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Sunshine Blogger Award & How To Release Your Creativity Into The World!

Sunshine Blogger Award 2019 Nomination – Extremely honored, feeling thankful, and inspired, and ready to roll! Thank you, my wonderful blogger friends and my treasured readers!

OMG! I’ve been nominated for Sunshine Blogger Awards! Not just by one, but by two amazing ladies! Thank you Lina of Caffeinated Introvert Blog – family travel blogger, a working mom, and coffee enthusiast. And thank you Denise of One Open Hearts Journey Blog – a lifestyle mom blogger on a mission to live life to the fullest after she went through open heart surgery.  This is HUGE! Thank you so much!

Below I am sharing my interview for the Sunshine Blogger Awards nomination. But also, I am excited to share few tips on how to stop doubting yourself, hesitating, holding back. How to get the courage to release your creativity into the world and make it your superpower!

***All recommendations and feedback are ours and based on personal experience. 
Please refer to our Disclosure Policy.

You may also like my other recent posts:

• Secrets to Writing Hotel Reviews Like a Professional Travel Blogger
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• How To Quickly Grow Blog Following on Twitter with Automation & Scheduling Tools
• Travel Blog Post Ideas to Remove Your Travel Blogging Block!
• Travel Blogging For Beginners: Detailed Costs & Budget Breakdown!

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Stop Holding Back Your Creativity

I admit I’ve been holding back for years…

I love working with images and videos. But start talking to me about writing.. in English… I'd be terrified. English is not my first language you see. Then came the “I don't have time” excuse… and then “what am I to write about?”

The worst (and the best) part is that I am very good at NOT listening to the people around me. It seems like everyone has a dozen reasons they (and you) can’t do something. The second you tell someone you want to do something or achieve something, they'll give you fifty reasons why you should NOT do it. That type of negativity can make really let your spirit down. You'd think: “What’s the point?”. Luckily, in my case, I do not care much about what other people think.

Sadly, my holding back was a “self-inflicted” inner pain. “English is not my first language” always worked like a miracle whenever I wanted to write, to speak on stage, to participate in a debate… it took me 12 years living in Canada and one pretty big personal and business failure to finally overcome my biggest block. …one day I woke up and thought to myself: “who gives a #@$?! I must do it. For ME. Only by starting something however clumsy and however imperfect and hammering on it day by day can you ever improve.

..so I’ve started my travel blog anyways.

And now the nomination coming from the blogging community means that someone out there not only read my blog but thought it worth on some level to be nominated for this Sunshine blogging award.

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What is the Sunshine Blogger Award

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to bloggers by other bloggers who are creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

I love peer-to-peer collaboration and think projects like Sunshine Blogger Awards are a great way of introducing yourself, interconnecting and linking back to the blogger community. It is also a cool way of opening yourself up to your readers since you need to answer 11 sometimes very personal questions.

Below I’m pasting the rules for the Sunshine Blogger Award, and we will move to the fun part of our nomination interview and the 5 Tips on How To Release Your Creativity into the World right after!

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Sunshine Blogger Award Nomination Rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you in your blog post and link back to his/her blog.
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
• Nominate 11 new bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 questions.
• List these rules and display the sunshine blogger award logo in your post and on your blog.

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Sunshine Blogger Award Nomination Interview

Since PerfectDayToPlay BLOG was nominated twice I gotta pay the price! haha! There is not 11, but actually 22 questions I have to answer. Some are quite personal, others somewhat intimidating… Ok Lina and Denise, and dear readers, here I come with the answers to your questions! Enjoy!

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22. Why did you decide to start blogging?

I’ve always wondered.. What would it be like to share my story with the World… 

In my real life, I am a business/career kick-ass girl, overachiever type. I’m sure you’ve met one of us at some point in your life. With the goal of becoming independent, I’ve tried literally everything. I’ve survived 2 immigrations, pulled myself through 2 degrees, had a corporate job, tried to enter law school (3 times! Do happy now I did NOT make it!!!). I’ve always hustled on the side – having 3-4 things going on for me at once was a norm. As a serial entrepreneur have started 2 e-commerce and mobile app startups. My latest startup, despite that I worked 16hr days 7 days/week for the past 1.5 years, had failed due to circumstances outside my control. 

It was a life-changing moment for me. I had to pause to rethink and refocus my life. 

