BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience – Part 4 (and final)

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Notes from my BlissDom tweets have been shared in 4 parts. Click the links to find part one, part two, and part three. Thanks!

C.C. Chapman: Living an Amazing Life

CC Chapman 300x300 BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 4 (and final)

“Normal is a really boring way to live your life.”

Rules are like rubber bands. Bend ‘em!

Be a good Friend (with a capital F) not just a friend!

Seagulls just fly into your life, crap on you, and fly away! Ignore the seagulls! Refuse to let them get you down!

Feeding Alka Seltzer to seagulls makes them blow up! ”Boys just know this stuff!”

Don’t let people swoop in and poop on you.

“Are you shaking your tail feathers over there? That was cute!” @cc_chapman ONLY @BlissDom (He also heard my little twitter bird chirping and looked around to see who was tweeting. I turned it WAY down!)

Beer is social. Coffee is quiet chat with a close friend.

Life is too short for bad wine!

“Wine collectors ARE stupid. Life is too short.” DRINK that wine! Live your life NOW!

“Make sure you drink that wine. Take time for those in your life”

Give back to the world around you! =)

“Part of living an amazing life is giving back. Always give back.”

Play in the rain! Jump in the puddles! Have fun!!!!

Are you passionate enough to work your butt off to make your dreams happen?

“I’m a guy! We don’t have guilt!” @cc_chapman This guy is a HOOT!

There has to be humor, intimacy, and (brutal) honesty to make a marriage work!!

Jeff Goins: When Good Writing Isn’t Good Enough

jeff goins 300x300 BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 4 (and final)

Going to have to admit that I was busy being captivated by CC Chapman’s workshop while Jeff was speaking in another room but several great tweets came out of there and I grabbed them! =)

You can be known for being known, without ever contributing anything of value.

Do you want to be famous, or do you want to be successful? They’re not the same thing.

Most communicators think that fame and success are the same thing, and they’re not.

Decide what you want to be remembered for, just one thing. Be specific and choose your legacy.

“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.”—Flannery O’Connor

I write for an audience of one: I write for me. If nobody else approves, I feel like I’ve honored my craft.

If you are sharing your heart and it resonates and feels deeply personal to you, it’s resonating w/ others too.

“It’s hard to build your craft in front of an audience.”

Find someone (honest) who can tell you (1) I don’t get it; (2) You are saying NOTHING or (3) people are lying to you.

I am afraid to_____. the reality is you don’t have control of the outcome, but you can choose not to be afraid

New to writing??? This might help.

Your readers don’t stay because of your genre. They stay because of your voice.

Inertia: it’s harder to get it going than to maintain the momentum.

And we’re back to where we started. The closing keynote was by Jon Acuff

Jon Acuff 231x300 BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 4 (and final)

Closing keynote by @JonAcuff about to start. I can’t believe how fast #blissdom has flown.

“Honesty is the most powerful resource in blogging. Not talent. There’s a wealth of that.”

It’s no longer about when you were born. It’s about when you’ve decided to live!

HOPE is the currency that this generation cares about!

You cannot skip learning and editing on your way to mastering!

Don’t become an anti-mentor where people look at your life and want to do the opposite

The starting line is the ONLY line you control!

Begin with the end in MIND … not in stone!

READY is a myth! Nobody is ever truly ready!

Learn. Edit. Master. Harvest. Guide. You don’t get to skip steps!

Always start before you’re ready!

You can’t steer your boat from the shore!

You have permission to be HORRIBLE! Begin at horrible and build!

Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.

Try a lot of different things during learning!

The question is not what are you best at. WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST JOY?

Give yourself some GRACE and recognize you are in SEASONS. THIS isn’t FOREVER.

Fear is a liar! Fear only gets loud when you do things that matter!!!!

Enough is a slippery word … the line moves!

“What gives you the most joy? Figure out what you are called to do… Give yourself grace.”

When you refuse to hide your scars, you become a lighthouse for someone else.

