Today we're going to spend some time dreaming! Sometimes we all need to take a minute to answer the question: If I could do anything…
Tip: You significantly increase your chances of having a successful blog if you blog about what you love.
Why: If you don't care about your subject matter, you are more likely to lose steam and fizzle out. Also, your readers are more likely to pick up on your disinterest and become disinterested themselves. Besides, if you're hoping your blog will be a ticket out of your current, unexciting job, why trade one boring job for another?
Goal: Our goal today is not to come up with our final blogging topic, but to come up with a short list of things we enjoy — that when thrown into the blog-topic-picking machine in a subsequent post, will provide us with a stellar final choice.
How: I've provided some questions below to get your creative juices flowing. You might pull out a piece of paper and jot down some answers. Like I said, be free in your brainstorming. In the end, make a list of 3-5 topics you really, really love. (Feel free to leave them in the comments too!) Go ahead, dream!
- What enjoyable activity do you get so involved in that you frequently lose track of time?
- If you were given one week to spend any way you liked (and all your responsibilities were taken care of), what would you do?
- If you were given a check for $2000 and ordered to use it on something fun for yourself, what would you spend it on?
- If you were guaranteed a handsome salary no matter what, what would be your ultimate dream job?
- What do you do consistently in your free time simply because you enjoy it?
- What do you purposefully make time for not because you have to but because you want to?
- If money was not an issue, what activity would you spend time doing more regularly?
- What do people say you are good at and appreciate about you?
- What makes you over-the-top excited, angry or emotional?
- What kinds of books do you read, TV shows you watch or websites you visit?
- What's your favorite hobby?
Anyone want to tell us what you came up with? Leave a comment (anonymously if you want). They might just be featured in an upcoming post! 
Here at BloggingWithAmy you'll find tips, tools & tutorials about blogging and websites. In plain English. Want to 
I thought I posted under Find your Passion but now I ca'nt find my post
I know that I want to focus on providing easy to understand advocacy tips for parents and general education teachers. My biggest obstacle is coming up with the right name.
Amy,
I am excited to have found your site. I found you through moneysavingmom.com. Needless to say, Crystal's story and her success through blogging is an inspiration to me.
It's really interesting how one thing can lead to another if you keep an open mind! For years, I've wondered what my passion could be, when it was right before my eyes. It was only through exploring what was inside my heart that I was able to see my passion was in sharing my story and helping others be successful.
You see, not many years ago I was, at nearly age 50, bankrupt, alone and living in a rented room. Since then, through determination, perseverance, and faith, I have earned two college degrees, quintupled my income, purchased my own home and met and married the woman of my dreams.
I really think I can help others by sharing my journey through blogging, speaking and perhaps even writing book or e-book.
Right now i am just at the beginning of this journey. I have selected a domain and decided to start blogging by posting to other sites. This only my second post, so I have lots to learn; and I have lots more to share.
Thank you for providing this wonderful resource!!
Joe
Hi Joe,
Just your short posting was inspiring. I can't image what you felt when all this had happened to you but I can relate to some of the worries that you had. I'm hoping
to do some blogging myself..
Joe, Your blog content should be very helpful.
journaling.mediating.cooking healthy.exercise.stretching.crafting.dancing.shopping.photography.blogging.making money.makeup.music.reading self-help books.living my passion.writing.feminism.law of attraction.manifest destiny
<3 NeenaJay.blogspot.com
Your website has helped me tremendously! You have a real gift of explaining how to accomplish things through blogging. Every single post I read encourages me. I have found a way to express myself and really use my passions in life.
I officially have my blog up and running. It's a resource for people that need gift ideas for what to give others. It's time to bring back the notion that giving is better than receiving! My philosophy is that you don't have to spend tons of money to show people you care about them.
I love this website! Thanks for being to helpful!
Thanks so much, I appreciate it. Congrats on your new blog!
Here's what I came up with:
1. Photography, shopping, Dance Central (video game), TV
2. Travel!
3. New camera and clothes
4. Photographer, entertainer
5. Shop, brainstorm
6. Dance Central
7. Jetski (weather permitting lol), travel
8. Photography, leadership, good with kids
9. Disney, photography, plot twists
10. Self help books, Today show, shows on TLC, anime, Facebook, I Love Photography
11. Photography, cosplay
I look back at this list and I have ALOT of varying interests so I don't even know what I could blog about constantly, lol. I would love to have a regular blog to talk about stuff, but I'm not sure what.
You might just start writing and see what you naturally enjoy most!
I have a question I am having a hard time with. I just started my first blog a couple of weeks ago & now I am wondering if I made the wrong choice for a blog. I went with quote's, tips on living life simple, homemade skincare. Now I do enjoy these things, but I also have a YouTube Channel I am building up. I have 363 subscribers to my YT Channel on hauls & reviews (candles, tarts, body products). I think I should have started a blog related to my YT Channel.
Now my questions are:
Would that have been better since it's a huge passion of mine plus I have a fan base?
