Wow! I can hardly believe it’s been 2 years since I launched Contentment Questing with shaking hands. This has been an amazing year. I can’t wait to share the best of Contentment Questing with you, including the top 10 posts of the year, my personal favorites (which are not always the same.), some behind the scenes looks, and a bit of a sneak peek on what’s new to come in 2020.
(This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! For more information, please see my disclosure.)
The Best Blog Posts of Contentment Questing in 2019
2019, (Year 2 here at CQ) has been amazing! More people have visited CQ than ever before. These are the Top 10 Blog Posts
1. The Benefits of Being Patient
I originally wrote this post as a series of 3 posts because I was needing some patience. From all the love this post has gotten, I am clearly not the only one! When we keep in mind the benefits of being patient, it helps us to keep our patience. This post has received over 7,000 visits this year and is by far the most popular post on Contentment Questing.
2. 50 of the Best Love Quotes for Him
I wrote this post for Valentine’s Day for my husband. I wanted a collection of love quotes that really spoke my feelings for him at different times in our lives as well as some that were just cute and sweet. This post comes with a special printable in the VIP Library of all the quotes that you can cut out and put on index cards. ( Which was my husband’s Valentine’s Day present.) You don’t have to wait till Valentine’s Day to read it or get some good ideas of quotes to use for the special man in your life!
3. How to Master Patience: 20 Powerful Tips
This is another part of the patience series that I wrote at a time that I was sorely needing some patience. It has resonated with many people and I’m very glad to know that I am not the only one that struggles with patience at times. The Benefits of Being Patient outlined why you should be patient. This post is more of a practical list of actionable tips that you can apply. This post has gotten almost 3,000 views this year.
4. Dear Husband, Thank You for Choosing Me
I love this post. It’s pretty much an open love letter to my husband. I wrote it in November of 2018, about a year ago. At the time that I wrote it, I had been coming off of having bronchitis pretty badly for a month. I had gotten zero housework done, and had been in bed a lot, resting. I pretty much felt good for nothing and I had been cranky. My husband, had been a champion. He pitched in and did all he could to take up the slack. At the end of the day, loving someone is a feeling, but it’s also a choice to take action. The feeling follows the action. He chooses me each and every single day, as I do him. So far this year, this post has gotten a bit over 2,700 views.
5. 20 Beautiful Short Inspirational Quotes to Live By
This post may rank 5th in pageviews, at (1,900+) but I think it holds the record for social shares. It’s been shared over 2,000 times. These quotes are my go-tos when I need a quick bit of inspiration or encouragement to get me back on track. I created beautiful pin images for many of them. Several are also available in the VIP Library as backdrops for your PC so that you can be inspired every time you log on.
6. Overthinking: What it is and How to Stop It
I am a champion overthinker. Just like with the patience posts, I wrote this one as a reminder to myself. Clearly, I am not the only one that excels at overthinking things. It’s easy to do. This post has been viewed almost 1900 times in the past year and includes practical tips on how to stop overthinking everything. (You’ll be much happier.)
7. 10 Powerful Self-Motivation Techniques
Most people don’t think of self-motivation as an actual skill set, but it is. There are actual techniques that you can do in order to become a more self-motivated person. This uplifting post boasts over 1200 views this year. Motivation is not something that you either have or you don’t. It is something that you can learn, as all successful people have. This post also forms the basis for Contentment Questing’s first online course, coming in January of 2020.
8. 33 Practical Ways To Fill Your Cup When Life Gets Hard
We know all about self-care and that we ought to do it. Filling your cup is another way of expressing that idea. You can’t pour from an empty cup. If you are depleted, you will not have much to give of yourself to your family, friends, and loved ones. When you stop to fill your own cup, even when life gets hard, and maybe even especially when life gets hard, it helps you to get through it. It replenishes your emotional strength and energy. This post has been viewed over 900 times this year. It’s well worth the read if you find yourself feeling depleted.
9. Benefits of Hobbies Happy People Want You to Know
Hobbies are not something that just wastes time. They are an important part of our lives and can increase our happiness. This post, which has received over 700 views in the past year, not only focuses on the benefits of hobbies but has a huge list of 161 hobbies to try available in the VIP Library that goes with it. I discuss quite a few in the post itself, including some unusual ones.
