If I sit down and close my eyes and think for a moment about what local guide means to me, then there isn’t just one definite and concrete answer that can sum up my entire reflection.
I basically joined the team of local guides in a time of my life where I was struggling as a blogger and as a writer. And whoever has been a part of a struggle in their life knows the feeling of little pleasures in life, that keep us pumped and motivated. And that’s exactly what google local guide did for me; added little pleasures in my life.
When I joined local guides around 2.5 years ago, I really had no idea of “What will I get?” Yes, seriously it was that time in my life, where I felt I had no direction, no purpose, and my writing career was going nowhere.
So it just happened on one regular night, when, I, as usual, was feeling a bit low, and after putting my kids to sleep, I was just aimlessly scrolling down the browser, when I thought why not check out the new restaurant (can’t remember the name now) and I typed the name on google and since that restaurant didn’t have a website of its own, I saw something on the first page that read “Reviews” and the rest is history!
I thought this looks like fun and easy, and luckily back then not a lot of businesses in my vicinity were listed or had reviews on google. So just like they say every problem opens a door to opportunity, that’s exactly what I did. I started listing down businesses in my area and also started writing small blurbs.
And with time, in a very small way, I felt that my contributions started to make a difference.
And this feeling made me feel happy and worthy. A small review on google Maps was helping other people whom I’ve never met and might not even meet in the future. My thoughts, my words had meaning and I could see how.
I remember the first time I received an email saying your “Review is making a difference” I genuinely felt happy and that happiness helped me think more clearly as to what I want to do in life.
Since I also have a local guide blog on my city Karachi https://www.acupofkarachi.com/, I was able to connect my experience from google local guides to my writing on my blog. With every little blurb that I wrote for local guides, I learned more and more about the art of writing honestly and engagingly. How to sound honest and not rude, something which I find is so helpful for businesses.
So what just started out of distress and hopelessness turned out to be a real game-changer in my life.
I started enjoying writing without the fear of judgment. And since a review on google local guides meant something short but information worthy, I faced no difficulty in writing, as compared to the longer blog posts.
If I put it in simple words, then google local guides has been that little achievement of my lifes’ journey which has shaped me today, where I feel I have accomplished so much.
I am a much happier person now, I am happily married with two beautiful boys, I am an educator, I completed a certification on family engagement in education from Harvard, I also felt very proud of myself when my article got published on Tribune.
I also now know that I have found purpose in life which is to be a writer and an educator. And while these two aspirations have no direct connection to google local guide, I know and will always believe that google local guides is that one part of my life that lights up some of the darkest hours of my life.
Thank you google 