Can I buy a new domain name & change the one I have now & re-design my blog?
Would using my YT name be the best thing for the name of my blog?
Should I just start a whole new blog & have 2 going?
Not sure what is best since I am so new to blogging. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Oh a should also mention I already have a FB & Twitter fan pages going for my YT Channel as well. Building it up slowly, but it's coming along great the past month or so.
Thanks again..
I love your website and thank you for doing this. I find that the things that I love most and if I could spend all day doing this would
1. Genealogy (the thing that excites me most)
2. Simple living/homesteading/ (I spend most of my time or make time for this)
2. Organizing – it's a natural gift and I really like it.
3. Gardening.
4. Sewing
5. Cooking
I have to say that Genealogy has got to be my secret passion…I could happily get lost in doing this. It's like detective work, period reading (I love period books and movies) and it gives me great joy…about the same as gardening and sewing. What drives me each day is to move to simple living, learning so save money by gardening (growing food) and being more self-sufficient and going back to basics.
I love to cross stitch, I would play with my granddaughter, If I had the money I would spend my time on Houghton lake boating, what I do in my spare time is cross stitch, My dream job would be something(like blogging) I could do on the net make some money and stay home as iam raising my 5 year old grand daughter
Brand new to all of this. Just found Pinterest and exploring. Have never blogged but bought your book on organization of time after the comments and watching your video(Nook version). Like learning new things but need it quick and to the point. I look forward to your information on starting blogs/websites. Thank you.
I've screwed up more attempts at blogging than I care to admit. I *think* I've finally narrowed myself down enough that I might be able to get myself feeling like I've done it right…we'll see if I'm correct once I actually have more than one post and an About page.
Nonetheless, I'm going through this whole series and pretending that you're the teacher and it's homework time for me.
What enjoyable activity do you get so involved in that you frequently lose track of time?
**Reading blogs and looking at pretty decor pictures, pulling weeds, practicing the piano, and writing/rewriting/re-rewriting a blog post that eventually winds up being scrapped.
If you were given one week to spend any way you liked (and all your responsibilities were taken care of), what would you do?
**Kick it deckside, go for many bike rides, read all the books and all the blogs and all the magazines, probably paint something, and generously tip the people who were taking care of all my responsibilities.
If you were given a check for $2000 and ordered to use it on something fun for yourself, what would you spend it on?
**The tip money for all the people who were taking care of my responsibilities.
If you were guaranteed a handsome salary no matter what, what would be your ultimate dream job?
**Irreverent Championship Homemaking. Also: watching TV.
What do you do consistently in your free time simply because you enjoy it?
**Research things to death. Sometimes for a purpose, sometimes for no discernible reason whatsoever.
What do you purposefully make time for not because you have to but because you want to?
**Daydreaming.
If money was not an issue, what activity would you spend time doing more regularly?
**Shopping.
What do people say you are good at and appreciate about you?
**I'm a listener, problem-solver and "project manager", and I can generally figure out how to pull off a nice-looking space, great outfit or rockin' party with a minimum cash outlay.
What makes you over-the-top excited, angry or emotional?
**In the above order: great stories, bullies and discord.
What kinds of books do you read, TV shows you watch or websites you visit?
**Books generally lean toward humorous memoir, YA and pseudosmut. TV: pretty much everything on CW, musical drama, singing contests that aren't American Idol, and Biggest Loser. Websites…um. All the blogs of momminess, frugality, domesticity, blog greatness, holistic health, and so on, plus Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/Grooveshark/Pandora/Polyvore/Amazon/Hulu/Netflix and the internet homes of all my favorite print magazines.
What's your favorite hobby?
**I can't pick a favorite hobby anymore than I can pick a favorite child.
So…how'd I do?
You sound great to me! One thing though…pulling weeds. Now that's one I haven't heard yet.
I'm late to this game but started this morning going step by step through your "how to build a website/blog" process. Thanks for breaking it down like this- it really helps! I look forward to reading more.
For me, my dream job would be to spend my days writing picture books. (I currently have one under contract with Putnam that I co-authored with a friend.) I also love editing (love, love LOVE to edit), revising, writing and, of course, reading! My dream vacation would be a house at the beach with nothing but books, my bible and devotional, and lots of free time to write, read and journal (my three children wouldn't need me for a week- THAT would be a vacation too lol). Oh, and there would be no people on this beach- it would be just for me with perfect weather and perfect waves each day. And no sunburn.
Money would be spent on picture books because they simply make me happy and inspire me with their art.
I currently work in two elementary school libraries so I DO have the perfect day job for now, and I have summers off. I'm currently gearing up to have a heavy writing summer as I'm looking at that delicious free time and wanting to savor every moment!
Amy,
Thank you for all the great information I do have to say that I am on information overload. I made the list and am working on answering all the questions as I love so many things I want to make sure that I pick one that will be intersting not only to me but could be helpful to others.
