some way.

      Thanks for stopping by, we appreciate you being a part of our journey. Wishing you every success and happiness in this year as well 🙂

  10. Hello Harleena,

    Good to see you back dropping another bomb for bloggers to nourish their blogging souls.

    Let me say congratulations to your blog anniversary… may your blog see more years and make you six figures 😉

    1. Hi Babanature,

      Thank you so much for your kind wishes – and yes, hope this soup really helps the blogger’s in more ways than one.

      We appreciate your kind words and constant support and wishing you every success and happiness in the coming year. 🙂

  11. Congratulations, Harleena, on your six years of blogging. That is quite an accomplishment. Your soup breaks down the blogging process in such a helpful way for new or seasoned bloggers.

    I find it helpful to reflect back on what has been working and what needs to be changed, so thanks for that reminder. I wish you the best for the new year and continued blogging success!

    1. Hi Cathy,

      Good to have you back, and thanks so much for your heartfelt wishes 🙂

      Yes indeed, it’s been six years, though it seems just like yesterday that I started off – time flies, isn’t it?

      So glad you liked the easy recipe for the blogger’s soul and I hope it helps you and others in more ways than one.

      Thanks for stopping by, we appreciate it. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead as well 🙂

  12. Hi Harleena,

    Hope you’re having a wonderful festive period!

    Happy Belated Aniversary for your blog too! Your aniversary post was extremely useful. I’ve decided to offer coaching services through my website again and recently I’ve been re-assessing my USP, and audience. I can see parallels between what you wrote about having a niche for your blog with having a niche for a coaching practice. Due to other commitments, I forget about my niche! However, in 2017, I plan to rectify this and thanks for your post for great inspiration!

    1. Hi Hiten,

      Good to have you back, and yes, we are enjoying this festive period and hope the same with you 🙂

      Thanks so much for your kind wishes, and so glad you found the post useful. This is indeed good news, and to offer coaching services would be ideal for a blogger like you who’s been around for such a long time. Not to mention the experience you’ve also gathered over this time through your other blog and books you wrote!

      Wishing you all the success and happiness in the coming year. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  13. Hi Harleena,
    Thanks for sharing these tips with us. The soup is refreshing as usual. Full enough to satisfy and precise enough not to be overwhelming.
    I am constantly in awe when I see that you’ve been Blogging for six years.
    This has given me lots of things to think about and change about my blogging methods.
    I’m off to share this.
    Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year ahead.

    1. Hi Ruth,

      You are most welcome, and so glad you liked this chicken soup recipe as well 🙂

      Oh yes! Time flies, isn’t it? And it just seems like yesterday that I started! I am so glad this post could help you in more ways than one, and you know how you can reach me if you need any kind of help, anytime.

      Thanks so much for stopping by, we appreciate it. Wishing you a great year ahead as well 🙂

  14. Hi Harleena

    Oh, it’s been six years since your started; how fast time is running. In the beginning of my blogging journey I remember the days when someone advised me to follow you if I really want to do something great in blogging.

    Interestingly before finding your blog I found you on several blogs as top commenter. Then I knew you are a commenting queen. But the day I visited your blog and read a few of your posts then I learnt you are a commenting queen as well in addition to being a great blogger, amazing content writer and above all a wonderful human being.

    I once asked one of my loyal followers why he never forgot to comment on my each post and also reshared it everywhere. His answer was upfront. He replied that he wanted to be second to Harleena Madam everywhere. That is why he never missed any place where he could be just after you. These were the days when you were top comenter on a series of my posts.

    The recipe of chicken soup you shared here is literally mouth-watering. While reading it here in Karachi Pakistan in a little cold I curiously opened the post and did believe it would be a big surprise and it’s your forte to say most complicated things in simplest and most interesting terms.

    Many thanks for sharing and a big congratulation on successful completion of six years and I pray you keep delivering more and more to make new records of excellence.

    Happy holidays and have an incredible year ahead.