I’ve started this PerfectDayToPlay Blog as a kind of overachiever recovery therapy – to pull myself through tough times. Here in this blog, I am focusing on three things I love the most – my family, travel, and outdoor adventure. HAPPY VIBES only!

In this travel and lifestyle blog, I am sharing my experience in the transition from the “hamster-wheel-running” business/startup 24/7 life to a better-balanced lifestyle, focused on self-care and my family.

Over the last 3 years of being a Mother, whenever I could, I have found ways to explore and adventure together with my son. Now that I’ve made a decision to dedicate more time to my family, I’d be digging deeper into this direction and share our experiences, travel tips & tricks, advice.

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21. How did you decide on your blog name?

You’ve probably heard “work hard play hard” phrase? Well, our family doesn’t believe in it. We believe that, given the right approach in applying your passion and selecting the right occupation, work doesn’t have to feel like work at all.

Hence with this PerfectDayToPlay Blog, we want to focus on everything that’s NOT work in the traditional sense, and briefly on how you can choose to live the lifestyle you want while playfully bringing in income.

From family travel, outdoor activities, to fun kids and family learning, to a healthy lifestyle and eco-focused sustainable living, here on our PerfectDayToPlay Blog you’ll find tons of tips and advice on how to enhance your life with joy, fun, and happiness!

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20. How did you decide on which niche to blog about?

Oh that’s a no-brainer! 

Most of everything I LOVE TRAVEL. Before I had a child I used to travel, like, A LOT. Overall I’ve been to 4 continents, 20+ countries, 200+ cities. I have an active TripAdvisor profile, which surprisingly has close to 230,000++ readership. All I did with this blog is – transferred the reviews I’ve already been writing for TripAdvisor into my own personal space. 

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19. What is your favorite article that you blogged about so far?

I am actually taking two directions in my blog: helping other parents to spend more time travelling and adventuring with their kids and helping other beginner bloggers to figure out the basics. 

So far, my absolute favorite place we’ve visited this summer – Jurassic Ridge at Murrin Park near Vancouver BC. I loved preparing photos for the article! Howe Sound EPIC Views from Jurassic Ridge at Murrin Provincial Park – Squamish Best Hikes

And in terms of helping other bloggers, absolutely loved working on my Social Media Automation post – More Time For Fun – Social Media Automation For Travel Bloggers

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18. Do you have a favorite vacation spot and why do you love it so much?

Absolutely! If I was to choose just one place, Maui in Hawaii is the winner! 

But as adventurous as our family is, we love exploring new places constantly and are rarely going back to the same spot twice. 

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17. If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why? 

It would be super-fun to have tea with the Queen of England. Or to go hunting with Putin.

But if I only had one chance at it – I’d prefer to meet one of my best friends who I’ve lost 15 years ago to a car accident… True friendships made in the past can survive years and years to come… 

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16. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely a Night Owl!

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15. What is the best piece of general life advice you’ve ever received?

The best piece of advice came from a few bloggers off the internet. It is about taking quick imperfect action, rather than over-obsessing about the minor details and trying to make your work perfect. I believe that’s the reason I found enough strength to actually start blogging. Who cares if I make a grammar mistake here or there – English is not my first language – deal with it! hahahaha

Please DO continue to read to get to the “bottom of this” and learn my 5 Tips in fighting the fear and releasing creativity into this world. If I haven't learned how to take baby steps with eyes and ears shut from negativity, this Sunshine Blogger Award wouldn't have been possible!

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14. What is your favorite quote?

I have two quotes that I love:

“Everything is possible. Impossible just takes longer.”  – it is actually my quote, at least I think it is. I’ve followed this motto for as long as I remember myself…

And the one I’ve recently adopted and am falling back on is by Sir W. Churchill: “if you are going through Hell, keep going.”

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13. If you were to write a letter to your 18-year-old self, what would you say?

Hey you 18yo Alexandra, start blogging and setting up social media profiles ASAP! Do not wait till you are over 30! You can be a millionaire by the time you are 30!

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12. What is your most favorite part about blogging?  Least favorite? 

I love preparing photos for the blog. The hardest part is to select 2-3 dozen only – out of a thousand! 

The most annoying part would be tuning in SEO after the post is done. Getting those Yoast lights to turn green… uh… Also even with scheduling, I find Instagram strategic tagging and hash-tagging a bit tedious.  