10. Best Ways to Show Someone You Care
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the people that we care about exactly how we feel. This post gives some practical suggestions on how you can tell your loved ones how much you care in a way that will be meaningful to them. This post has been viewed over 700 times as well over the past year. I hope that it helps you share your feelings with those that you love.
The Best of Contentment Questing – My Favorite Posts
The most viewed posts sometimes surprise me. When I write a post, it’s usually something that has meaning to me. My favorite posts that did not make the top 10 are:
Simple Secrets to Being Happy and Content
When I wrote this post, I was sure that it was going to rank on the top page of Google. It didn’t, but I still like it. (I just checked and it’s actually at the bottom of the first page) It’s a great summary post that links to many very helpful posts all over the blog. In the VIP Library, the checklist that goes with it is my favorite one in the library. It features 31 do’s and don’t’s to be happy and content with your life.
The Best Advice For Silencing the Inner Critic
My inner critic can be very mean. We all have an inner critic inside of us. You’re not crazy. It’s that little inner voice that whispers mean things to you and causes you to doubt yourself. The one that whispers to you that you are not good enough or that you can’t do something? I had no idea how miserable mine was making me until I learned how to become aware of it and how to silence it. If your inner critic is running wild, here’s my best advice for silencing it. You will be surprised at what you can do when you break free from the chains of “I can’t.”
Why You Need to Define Your Core Values
Our core values set our course in life. They are the things that ground us morally and that we should base all of our choices and major life decisions around. If you have not stopped and defined your core values for your life yet, it’s well worth the time to do so. Our core values are like our compass that helps us find our way when we feel lost in life.
What is Growth Mindset and How Can it Help?
One day my youngest son came home with a sheet of paper in his backpack about growth mindset. It might have been intended for elementary school kids, but this was one of those things that go under “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” I get frustrated when things don’t go right. I often forget that failing is part of the learning process. Attitude and effort determine how much I learn and how successful I am. This post is a beautiful reminder of those things.
How to Stop Taking Things Personally
Like most of my favorite posts, this one is a reminder to myself. I often overthink and take things personally. I started feeling better after I researched and wrote the post. This post is one that I have to re-read for myself from time to time. I hope that it helps you as much as it has helped me. <3
Best Of Contentment Questing – Year 2 Goals and Achievements
I used to do a month by month blog report when I started, but have since cut down to once a year. You can see the Blog Report on Contentment Questing’s First year here.
In January of 2019, I used my Slay Your Goals Planner, along with Suzi Whitford’s Blog Plan (free course and plan) to sit down and write out some goals for myself. I didn’t know where to start writing goals for the blog, but the planner helped me to clarify them a lot. (You can see my review of the Slay Your Goals Planner here) A few of the goals changed as the year progressed, but several of them remained the same. I’m not quite to the deadline for achieving them. The deadline is December 31, 2019, but I have met several of them. Before I tell you what they were, I want to preface it with when I set them, each of them seemed impossible. My goals were:
- Launch “The Pearl Perspective” Book
- 3000 page views/month by December 31, 2019
- Create a new product by the end of the year
- 250 email subscribers by December 31, 2019
- Continue to post one blog post each week
- Earn at least $100/month
My Current Progress on Contentment Questing’s Goals
The Launch of “The Pearl Perspective” Book January 2019
The Pearl Perspective launch went very well at the beginning of January. Over 100 copies were distributed in the first month. Many of them were kindle editions. Since then, over 300 copies of “The Pearl Perspective” have been distributed. It currently has 7 five star Amazon Reviews and a 4.7-star rating on Goodreads. I have received some very touching feedback from several people on it. I count the launch of my first book a success. You can get the first 2 chapters for free in my VIP Library.
Page View Growth
My page views have grown an incredible amount this year. Mind-blowing, actually. In December of 2018 and January of 2019 they were hovering around 1100/month. I’m almost scared to post this for fear of jinxing it, but by the grace of God, each month they have been climbing up. June of 2019 was the first month that Contentment Questing saw over 3000 page views. October of 2019 closed out at over 6,000! Thank you for being one of them today. <3 I am thankful for you.