    1. Hi Mi Muba,

      Absolutely! It’s been that long, and it is true – time just never stops, isn’t it? 🙂

      Is that so? I didn’t know that! Wonder who it was? Yes, being the first one to comment on most of my American friend’s blogs always fascinated people, though that is mainly due the time zone and the time I usually start my work from home. Thanks so much for the kind words, Mi – it means a lot coming from you.

      Yes, I am aiming at getting back into gear once again now. You know life is never smooth for any of us and family will always come first for me, and I think for you too – so the past few months have been a roller-coaster ride for us, as I mentioned in my newsletter. But such is life, it carries on, and soon with time we overcome those hurdles to return with a bang.

      I appreciate your kind words, and so glad you liked this chicken soup for the blogger’s soul. And as in your country – the cold is catching up this end as well – the perfect time for hot soup, isn’t it? 🙂

      Thanks so much for your kind wishes, and we appreciate your support and being a part of us right through. Have a great year ahead as well 🙂

  15. Firstly, a huge congratulations for all that you have achieved in just 6 years – it really is phenomenal and inspiring. I love your SOUP recipe and will work through each section carefully later today as we are setting our 2017 blogging goals (exciting!).

    Our strategy has been to build relationships from the outset which we learned from you – what incredible advice, thank you so much.

    Wishing you every success, love and happiness for 2017.

    1. Hi Laura,

      Thanks so much for your heartfelt wishes 🙂

      However, let me add, that all of this would not have been possible, had it not been for the regular readers and well-wishers of Aha!NOW, like yourself. So, we need to thank YOU and so many others for being a part of our journey.

      So glad you liked the recipe for the chicken soup, and I hope it helps you in more ways than one. Nothing works better than building relationships with fellow bloggers, and believe me, they stay with you for years to come. I started my blogging journey 6 years back and have so many friends who are still there for me, just as I am for them – and that for me is something of great value.

      Thanks for stopping by, and wishing you a happy and successful new year ahead 🙂

  16. Hey Harleena,

    This really a great theme of SOUP for blogging success. You have well integrated the meaning of SOUP and it is great idea. I agree with you points, blog is absolutely the object of attention. We need to serious about blog for success because it is main ingredient of blogging.

    Theme, Hosting and Design are three factors which plays crucial role in making our blog superstar. Thanks for your regular support with these kind of informative and innovative post.

    With best wishes,

    Amar kumar

    1. Hi Amar,

      Thanks for your kind words, and so glad you liked the soup as well 🙂

      Yes indeed, without these essential ingredients, the soup really cannot be made, or will not taste as good, isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and for your constant support by being a regular visitor of the blog, we appreciate it. Best wishes for the coming year as well 🙂

  17. Hi Harleena,
    This is for sure I like the Soup and will be drinking it too. I like the way you have crafted the post. I would simply say great share.
    Thanks for sharing.
    have a great day.

    1. Hi Robin,

      Sure!! Go ahead and I hope you relish the chicken soup for the blogger’s soul – it’s meant for that. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by, and so glad you liked the post. 🙂

  18. Hi Harleena,

    It is nice to see you back. I agree with you family comes first and I can understand all those responsibilities, which kept you busy. I am glad that your dad is recovering well, my beat wishes are with you as well for his good health.

    An empty nester has to handle a lot of emotions and it would take a long time to reconcile to the fact that children are successfully soaring…a moment of mixed emotions of delight and pain…I wish them the best of all that they wish to accomplish!

    We have to keep ourselves busy to let detachment seep in…it takes a long time! I am so happy that you are here at your blogiversary to celebrate! Congratulations dear friend, it is a great milestone. You have been a shining inspiration for many here in the blogosphere and I hope you continue to be that lighthouse, which has guided many.