I recently redid our HOA website and discovered that I really enjoyed doing it. I also administer our Facebook page and write our Newsletter.
Several of the sites I have visited including yours are done on a Theme from Genesis using Word Press. I am a bit confused as to the progression of steps. The Theme is the layout of the bolg or site. Correct? WordPress is the program that you use to edit this. Correct? Than you need a hosting site. Correct? I have a habit of thinking 5 steps ahead of myself and want to make sure that I do everything in the correct progression. Any direction that you could share would be wonderful.
Thank you,
Shelly
Blogging has intrigued me for quite some time. There are a few blogs I read consistently when there is useful tutorial information (ex. photography, music production, etc…) and the host is passionate, knowledgeable and can provide more information than I can get from a features or specs list on a company's Website. My passion is making and recording music, which includes capturing the process in both audio and video formats. Although I'm very good at this, I know there are people out there who are much more experienced than I am who already have blogs. I believe that I am capable of hosting a great blog, however, I think I would be more successful at it if I did it for for personal interest, growth, connections with others who have similar interests, furthering the cause, etc… It would not be fun for me to do something like this as a job, or if I was striving to meet specified supplemental income levels. The cost of setting up and maintaining a blog is not a concern. Lacking blog content is not a concern. I may actually be a perfect fit to host a blog come to think of it. I would do it for free if it meant connecting with people who have similar interests. If I do end up with "coffee money" at the end of the day, then I'll have my blogging universe full of friends to thank. I look at it this way… there are groups of people like myself out there who love to make music. They don't care about signing a record deal some day and making money. All they care about is expressing themselves through music as a part of their daily lives, even if only a small handful of people are the only ones who will ever hear and appreciate it. I'm not talking about young 20-somethings still trying to find their identities… I'm talking about people who have worked for 20+ years, who have been married/divorced, who have kids, who have struggled and made it through tough times and have reached that place where they have something substantial to express through music. We have already spent thousands of dollars on pianos/keyboards, mixers/PA systems, amps, drums, guitars, basses, string/woodwind/brass instruments, computer hardware/software, etc… We have to express ourselves musically from the heart no matter the cost. The process to do this is challenging, time-consuming, expensive and requires a blog universe of people to help fill in the blanks.
Hah, I'm so boring! My answers often involved reading, writing, and research. I think I need to get out more!
Anyway, great activity to get the creative juices flowing! 
Thanks!
Great post! Very engaging and practical. It even helped inspire me to go ahead and create my blog about purpose. Thank you
•What enjoyable activity do you get so involved in that you frequently lose track of time?
oResearch and write
•If you were given one week to spend any way you liked (and all your responsibilities were taken care of), what would you do?
oTake a cruise with excursions
•If you were given a check for $2000 and ordered to use it on something fun for yourself, what would you spend it on?
oFine suit, shirt, shoes
•If you were guaranteed a handsome salary no matter what, what would be your ultimate dream job?
oTravel and teach about people and their cultures
•What do you do consistently in your free time simply because you enjoy it?
oRead
•What do you purposefully make time for not because you have to but because you want to?
oFamily visits
•If money was not an issue, what activity would you spend time doing more regularly?
oTravel
•What do people say you are good at and appreciate about you?
oTeacher – Instructor
oGodly Man, Good husband and father
•What makes you over-the-top excited, angry or emotional?
oDoing or getting something really nice for my wife.
oAbusive people, bullies, rude people, inept leaders
oAffectionate sensitive scenes or words or actions
•What kinds of books do you read, TV shows you watch or websites you visit?
oReligious topics, military fiction
oDiscovery, History, Action, Family
oClothes, Home items, Transportation
•What's your favorite hobby?
oWorking in my yard
This is a good exercise for me to revisit. Thanks.
Thanks for jumping in, Gary. I hope it help generate some ideas for you!
Wow! Answered the questions on the first exercise and was so pleased with my results (I was trying to be so concise)…until I started reading others' answers. I am so dull! But, as I read through the others' answers (this is beginning to sound like "LOST;" I should capitalize "Others"), I realized there is so much I like to do, want to do, wish I could do. Perhaps that is my problem…I can't settle on one thing on which to focus.
First, I must try loosening up a bit and answer some of these questions with a little less "I must get the answer correct" and a little more "whatever pops into my head."
In my option, our passion is where we spend our time on it
that's it 
Hi Amy I love your site. Its really helping me a lot. I just started my own coupon blog about a month ago. And you are right it is hard work. I started couponing about a year ago about the same time my church started with a food ministry call Mid America Foods. It is my passion to help people in need. I lost my job about 2 years ago. And every time I would get out there and start looking a road block would step in my way. I really feel like this is what god wants me to do is be a ministry tool with my coupon blog. I hope you will visit my blog and facebook page. Thanks for all you do on your site to help others. Theresa Schuessler
Congrats, Theresa! I'm sorry you have had a rough journey, but so glad you have found something you enjoy.