Alden Tan is a stylish blogger who quit his job to follow his dream of being a writer in his own terms. He writes about building confidence, passion and believing in yourself. He’s also a breakdancer.
And he pulls it all off with style by not caring about what others think!
How long have you been blogging, and why did you start?
I’ve been blogging for slightly over a year now.
I started the blog because I wanted to execute my dream of being a writer in my own terms.
Why do you think dreams are important to follow?
Well personally, I think life is too short to not do anything else but follow your dreams.
Life is simply too short, and I realized that when my dad passed away when I was only 20.
Really, you got to live life to the fullest, and to me that means following your passions, doing what you love and being happy every, single day.
No excuses.
What do you blog about?
I blog about personal development and I’m pretty good at helping people be more confident and start believing in themselves.
What would you say makes you stand out among other personal development bloggers?
I would say it’s my writing style.
I’ve gotten many compliment from readers that I’ve a very real tone.
I give no bullshit and no fluff.
I’m also very open and willing to show that I make mistakes in my life all the time, so I definitely don’t come across as some “guru” who’s always positive for no reason.
I write and talk like I’m your friend.
Why does blogging about your passions help you write more effectively?
Simple, if you’re passionate about something or love something, you’ll be good at it.
You’ll be willing to open up and share with the world.
It wouldn’t even feel like work!
How does one go about finding passion in life?
First ask yourself, “What interests you?”, then, “What am I good at?”.
Then just try out all sorts of different activities according to your answers.
Give it a little time and see what clicks with your heart and mind.
You’ll know when you feel it.
That’s passion calling out to you.
What advice would you give to other bloggers?
If you’re new to blogging and want to make a living out of it, it really doesn’t hurt to start investing in a good program or mentor.
That way, you’ll learn the right stuff and avoid making mistakes early.
When I started out, I stubbornly believed that I absolutely had to make mistakes so I can truly learn something.
That’s true in life, but it wasted a lot of time.
I can tell you that I effectively wasted the first 8 months of my blogging life making little or zero progress.
So you only started making real progress after 8 months? What’ve you achieved so far?
Yep! That was when I decided to invest in a coaching session with some top bloggers.
I learnt the importance of collecting subscribers and also how to write an effective blog post.
I’ve gained 3,000 subscribers since early this year and also launched my first product.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m a passionate Bboy.
I practice up to 4 times a week.
That’s about 10 hours a week.
Other than that, I like to play video games and read books.
"You’re such a smart boy!" were his first accolades heard. So, it’s no wonder that this phrase became the title of his business, Smart Boy Designs.