    Wishing you and your dear ones a wonderful 2017. Stay blessed. 🙂

    1. Hi Balroop,

      Good to have you back as well, and yes, it’s been a while, just as I mentioned in my newsletter. I guess life has it’s ways, isn’t it? 🙂

      Yes, family has always come first for me, though one always tries to strike a balance between work and home, but when the need arises, work has to be put aside. Dad’s much better now, though due to the age, the recovery is slow.

      You bet!! My emotions are on a roller coaster ride I’d say! When one goes through this phase, one understands the real meaning of being an empty-nester – and I know you’ve been through it all, so would know how one feels. But always a delight to have the kids back home, which is another reason I’m taking a few more days off!

      Thanks so much for your lovely wishes, my friend. It’s because of wonderful friends like you and so many others that one gathers the courage and spirit to carry on from one year to the other. I appreciate your constant support as well.

      Wishing you and yours a successful and happy new year as well 🙂

  19. Hi Harleena and congratulations! I fully admit that I haven’t had much time as of late, but this website is truly a God-send. I have most certainly enjoyed being on here, and hopefully I can devote more time to this site and other things in the future. These include my own site too. Thanks again and happy holidays to you and your family!

    1. Hi Jacob,

      Thank you for your kind wishes 🙂

      So glad you like our blog and found the posts useful. Do keep visiting as and when you get time, and we love interaction on our blog, so don’t forget to leave your feedback as well. I’d surely check out your blog as well.

      Thanks for stopping by, and happy holidays to you and yours as well. 🙂

  20. I have been blogging since 2009. I started blogging with a financial objective, but now I treat my blogs as side projects or hobbies. It’s fun to share what you know and learn about what other people know.

    1. Hi Simon,

      Good to have you over at the blog 🙂

      That surely is a long period of being a blogger! And yes, it’s always good to share what you know with others, as that serves the purpose of being a true blogger I’d say, as you help others in a way, and learning just never ends, isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by, we appreciate it. 🙂

  21. Hi Harleena!

    Congratulations! And thank you so much for the chicken soup. Your selection of ingredients is spot on. I know that you are not only sharing knowledge but your own special experience. Thank you for all the wonderful posts which have inspired and helped me a lot.

    Over time, I not only valued your posts and comments but you became very dear to my heart. Your success is also part of you being a great person.

    I wish you all the best for the next years of blogging and a wonderful start in the New Year.

    Hugs, Ilka

    1. Hi Ilka,

      Thank you for your kind wishes, and so glad you liked the ingredients for the chicken soup. 🙂

      Yes indeed, all that I write about is based on what I’ve been through, and of course all that I learned along the way, as I know it would help others, especially the newbies.

      So glad to hear that the posts on Aha!NOW have helped you in some way – there could be no better gift for a blogger to hear that!

      I appreciate your kind words, and hope to be a more regular visitor at your blog – now that things are a little settled my end.

      Thanks so much for stopping by, we appreciate it. Wishing you every success and happiness in the coming year. 🙂

  22. Wow Harleena,

    Congratulations on your Blog Anniversary! I love Chicken Soup For The Bloggers Soul. This concept rings so true.

    We can have great content, grammar, and so forth, but without it being shared by others especially, we can be stagnant.

    We have to blast each post on social media. And my favorite is comments. Getting out there and commenting on other people’s blog will generate reciprocity.

    -Donna

    1. Hi Donna,

      Thanks so much for your kind words 🙂

      Good to hear that you could relate to the Chicken Soup for the Blogger Soul. Yes indeed, we need people to read our content, without whom our blogs would not really remain what they should be, especially for those of us who love interaction! (I know you are like me there!)

      Absolutely! We are a small community and have to be there to support each other – nothing works better, believe me! You are right about comments, and even sharing each others work – we rise by lifting others, isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by, we appreciate it. Hope David’s better now – our regards to him, and wishing you both a great year ahead. 🙂

  23. Hey Harleena,

    Two years ago, I landed here and that was a day when I got to know the importance of blog commenting.

    Many people will come and go but I will never forget the day you guided me to use Twitter effectively.

    AHA NOW has given so much to me and many other people.