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11. Where do you see yourselves in 6 months?

My family and I are happy and healthy!

My blog is picking up traffic and popularity. I am getting sponsored opportunities much easier. We are planning my next big trip to Europe and can leverage the work done on my travel blog to-date! 

…and there are this local Vancouver blogger awards that I really want to try nominating for – Vancouver Mom TOP 30 Blogger.

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10. What keeps you motivated each day?

What keeps me motivated each day is definitely my 3yo son Cosmos. Each day I look at him and am feeling inspired to be the best version of myself so he would have the most awesome mom ever! I love venturing outdoors with my son and seeing him conquering hiking trails and mountains. Thinking of him every single moment.

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9. Say what your dream is and how you’re going to reach it?

My dream is to travel full time with my family while having a passive income stream. I am looking for ways to monetize my blog and social media accounts now. One way I've decided to approach this is by preparing a mini-course for beginner travel bloggers on how to start off your WordPress blog and DIY everything from graphics to SEO.  Coming out soon! …oh and of course winning many more blogger awards! I Love Awards!

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8. What’s the one thing that’s been troubling you or have been on your mind and how can you resolve it?

Nope. After surviving a startup failure I refuse to open up my mind to anything troubling. My motto here comes from the famous Marie Forleo – “Everything is figure-out-able!”  Hakuna matata! To you all!

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7. What’s the best part of you that you really love and why?

The best part of our blogging journey that I am not only posting spectacular photos and videos from epic places we visit but give a background story to each. Our travel blog serves both purposes: our own adventures diary and record-keeping for years to come, and inspiration to other families to spend more time outdoors WITH instructions on how to do it more efficiently! 

Just check out a few of my posts about the love of my life – Beautiful British Columbia – to see what I am talking about: Jurassic Ridge, or Gold Creek Falls, or Sandy Cove Beach.. 

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6. Describe your BEST day. Now make it happen.

Best Day? I wake up to the bright sun peeking through the window. I can roll in bed a bit. I make pancakes and have breakfast with my family. We pack our car with hiking and camping gear and off we go to our next adventure! 

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5. What was your BEST compliment you got? Believe it, it’s true.

My 3yo wrote on a postcard that I am the best Mom! Of course, I have it framed! Do I believe it is to be true?! I think I actually do. What does he have to compare it with anyway? Lol. But in all seriousness, I am making sure my son is healthy, happy and feeling loved. Even though sometimes this comes at the expense of my own personal time or plans. What else can I do?

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4. What’s your favorite memory and why?

All my best memories are from my travels and outdoor adventures of course!

Seeing the sunrise over the Himalayas in Nepal, Mt. Everest flyover tour, taking a photo at the Honduras border, trying a cigar in Cuba, watching the sunset at the top of Haleakala volcano in Maui…  Some of my most fun memories are from our travels too! 

When my son was 8 months old we traveled from Canada to Eastern Europe. Had a 5-hour layover in Amsterdam – so of course, we took off from the airport and went to check out the city if even for 2 hours. In these 2 hours my son and I (yes I was traveling by myself with an infant on an international flight!) had a stroller roll through the Red Light district, and even took a boat tour of Amsterdam canals! I still have some hilarious photos!  One day I'll write a blog post about it and will share some funny photos!

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3. If you could go anywhere (all expenses paid), where would you go?

Our first option would definitely be extended travel through New Zealand and French Polynesia. Some of the most stunning photos of unbelievable marine landscapes I’ve seen were from that part of the World! Want to learn diving too – what could be more spectacular than diving near some virgin coral reefs!

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2. What’s keeping you from living the life you want?

Nothing keeps us other than financial independence. But we are working on that 🙂

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1. What’s a secret goal you have set for yourself that you’ve been putting off?

My super-secret goal, that I can actually share with you my esteemed readers is: to find a way to become absolutely financially independent and to try out digital nomad lifestyle. I am working hard on achieving it now! Wish me luck! and I wish YOU to achieve all your goals and succeed in your aspirations!

