Did You Miss Any of These Links?

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

Tweet
class="st_sharethis" displayText="Share">

My friend and fellow blogger, Harleena Singh nominated me along with five other bloggers to take up the 7 links challenge a little while ago. Thank you Harleena! I have finally managed to respond with this post.

What’s it all about?

The rules are as follows:

Accept the nomination to take part.
Publish 7 links on your blog, sharing 1 link for each of the categories specified.
Nominate five other bloggers to do the same

More about the details and rules can be read at The 7 Links Challenge – created by TripBase Blog.

The idea is to bring bloggers together no matter what their niche to reflect on their older posts, share lessons learned and create a resource of old but not forgotten blog posts that deserve another showing.

I think this is a wonderful opportunity to self-reflect on one’s own progress and experience how to feel good about what one has achieved so far. It’s also a great way to highlight posts that others may have missed for any number of reasons.

My Approach

I came into this world to work through issues of creativity, emotional expression, balance and cooperation so that I could fully realise my life purpose of teaching, uplifting and inspiring others.

Because of this I am happiest when I am expressing creatively whether this is verbally or in a written context because doing so is in alignment with who I am.

My journey as a blogger has and continues to be part of this learning process. Because I have blogged about some diverse topics in the past, I was faced with a dilemma when it came to this challenge. This is partly why it has taken me so long to write this post.

Was I to consider all my posts or was it better to focus only on the personal development ones since this is what this blog is all about now? I decided to do just this.

Here are my links and what I learned

1. Most Beautiful Post

I have to be honest I have no idea what makes a post beautiful. What does beautiful mean? Isn’t there beauty in all creation? There was more than one post I could have chosen and here is my choice:

MY INVISIBLE GIVING EXPERIENCES

2. Most Popular Post

I had to make a decision about whether the popularity was to be determined by the number of comments left, tweets and other shares or number of post views. I decided to go with post views since it was a significantly higher statistic to any other of my posts.

The post that has been most popular defined in terms of visits is:

3 SIMPLE WAYS TO FEEL HAPPY AND ACHIEVE MORE EVERYDAY

There were a number of lessons I learned from realising that this post was the most popular:

There is obviously a demand by people to know how to feel happier as this is the term most used to reach this page.
This provided further confirmation that my recent blog focus change, to help others to reach for better feeling thoughts is right track for me.
I updated this post and depending on how your blog’s permalinks are set up, when you change categories, you lose all previous shares as the link changes. Of course this makes sense but I didn’t realise this until it was a reality. Oops!

3. Most Controversial Post

Looking through my posts I realized I have not written any truly controversial posts. Perhaps the one that has come closest to this is:

DO YOU WELCOME FAILURE OR HIDE FROM IT?

A good few people did not think it was necessary to welcome or hide from failure.

My position on this remains – if failures are necessary steps towards success then why would you not welcome these?

You certainly wouldn’t celebrate failure as such but you will understand that accepting and not resisting failure means you are one step closer to success.

If you never experience failure then you are hiding from it by playing too safe which means you’re not going anywhere. What do you think?

4. Most Helpful Post

There were a few posts to choose from. I chose this one since it led a lot of email correspondence from readers who told me how useful they have found the post to be.

I AM, I CAN AND I WILL

5. Post Whose Success Surprised Me

Change is something that none of us can escape. I was surprised so many people had something to say on this topic when I published it.

WALKING THROUGH CHANGE

6. Post I feel Didn’t Get the Attention It Deserved

There was more than one post I could have nominated here too but then I have to admit there have been some posts that weren’t all that great so it’s not surprising they didn’t get too much attention. J

One exception was:

A WAY TO STOP YOUR WHEELS SPINNING

7. Post That I Am Most Proud Of

I am proud of all my posts however the one that I have chosen to represent this link is a recent post. I have chosen it because blogging about this was part of my own healing process and I am proud that I could express myself about the death of my Dad in a public forum such as this blog.