    The time has flown and 6 years have passed.

    I hope now you will continue with this blog again. People are waiting for your wonderful articles.

    Thanks for being here.
    Have a successful upcoming year.
    ~Ravi

    1. Hi Ravi,

      Thanks for your kind words 🙂

      Yes, I remember that time and the little talk we had to guide you about Twitter. Being a newbie that time, it was all a learning curve, and look at where you have reached today, which is all due to your hard work and dedication.

      So glad to know that Aha!NOW has helped you and so many others in more ways than one. Not to mention the wonderful giveaway you won from our blog! Hope you are using the stand-up desk as well 🙂

      True…time flies, and it waits for no one, isn’t it? You too have completed two years now, and we wish you every success and happiness for years to come.

      Thanks for stopping by, and yes, hoping to be around more here now. 🙂

  24. Hi Harleena,

    I’m so happy for you and Aha!Now on its anniversary. Your blog is one that I always read and get something out of it. As you know, Blogging can be demanding and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Blogging breaks and building friendships are a must!

    I hope all is getting better for you on your end. Wishing you a happier New Year!

    B

    1. Hi Bren,

      Thank you so much for your lovely wishes and kind words 🙂

      So glad you keep visiting and revisiting to read the posts, and they keep giving you something of value, which has always been the purpose of putting them up as well. I’d say the same for your blogs, my friend, and not to mention the new one you’ve come up. I guess as long as there is change and progress, you are on your path to success, isn’t it? True – blogging IS demanding, and we all do need breaks!

      Thanks so much for stopping by – so appreciate it! Yes, things are getting better. Wishing you a very Happy and Successful New Year as well 🙂

  25. Congratulations, Harleena! I am so thrilled for you, celebrating your 6th blogiversary here with your Chicken Soup for Bloggers. We fellow bloggers who have witnessed your success appreciate you sharing your recipe for success with us.

    You certainly practice what you preach as with each ingredient of the recipe you have shown us how to do it right.

    My definition of success is a bit different from your recipe. My definition of a successful blog is one that helps others. By my definition your blog here is a shining success.

    You have never shied away from tackling the tough topics here, Harleena. The articles I read here generally aren’t covered by others sites, nor covered as well as they are here.

    You also give guest authors a forum to share their work with others, sharing your success to lift others who may just be getting started.

    And you also help others by commenting, often being the first commenter on articles across the Internet, and by sharing others’ posts widely.

    Happy Blogiversary, Harleena. I agree, blogging is hard work, and we deeply appreciate the dedication you’ve shown over the years.

    Best wishes for a blessed 2017.

    1. Hi Carolyn,

      Thank you SO much for your kind words, which you know mean so much to me 🙂

      This is a little soup recipe, which I thought to share with my fellow bloggers, especially those who are new to the blogosphere. One can’t forget all that we have been through and learned along the way, and if our posts can make things easier for others, then no reason not to share by writing about them.

      You are absolutely right about your recipe, which you know I love! Your blog, as I mentioned earlier is one never to miss destination, as it makes things so much easy for non-techies like us. That surely is the best way you help so many people, including myself, my dear friend! That is where the success of your blog lies as well.

      Yes indeed, we try covering up a lot of topics that we’d come across in our daily lives, as each one of us goes through different phases and if such topics can help people (as they can relate to them), nothing could be better, isn’t it?

      Absolutely! We do believe in rising by lifting others, and being a self-development blog, we feel giving others a chance to showcase their work is one way we give back to others.

      You know I love visiting blogs, reading, as one learns alongside! And it comes very naturally to leave a comment, as that for me has always been a way to chit-chat with a fellow blogger and talk about the post as well. Sharing comes after that, which my friend, you are also so good at!

      Blogging is hard work, and you too have been at it for as many years as me I think – and you post more often now, as compared, so as I always say – hats off to you!!

      Thanks so much for stopping by and making my day. You know I appreciate you so much and value your friendship. 🙂

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