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My nominees for the Sunshine Blogger Award

It’s really hard to choose only 11 blogs to nominate for the Sunshine Blogger Award because there are so many excellent sites out there. All are creative, positive and inspiring! Many I follow closely, and many I learn from. As hard as it is, here is my 11, be sure to check them out:

1. Shira at Flying Kids
2. Samantha at Keeping Them Wild 
3. Chelsea at Unsettledown
4. Celine at Baby Can Travel
5. Suchot at The Curious Frugal
6. Codi at Creative Wife & Joyful Worker
7. Tairalyn at Little Miss Mama
8. Kyla at Where Is The World
9. Darla at Fun Fitness Family
10. Tara at Life’s A Hike
11. Tricia at Born To Be Boomers

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Here are my 11 questions:

1. Why did you decide to start blogging?
2. What’s the most recent foreign destination you’ve visited? What was the best/worst about it?
3. What is your favorite destination that you blogged about so far?
4. If you could go anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would it be and why? 
5. Have you tried monetizing your blog? How? Is it successful / unsuccessful?
6. What are the top 3 online travel / blogging / social media influencers you follow? Why?
7. What is the best piece of travel or blogging advice you’ve ever received?
8. Please share some of your favorite inspirational quotes.
9. What is your most favorite part about blogging? Least favorite? 
10. What’s a secret goal you have set for yourself that you’ve been putting off?
11. How has blogging changed your life?

My honoured nominees, please drop your links to your blog posts so I can check out your answers! Thank you to my fellow bloggers for your support and inspiration.

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How to Release Your Creativity With No Fear (..and get blogger awards added to your profile maybe?)

1. Get Inspired & Reminded

Think of something you really love to do.. if I were to tell you that you won a lottery, you get all the money in the world, you don't have to worry about anything – what would be that one thing or those few things you'd be jumping on doing?! Would you want to groom mini-dogs? Collect sports cars? Enjoy baking delicious vegan cakes? Grow a beautiful rose garden? Or give out financial advice to people? For me and my family, it is TRAVEL. What is it for you?! What is it that you love most? Take time every morning to focus on and think about things you love doing: imagine yourself doing it or create a secret Pinterest board and look at photos.

2. Get Clear on Why

Why do you like doing what you do? Let me guess, it makes YOU happy, right? So although what you do may benefit other people, it benefits YOU first and foremost. This is absolutely amazing! You should do more of it! Be happy more often!

3. Do NOT Listen to Toxic People

Remember those people who can give you a thousand reasons of why you should NOT do something? Sometimes they are a friend of a friend of a friend and don't even know you! Yet they still are there lecturing you on how you are going to fail! …Yeah, you don’t need this negativity. The easiest way to remove negativity from your life is to get rid of those relationships! Spend more time with people who actually support your ideas and inspire you! Or, if the “Sally The Miserable” is your mom or sister – just don't talk to them about what you want to do or are doing.

4. Take Imperfect Action

Picasso wasn't born with a paintbrush in his hand. Mozart did not start composing music in his crib. Beyonce did not just wake up one day and took Gammy Awards the next. Every single celebrity, artist, and influencer had started somewhere with taking that first step. Baby steps. Imperfect action. It is more important to start and make it done than to make it perfect. You have to start somewhere. Most important is to make it a consistent action.

5. Learn From Experts

When you are out there just starting, it may feel quite terrifying. I know, I've been there about half a year ago. Therefore it is most important to NOT compare yourself to Experts. As Rachel Hollis says in her book Girl, Stop Apologizing: “Do not compare your beginning with someone else's middle.”

But by all means, watch closely everyone who is successful in your area! Learn from them! We are so blessed with the internet now that you can take an online course almost in everything! You can approach and even sometimes become friends with the influencer you admire! There are tons of support networks, forums, and social media groups where any question can be answered in minutes! DO Learn!

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I'd like to take this opportunity and thank the one and wonderful Reese Family, who were my inspiration and who guided me through the first baby steps of starting my own travel blog. Their 5-day Start a Money Making Blog FREE Crash Course served as a starting point. And once the technical part was tackled, their Blogging Blastoff course set me up with a strong foundation to start building up a strong web and social media presence.

Your turn to share! Tell us all about your favorite ways to add creativity to your life. How do you fight your inner blocks? What keeps you motivated? Comment below.

We at PerfectDayToPlay BLOG wish you all the very best! Hope you get inspired, act, get nominated, and win this Sunshine blogger award, or some other blogger awards, or an award in anything else you do!

Check out next: my latest blogging tips and resources

Cheerfully yours,

Alexandra, Alex and Cosmos

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