GUILT AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT

My Nominees

The challenge with nominating others is that often a group of the same bloggers continue to be nominated by multiple people.

I have purposefully decided to nominate bloggers I don’t think I’ve seen nominated yet.

If you have been, it just means you are receiving more than one nudge form the Universe so best you sit up and listen!

1- Vidja Sury – Going A-Musing

2- Cat Alexandra – Catherine-Alexandra.com

3- Julie – A Clear Sign

4- Diane Aksten – DianeAksten.com

5- Kelli Cooper – Life Made to Order

Your comments are always welcome. Leave them in the comments section and I’ll meet you there.

Be Happy!

PLEASE NOTE:

Comments will only be approved if :

they refer specifically to the post topic
they add to the discussion at hand
if they link back to a site it has to be an appropriate blog. No static sites/ sales pages
if you want to appear in the Top Commenters Widget you have to have a gravatar. See gravatar.com

Guest Writers are welcome. Send your idea to me at marcus@marcus-baker.com

Enjoyed this post? Please share it with your friends,
leave a comment & subscribe to my RSS feed

17 Responses to Did You Miss Any of These Links?

Harleena Singh from Freelance Writer says:

February 25, 2012 at 1:55 am

Thanks for accepting the challenge Marcus!

I was just waiting for you to do so, and could make out why it was taking you time- guess you have quite a number of wonderful posts to go through before you can really decide which ones to choose

I love such challenges where there’s an opportunity for us to talk a little about ourselves, and to shuffle up our older posts and go back to them, before finally sharing them with others. Hope you enjoyed it too

You links look wonderful just by their titles, and as I joined in a little later, I still have to go through the ones you mentioned here. Guess the weekend would be the ideal time for doing that!

Glad you nominated Vidya and Cat, both of whom I know fairly well, while the others I would be checking out soon after commenting here.

Thanks so much for sharing the wonderful links, and carrying the torch forward
Harleena Singh recently posted..Easy Ways to Achieve Wellness

[Reply]
Hiten says:

February 25, 2012 at 6:42 am

Hi Marcus,

Thanks for sharing these links.

I loved ‘Do you welcome failure or hide from it?’ and ‘A way to stop your wheels spinning’.
Hiten recently posted..Hanging out over at Unlock The Door

[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
February 29th, 2012 at 7:19 am
Hi Hiten,

Always good to have you visit.

Thank you for letting me know which two posts resonated with you.

~Marcus

[Reply]
Eren Mckay says:

February 25, 2012 at 1:57 pm

This is a great way to easily find the best content on your site. Thanks for sharing this with us. I’ll be reading your posts on this list.
All the best,
Eren
Eren Mckay recently posted..Anne Geddes Baby Shower Invitations

[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
February 29th, 2012 at 7:18 am
Hi Eren,

Thank you and yes I agree with you that it is a great way to bring some attention to older posts. I always think it’s such a shame when some posts only get such a short viewing time. It was for this reason that I stopped publishing a new post every day.

~Marcus

[Reply]
Adrienne says:

February 25, 2012 at 4:33 pm

Glad you participated in the challenge Marcus.

Did you have a good time going back through your posts and choosing which ones would get some more attention? I sure did and it took me almost all day too.

When I can find some time, I’ll be sure to go back through your posts to make sure I’ve read them all. I already know I have a few especially the one you’re most proud of. You got me good on that one my friend.

Good to see your nominees and hope they’ll do their part as well. I know they’ll find it very rewarding.

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend Marcus.

~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted..Why You Should Go For No

[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
February 29th, 2012 at 7:16 am
Hi Adrienne,

You are right, it took me a good few hours to go through all my posts and I have to say there were some which I would think twice about publishing today. Ha ha.. I guess it is interesting to reflect in this way and consider how we have grown and changed too.

Adrienne your comment on my “Guilt” post moved me so much. I have thought about your experience so much and really wanted to say that I admire the courage and determination with which you sought to resolve this difficult time for you and your Mom.

Hope you are having a fantastic week Adrienne!

