As a blogger, I LOVE spending time researching and writing posts for FabYOUlousLife.com. However; my second favorite blogging activity would have to be reading posts by other great bloggers. My favorite tool for following all of my favorite blogs is Bloglovin’ . If you’re not familiar with Bloglovin’ you should definitely check it out. Basically, it is a tool that feeds posts from your favorite blogs all into one place for easy access. I have it as an app on my iPhone (it’s free in the App Store) so I can easily scroll through the latest updates from my favorite bloggers without having to jump around to each individual site. To check out Bloglovin’ for yourself and subscribe to the FabYOUlousLife.com feed, simply click here.
On average, I would guess that I read three to five different blog posts a day. Sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less, but when you add this up over an entire year–it ends up being A LOT of blog posts. Though I rarely read a post that I don’t like, there are some posts that have had a more profound impact upon me and stayed with me long after I finished reading them. As we wrap up 2015, I thought that it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite posts from other bloggers that I have discovered over the past year. Each of these posts has enriched my life in some FabYOUlously tangible way and I’m sure that they will do the same for you. So, without further ado and in no particular order, here are my…
Top 10 Favorite 2015 Blog Posts from Other Bloggers
1.) Stuffed Mexican Chicken Shells from Six Sisters’ Stuff Okay–a bit of a disclaimer here…this post is NOT a post from 2015. In fact, this post originally appeared on the Six Sisters’ Stuff site back in 2013. I, however, did not discover it until this year so I am including it in my countdown because OH MY GOSH–these shells are SO good! Seriously, I made these shells for the first time back in May and now they have become one of my family’s favorite meals. The recipe makes a lot so we always have leftovers (even though I have a big husband and two big teenage sons eating them) which means that I have a couple of tasty meals to take with me to work for lunch. Anyone who knows me, knows that cooking is not one of my areas of giftedness (understatement of the year!) but this recipe is easy enough that even I don’t screw it up. So, do yourself a favor and add this recipe to your meal rotation–your family will thank you!
2.) So You Don’t Have it All. Here’s Why That’s Great from Mind Body Green I don’t know about you, but I often get overwhelmed with the notion of having it all and stressed out when I realize that I don’t have it all and likely never will. In today’s hustle bustle culture of constant striving, it can be difficult to find contentment right where we’re at. What I love about this article is that it doesn’t make ambition out to be a bad thing–it simply points out several legitimate reasons that not having it all is a good thing and yet at the same time encourages the reader to keep reaching for important goals. As someone who is naturally wired to be ambitious and goal focused, I would never enjoy an article that tells me to stop striving for the things that I desire. This article doesn’t do that. It simply explains why having yet-unreached goals or unfulfilled desires is a good thing and how this notion of perceived lack can act as a catalyst for growth while also encouraging the reader to enjoy the process of striving for more in life.
3.) Here’s How You Answer the Dreaded Salary Interview Question from Career Contessa This post from August made my top 10 list because it happened to show up in my feed at exactly the right time (no such thing as coincidence right?) I was in the process of interviewing for a new job and knew that sooner or later I would be asked about my salary requirements. This post helped to give me the tools and confidence that I needed to answer that diffi
cult question honestly and without hesitation, which ultimately led to me being offered the new position with the salary that I rightfully deserved. Needless to say, I am very grateful to have come across this post at such a serendipitous time in my life but I also think that the entire Career Contessa site is a great one for any professional woman who is looking to take her career to the next level.
4.) 19 Genius Health Tips that Lazy People will Appreciate from Buzz Feed This post from June immediately caught my eye because, well, let’s face it–I want to be healthy but I am also lazy. I just love the fact that all 19 of the included tips are truly do-able. I haven’t incorporated all of the tips into my daily routine yet, but I am now regularly doing ten of them and hey–that’s ten more healthy things than I was doing before I read the post so…
5.) Why You’re Unhealthy, Stuck and Miserable from Michael Hyatt’s Blog I LOVE Michael Hyatt. I love his podcast, I love his books, I love his classes and I love his blog. He has so much wonderful wisdom and practical advice to offer that it is hard for me to pick one single post of his as my favorite. That being said, I do especially like this post because it deals with the power of focus when it comes to changing our lives for the better–a topic that I think is hugely beneficial even if you’re not necessarily unhealthy, stuck or miserable.
6.) Get Your Life Back: The 4 Things to do to Take Back Control from ChaleneJohnson.com This is a very recent post from one of my favorite bloggers, Chalene Johnson. I love Chalene’s no-nonsense approach to personal development. If you don’t like the direction in which your life is headed–do something about it. I especially like the timing of this post as it was posted on Dec. 22nd, just in time for the new year. If you feel like you are ready for a reset in your life and want to take back the reins in 2016, this post will provide you with the inspiration and practical advice to do so.
7.) 12 Things You Don’t Owe Anyone from Mark and Angel Hack Life This post was written for anyone who has ever hesitated to take a bold step forward in life because they were concerned about how it might affect others. Waiting to feel 100% validated in our life choices is one of the surest ways to cheat ourselves out of what could potentially be the best thing for us. If you feel that it is time for you to move forward in your life and yet you lack the support of those around you, this article is for you!
8.) Mark Twain’s Top 7 Tips for a Simple and Successful Life from The Positivity Blog I’m sure that part of my affinity for this blog post stems from my long-time adoration of good ol’ Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain. As an English major in college, I loved studying the life and works of Mark Twain. I found his sharp wit and simple writing style to be both enjoyable and inspiring. This post is one of my favorites of the year because it mixes together my love of Mark Twain and my pa
ssion for personal development. It covers important topics like courage, action, sincerity and focus but it approaches these subjects through the wit and wisdom of one of America’s most beloved humorists, Mark Twain.
9.) Gratitude Stones from Alisaburke.com I have to confess–I have not yet made any of these beautiful little treasures but I INTEND to. Aren’t they pretty? EVERYTHING that Alisa features on her blog is pretty but the thing that I love about these stones is that not only are they pretty, her instructions also make them seem so easy to make (hint: the gratitude sayings are not hand lettered, they are printed and Modge Podged!) and they serve as practical reminders to practice gratitude on a daily basis. In her post, Alisa mentions making these stones to give as little gifts that she handed out on Thanksgiving. I love that idea but I think that they would be wonderful to give out at any time of the year. I also think that it would be fun to include friendship sayings on the stones and give them as little tokens of appreciation to your favorite girlfriends. The possibilities for these pretty and practical little beauties are limited only by your imagination.
10.) Why Rest Days are Important for Higher Efficiency at Work from LifeHack.org This post speaks to me because I tend to always be burning the candle at both ends (and in the middle). I always seem to have some project (or multiple projects) going at all times and have a hard time finding true rest. Oh sure–I’ll collapse into bed at night from sheer exhaustion, but that isn’t the kind of restorative rest that this article is talking about. I love this post because not only does it give permission to rest, it also outlines the numerous benefits that rest days have on one’s work. Thus, it explains to my logical (but incredibly stubborn) brain that resting is not a waste of my time and is in fact, a critical component of my success.
Whew! There you have it–the 2015 list of my top 10 favorite posts from other bloggers. Please take some time to explore these great posts and become acquainted with these amazing websites–it will be a FabYOUlous way to wrap up your year. Happy reading!
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