Can you make money by Blogging? I can't

An honest Confession

Having a good relationship with writing, I also thought once that there is no harm in earning some money through blogging. 

After all, turning your passion into profession is the mantra of present times. 

Let me share my experience with the same:

Powered with the thought of earning money and increasing readership by bringing traffic, whenever I sit down to write, I was always a dead duck. The truth is that thinking too much about my readers diluted my thoughts completely. Not only this, I was deviating from my mainstream purpose of writing which is driving pleasure from it. 

I believe writing is not something which can be produced on whim. 

Though we (me & writing) share a good relationship, we often fight with each other like every relationship. Sometimes, when writing wants the time, I am not able to give the time due to my job/family restrictions and sometimes, when I have the mood and sit at my desk, she is not willing to strike me perhaps that is what the people calls writer’s block.

So, I believe it can be difficult to continue for long if your motivation is extrinsic. Unless you write for some intrinsic factors, your blog cannot be a hit. 

Over to you. 

How do you feel about the idea of making money by blogging?

Note: This post was inspired from some discussions going on today’ 3^rd blogger meet in Hyderabad. 

Skywatch Friday - Tungabhadra Dam, Hospet, India

This is my second entry in Skywatch Friday and I am really delighted to be the part of this as it

gives me the opportunity to see the beautiful skies across the World.

This picture is taken at Tungabhadra Dam.

To see the beautiful Skies around the world, visit Sky Watch Friday.

Trip to Hampi - Part 6 : Day 2- Trek to Mathanga Hills

The trek was very satisfying and fulfilling. Although the difficulty level was beyond expectations and surprising but its best part is that it gives us the moment to be cheered later, a long lasting memory and above all one of its kind experiences.

Way to Mathanga Hills

Let me start with the very beautiful quote by  Pat Ament :   

When you ride your bike, you're working your legs, but your mind is on a treadmill. When you play chess, your mind is clicking along, but your body is stagnating. Climbing brings it together in a beautiful, magical way. The adrenaline is flowing, and it's flowing all the time.
 

I would say trip to Hampi will be incomplete without climbing to Mathanga hills which provides the panoramic 360 degree view of the Hampi. Once you get at the top, you will easily understand the Map of Hampi. However getting to the top is a tough row to hoe.

During our complete to and fro trip, we encountered only 3, 4 climbers and coincidentally all of them belong to Spain and and also all were alone.  

At 2, 3 places, you have to climb a very risky mountain with no support at all. It would be difficult for me to explain in words. Please see the picture. 

Tipping point 1: See man made stairs.

The trek is moderately challenging as there is no clearway or signboards for directions and at some places, one will really doubt if he is on the right route. But don’t worry much about it, trust on your intuition. 

Random Pictures depicting our track

One of the Difficult turn

Where the end road will be visible only after climbing these turns.

Trek gets tougher as you climb higher. Also, just before reaching to the top, there in one very critical turn which is also the turning point for some of the people. 

Most difficult point to cross. Seeing the height 

is enough to give you shiver

 It is really difficult to cross as the stones were slippery and there were no stones/support on one of the side and also you cannot hold anything. You must maintain balance at that point. I would not recommend this place to people with acrophobia. I still remember the dilemma I faced that day, whether to cross it or trace back even when I am not afraid of heights. Glancing at that point is enough to give you the shiver.But the spirit inside me told me to cross.

  “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity.”  John Muir

 

Views were worth it.

 

Beautiful Banana Plantation, Hampi Tower and Virupaksha temple

Premises of Mustard Ganesha and Jain temples.

Pushkarni and also the route to Vitthala temple

After enjoying the view, it was the time to go back. 

“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”

― Ed Viesturs, No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks

While going back, one should be more watchful and cautious. There were only a couple of points which were challenging. At both the places, there is turn such that there are no stones at the other side and seeing the height while descending can be dizzy. At one of the point, something similar to stairs were constructed in stone but it was very slippery. It did not take more than 20 minutes while descending; however, it was little less than 1 hour while ascending. For regular trekkers and climbers, however, it will not require even that much time. 

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Complete Hampi trip Posts Compilation so far

About Hampi and what to expect in Hampi

Day 1:

Day 1 Itinerary

Mustard Ganesha, Krishna Temple and Queen's Bath 

Vijaya Vittala Temple

Day 2:

Day 2: Itinerary 

Trek to Mathanga Hills

Day 3:

Day 3: Itinerary

Restaurants in Hampi

Grapevine Communication

Courtesy: Google Images

Grapevine communication - What is it and why should we avoid it ?

This was the topic discussed yesterday during one of the sessions of Spiritual Awakening in our office. One of the lady with very impressive credentials in psychology demonstrated a very powerful value based activity to help us ingest some of the beautiful lessons of life.

Let me first share the activity.

She called the 5 volunteers and then asked 4 of them to go out of the room. 

Now, she explained a scenario and asked the volunteer to enact that scenario. The scenario was that you went to supermarket, take the trolley and then you purchase the 1^st item on your way, rejecting 2^nd item and then again selecting 3^rd item and at the end do a payment and came out. 

After explaining the scenario, she called the one of the volunteer from outside and told him to observe and then repeat the same actions of the volunteer. After this situation was put into action by 1st volunteer, she called the third volunteer from out and asked him to observe and then repeat the action of the 2^nd volunteer. This activity continued till the performance of last volunteer.

And then she asked the volunteers in the reverse fashion that what they think they were doing. The message was distorted completely. May be by now, you have understood the significance of the activity. If not, stay tuned. Last volunteer told us that he thought he was putting the garland around some big personalities and at the end, put the remaining garlands in basket. Second last volunteer told us that he thought he was collecting books from different shelves and then putting it in a school bag. Another one thought he was in a book store. The next one told us the right answer that he is in a supermarket and doing shopping but added so much masala/material by himself. He purchased too many items and thus did not follow his predecessor properly. By the time, massage crosses 3, 4 ears, it had completely lost its meaning. 

Do you know why?

Perception.

 Yes, every one of us perceives the given situations as per his fears; mentality and they needn’t to be necessarily true. Thus, we cannot always believe on our eyes and also the information from the second hand source because that source perceives it as per his mentality which may not be true. 

In terms of management and corporate, grapevine is a term for this type of communication. We must avoid such communications/gossips not only for saving ourselves from landing in trouble but also in order to build trust and reputation.