~Marcus

[Reply]
Janet Callaway says:

February 26, 2012 at 5:02 pm

Marcus, aloha. What a great job you did in responding to the 7 link challenge. All of the ones you selected were favorites of mine.

Marcus, what’s interesting to me is your post that didn’t not get the attention it deserved. Unless you had another post where you gave that same exercise, I know I commented on it. Was that perhaps the time when you were having so many challenges with your blog?

One in particular made me smile, Marcus, and that is your most beautiful post–”My Invisible Giving Experiences.” The posts that you wrote at that time and the comments were so uplifting. Marcus, the first time I read your “Invisible Giving Experiences” post I smiled the whole way through. This time I smiled at your comments and the memories. Thank you so much.

Congratulations on your selection of bloggers. You have introduced me to a few new ones.

Wishing you a terrific week ahead. Until next time, aloha. Janet
Janet Callaway recently posted..21 Quotes from Maya Angelou for a Better Life

[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
February 29th, 2012 at 7:08 am
Janet aloha. Thank you so much for your feedback my friend, especially about my invisible giving experiences.

I always think of you when I give invisibly Janet since you added so many useful ideas to the post.

It is always a pleasure to have have you call by Janet and I hope your week is proving to be wonderful in every way.

~Marcus

You may well be right there Janet as I also seem to recall you and a few others leaving comments on that post which are no longer there. I did not use the same exercise anywhere else which is why when I was looking through my posts I was astounded that it had not been that popular. Anyway I have given it another airing now….

[Reply]
24 7 locksmith orlando says:

February 27, 2012 at 1:26 pm

So your very first tip for increasing blog comments is to make it harder for commenters to participate in the discussion?

[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
February 29th, 2012 at 7:01 am
Hi,

Not sure what you mean exactly? Can you clarify?

~Marcus

[Reply]
Sylviane Nuccio says:

February 28, 2012 at 7:18 pm

Hi Marcus,

It’s my first time here. While I am not new online, I haven’t concentrated on “true” blogging and getting to know other bloggers until about six months ago.

So, this is why I am here. I have now 3 blogs, real blogs that I love, instead of 7 selling ones. One is about writing and internet marketing, one is about personal development and one is about France travel and food.

Those are the themes that I am passionate about and I am trying to build a community around them.

You have some very juicy posts and will do my best to come by regularly. Great challenge you did here with your best posts.
Sylviane Nuccio recently posted..How To Avoid The Snares Of Perception

[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
February 29th, 2012 at 6:53 am
Hi Sylviane,

Welcome and thank you so much for dropping by and taking the time to leave a comment.

Thank you too for the feedback. I ‘d love to have you visit again.

Isn’t it so satisfying building your own community around blogs that you are passionate about? It sounds as if we share many of the same interests.

I will certainly be visiting your link above in the next few days Sylviane. Just love the intriguing title!

~Marcus

[Reply]
Terry Tiessen from MLM Internet Marketing says:

March 1, 2012 at 1:04 pm

Great post, Marcus. This is my first time on this particular blog of yours( of course I’ve been on your marketing one!) I like it! Good Vibes…. this was a good post to start with too… a Marcus refresher course….

Cheers,
Terry Tiessen

p.s I did a similar 7 link challenge a year or so ago here….
Terry Tiessen recently posted..My Problogger 7 Link Challenge #7Links

[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 1st, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Hi Terry,

Thanks for visiting here again. I’ll definitely check out your similar links post. Thanks for letting me know about it.

~Marcus

[Reply]
Fatima Hipolito says:

March 5, 2012 at 9:41 am

Wow with this post, your share something really great in me and to be honest I learned something new with this post.. I love it..
Fatima Hipolito recently posted..Fab Defense

[Reply]
Pete Goumas says:

April 2, 2012 at 9:19 am

Hi Marcus,
I missed out the most helpful post and I am going to check it out and hopefully share it also.
Pete Goumas recently posted..Penguin Coupon & Review

[Reply]