I believe things happen for a reason and my recent run in with inspiring blogger Annabel Candy is a good example of that. Call it synchronicity. Call it a god wink. Call it mere coincidence. What I know for sure is that finding Candy was sweet synergy to me.
I first spotted her on Problogger. She was a guest blogger, posting the popular, “Getting Over the Blogger’s 6 Month Itch.” I was so intrigued that I ventured over to her site Get in the Hot Spot to check it out. When I discovered that her mission was to help others follow their dreams, I was sold. That’s why I’m thrilled to feature here as this week’s Successful Dreamer! I hope that you’ll be as inspired by Annabel as I was by her. So without further ado, please welcome inspiring writer and world traveler, Annabel Candy.
Where’d you get that fabulously creative name for your blog Get in the Hot Spot?
I set the blog up to put myself ‘in the hot spot’ and force myself to write, so the name came from that idea. But there are a few other meanings of ‘hot spot’ that fit nicely too.
A hot spot’s a lively, active place and I want my blog to be a fun, informative centre for personal development with the focus on helping people achieve their dreams.
My personal dream involves travel and a lot of my readers also want to travel, yearning for warmer climates and exotic places. Get In the Hot Spot is a place where people can come to dream, to learn how to start working towards their dreams and to stay motivated. The idea is that me and the readers each enjoy living in our own personal hot spot.
Give us bit of info about your blog. What was your original purpose for writing it and where do you see it going in the future?
The aim has changed. At first I did it to get myself to write. That worked.
Then I decided to see if I could get 1000 subscribers to convince a publisher I had a readership and get my manuscript published. But I had more fun writing the blog than the manuscript!
I’m still working towards getting 1000 subscribers in a year but I have until March 2010 to achieve it. If that works the next challenge will be to see if I can make money out of my blog because that way I can carry on writing it without my husband complaining that I spend too much time on it:)
I’d love to keep getting more readers and help more people to start working towards living their dream.
What is one of the most important things you’ve learned on your journey to follow your dreams?
If you don’t follow your dreams you won’t be happy. If they don’t work out it won’t matter, you’ll be glad you tried and good will still come from that. For me true happiness lies in following our secret dreams, no matter how big, small or silly they are.
Can you describe a huge hurdle in your life and how you tackled it?
I can think of three big hurdles:
Doing an MA in Design for Interactive Media when I didn’t even know how to turn on a computer was hard.
Giving birth to an 11lb baby at home was hard.
Travelling round Central America with three kids aged 1, 5 and 8 was hard.
But I love to take on challenges. I get stuck in and do it. The hard part doesn’t last long when you look back and the final rewards are brilliant.
When you set yourself a challenge and do it you end up feeling as if you’ve conquered Everest. It’s a real confidence booster that makes you think you can do anything. It gives you a winning attitude which encourages you to challenge yourself more.
Have you ever doubted your ability to be a full-time writer? How have you managed to overcome this fear?
Yes! All the time. I think a lot of writers do.
The only way to overcome doubt or fear is to face it. So I wrote and shared my writing then I got some positive feedback and that persuaded me to carry on.
Like most things writing takes practice. Now I write daily my writing is faster and hopefully it’s getting better too.
What is one advice you wished someone had told you about pursuing your passion and following your dreams?
Go for it. My parents warning me not to become a writer because it was “too competitive”. I want to encourage my kids to do what they love and try things out for themselves. You have to learn by experience.
What do you love best about your job as a full-time blogger?
Two things. When you get a new idea for a post – the aha moment is great.
And I love reading comments from people thanking me for inspiring me and helping them. That’s why I write so it’s great to know when I’ve achieved my goal.
Thank you Annabel for your words of wisdom and inspiration! Please visit Annabel’s website Get in the Hot Spot 2 be inspired. She would love to hear from you and is open to questions and to assist readers looking to pursue their dreams.
A friend asked me recently how I find the inspiring people I’ve interviewed here. I think it’s really all about soul sisters Faith and Fate. When I first started blogging in 2004, 5 years ago, I did it because the people I knew then were doing it. Though I started writing since I was 6, I was a bit wary of going online and sharing my thoughts with the world. But I did, eventually.