Product Creation Progress
“Questing for Self-Motivation to Achieve Your Personal Goals Course” is currently in beta testing. I will technically miss the deadline since it will launch on January 6, 2020, but I’m still going to count is a success since most of it has been developed in 2019. If you are interested and would like to be the first to know when it launches, please join my email list or click the link above to see more about it. I am super excited to get to put my teaching experience to work for you and help you achieve your personal goals this year.
Email Subscriber Growth and Followers.
I still need some work on this one. I have many free resources in my VIP Library that I would love to share with you. This time last year, I had 40 email subscribers. Today I have 165. It’s not where I would like to be, but it’s still a lot of growth percentage-wise. I look forward to sending weekly emails full of encouragement to my subscribers. It is my hope that as long as I continue to be authentic and encouraging this will grow. I have some followers on other platforms as well. They are as follows:
Posts and Visitors in Year 2 of Contentment Questing
I fully intended to post one blog post a week this year but had a huge project that needed my total concentration for 2 months. (I can’t announce it yet, but it’s exciting!) My most powerful takeaway is that I can take a week or two off and things not totally die here on the blog. This is incredibly relieving for me because it will allow me to take some time off and concentrate on my family when I need to as well as allow me the freedom to work to develop additional resources.
- Posts were written and published year 2 on Contentment Questing: 35
- (It might be worth noting that I did publish more articles than that, but some were guest posts on other blogs. )
- Visitors in 2019: 25,000
- Total Page Views in 2019: 36,000
I am blown away. You are the best! <3
Earnings
While I do not want to go into detail in this section, as I consider that information personal, I did achieve my goal of earning $100/month this year on average. If you have ever wondered if it is possible for a blog to earn money, the answer is yes. I still have a ways to go before it’s a huge amount, but it is a start. Most of my earnings have been from freelance writing, but I have sold some Pearl Perspective books and made some affiliate income.
I have decided that I will donate at least 10% of all my sales in November 2019-December 25, 2019 to a local food pantry or to a local school to pay outstanding lunch charges. If you would like to help, at no extra cost to you, you can visit Amazon through my affiliate link and make any purchase, or you can look on my Products/Resources page for products that I use and recommend. Thank you for helping to feed a local hungry family! <3
My Key Takeaways and the Best Lessons From Contentment Questing in Year 2
The best of Contentment Questing has many parts. Some of it is simply the blog posts, but for me it’s how I’ve grown as a person and some of the key lessons that I take away each year as the blog grows. I started Contentment Questing to help people find the joy in their lives. I have become much more confident in my abilities as a writer this year. Writing may be something that some people have a natural talent for, but more than anything else it’s a skill that is sharpened through practice. There are many things like that – such as self-motivation, not worrying, mindfulness, and patience.
I have grown more content with my own life this year, as I hope you have in yours as well if you have been following along with me on this journey. If not, then consider this your invite to join me now. “Granny” the elderly relative that I was caring for when I started Contentment Questing passed away a few short weeks ago. Without her, there would be no Contentment Questing. She did not know and sometimes wondered the purpose of her life over the last several years. I never told her, but I know the answer. Her purpose for the last few years of her life was to make me a better person.
Taking care of her was one of the hardest things that I ever did, but that’s how we grow. I am much more self-aware now than I was before. I am more grateful, less fussy, worried less, I smile more, and I am starting to stretch more beyond my comfort zones. Those are all things that would not have happened without her.
The Best of Contentment Questing: Sneak Peek Of What’s to Come in 2020
I plan to use my Slay Your Goals Planner again and set official goals for 2020 at the end of December 2019. However, Contentment Questing’s first course, “Self Motivation to Achieve Your Personal Goals” is currently in beta testing with plans to launch in January of 2020. Be on the lookout for another announcement in the next few months about something else. 2020 brings with it all kinds of exciting possibilities for growth and further branching out. If the launch for the first course goes well, I may add others by the end of 2020. Additionally, I would like to try to guest post more on other sites to try to increase Contentment Questing’s name recognition.
I have every intention of continuing to bring you high-quality blog posts that provide practical help and encouragement. Contentment Questiing will stay true to its original goal of helping people – always.
Is there something that you would like to see from Contentment Questing in 2020? Let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear from you!