At the end of December, it’s become a new tradition on the BPR blog to pause, reflect upon and highlight some of the best moments from the year gone by. As we say “Goodmorning!” on this last Monday of 2014, it’s only appropriate to again feature a top ten list of the best blog posts we published in 2014.
What exactly determined what blog posts made the cut? A combination of things really, that – let’s be honest – just boiled down to my personal preference. But there is some method to this madness. I wanted to include the blog posts that you, the readers, deemed most popular based upon web hits. I also included some blog posts that captured an important memory or milestone from the year. In many instances, these overlapped, making the selection quite obvious!
If you’re a frequent reader, join me on this trip down memory lane. And if you’re stopping by for the first time, perfect! You get to experience a whole year’s worth of our best moments in one blog.
In our busy lives, we often lose sight of our passion and forget to devote time to cultivating this into each and every day. This post looks at the single question you need to ask yourself to truly understand your passion – and it’s not “What do you want to be when you grow up.” As we look toward the New Year, we could all benefit from revisiting this particular post…and looking critically at whether our lives align with our passion.
I had a lot of fun writing this one and it’s a wonder the topic didn’t come to me sooner! As an entrepreneur, I have to stay flexible and resourceful when it comes to earning a living. These four tips show you that simply slapping a higher price tag on your products or services isn’t always the best answer. Think outside the box with these expert tips!
For this blog post, I of course came up with quite a few of these most annoying email personalities based upon my own personal experiences. But I also turned to friends and family who had some great input on ones I missed by sharing their own horrifically frustrating stories. It’s comforting to know I’m not alone, but unsettling to know how common these personalities are! Take a look and tell me how many you’ve personally encountered.
This blog post was written on the tail end of an absolutely gorgeous and invigorating summer. We didn’t have too many rainy days to speak of, which helped me stumble upon the realization of just why we need the rain to keep us balanced on a personal and psychological level. Now in December, I would love for the summer warmth, but looking back on this post was a good reminder to appreciate the weather we have and use it to keep you balanced.
2014 was the year of our first family vacation with a toddler in tow. What a different experience! In addition to the wonderful memories, I also gained the realization that family vacations as especially challenging for introverts who rely on alone time to recharge. I was blown away by home many of my readers could relate to this scenario. Thank you for helping alleviate my guilt for liking my solo time!
I’m a busy person and I live with two other busy people (an entrepreneurial husband and a toddler). Not to mention the many clients I serve on a daily basis. Communicating with truly busy people can be quite the challenge, but I’ve developed quite a few techniques for breaking through the noise. Check them out!
This blog falls into the category of “2014 milestones” as it describes my physical, mental and emotional journey taking on a crazy GORUCK challenge while raising funds for rare disease research. When you have a Special Ops Cadre leading your team for 6 hours of military training, you can expect to be sore and tired. What I didn’t expect was how fulfilling and life changing this experience would be…beyond that single day.
In this blog post, I shared a personal backstory as to why this topic is so important to me – and my career path. While I am not an outgoing, demanding or selfish person by nature, I’ve learned that at certain moments I need to do a better job of speaking up and going after what I want. These 5 ways to be your own advocate will teach you how to do the same.
I haven’t mastered the 4-Hour Work Week, nor am I sure I want to, but I am a huge proponent of saving time by being smart and efficient. Work smarter not harder, right? This blog takes a fresh look at what I am doing right now in my daily life to save time as an entrepreneur, mother and wife. I swear that these tactics have helped me to “make” more hours in my day!
Personal branding is a hot topic that calls for an expertise all its own. I’ve had the pleasure of working with many different clients and helping them to improve and market their personal brand. As a sole proprietor, I am my business’s brand, so I have also implemented these techniques on a personal level. What I like most, is that they are ones you can start doing today. You don’t need a grand budget, entire PR team or celebrity status. Your personal brand really comes down to telling your story in a way that connects with your audience.
There you have it! A sweet and condensed version of the 52 weeks of the BPR blog from 2014 transformed into a Top Ten list for your skimming pleasure. I already have some great topics on my “brainstorming list” cued up for the New Year, not to mention the many new milestones that will inspire topics I can’t even predict. I invite you to continue along with me on this journey of a 20-something entrepreneur!
What blogs or pieces from your portfolio represent your year? Share some of your most memorable moments from 2014 by commenting below!