Fear is schizophrenic

Refute the voices of fear by speaking truth!

Share your voices with others! Fear hates community!

“Share before you fix: Write your voices down. Refute your voices with truth. Then share your voices with others.”

I need a mirror friend. Someone who loves me enough to reflect truth back to me!

Share your fears with others. Fear fears community. Tries to isolate you and put you on an island.

To punch fear in the face:

  1. Write it down.
  2. Refute it (don’t argue it, refute.)
  3. Share it. Fear hates community.

Regret wants you to give your present to your past so you don’t have a future.

“There are enough jerk blogs on the Internet already, right?”

The secret to success is hard work. Quit looking for short cuts. (This was actually credited to Scott Stratten but it landed in the midst of these tweets and it fits.)

1 Insult + 1,000 Compliments = 1 Insult. Why do we do this? Let the haters go

JOY is contagious! =)

World change always starts with life change.

Want to dominate @instagram? Tilt the camera!

You used to believe you were awesome! We all did!

The UNSTUCK are UNSTOPPABLE!

Never forget what it is to be led/guided! No one likes a person with huge ego who thinks they’re done learning.

And there you have them. My notes from BlissDom. It was an experience that I will never forget and one that I hope to repeat, even better, next year!

April 5, 2013

BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience – Part 3

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I already shared with you a few tweets from before BlissDom and then a flurry of them from a 5:00 A.M. session with Jon Acuff, known as #5Club. And yesterday hosted a compilation of tweets from Jon Acuff, Shelly Kramer, John Morgan, Annie Downs and Lisa Leonard. Today we will visit a few more  BlissDom Breakout Session tweets.

Tami Heim – Take Five: How to Gather & Get Your Momentum

tami heim BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 3

“To begin, begin.” Yup. You’ve got to just throw yourself out there.

Vision – you can only seize what you can see

Figure it out: Here’s who I am and how I can make a difference!

Initiative – you won’t (can’t) leave home without it!

Focus – the sharper it is … the sharper you are

Shift from intuitive to intentional – if it’s still on the list in 6 months (big picture list) – figure out why!

Responsibility – the only thing you can’t give up

Attitude – as you think … so you are

What is it about me that is causing this situation to exist? And if things are great – build on what is working!

What is it about you that makes you great? Recognize your own strengths!

Chase your BLISS here, but take it with you when you leave.

Assessing my attitude and noticing that I need to STOP allowing others to define who I am and what I can do!

Wendy Scherer: Using Data for Creative & Impactful Marketing

wendy scherer 300x276 BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 3

I didn’t attend this breakout session but I did RT notes a few times. =)

You are more than your traffic. Show the world all you have to offer

Traffic is just one piece of what you bring to the table.

Megan Jordan: Uninterrupted Thought: The Power of Focus

Megan Jordan BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 3

Or this one. =)

“Being human has limits: build boundaries”

“I have no time” is an excuse. You must set boundaries. You must create in the time you are given.

Empty yourself out before you consume.

Friday Afternoon at BlissDom 287x300 BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 3Susan Cain: Keynote (author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller QUIET: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can’t Stop Talking)

susan cain BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 3

When you’re comfortable w/ who you are, you’re more likely to share w/ the world

“There is a transcendent power in solitude.” ~ Susan Cain ~ –> This is why we need to unplug from technology! Too much noise!

Be aware of who you are and not how the world perceives you.

Have you taken Susan Cain’s Quiet Quiz? Are you an introvert or an extrovert? (Introvert here … most of the time!)

Introvert in person. Extrovert online. People are always surprised when I tell them that crowds are painful for me.

Children need to know that ” who they are innately is wonderful.”

If you’re an extrovert and your child is an introvert, take delight in who your kid is. Tell them they’re amazing- they are.

People’s social skills can change over time, but who they are remains the same

Solitude leads to revelations!

Shyness is about your social judgment. Introversion is about where you draw your energy.

Some children have a longer runway before they take off. Don’t push them to be who they aren’t.

Just a few more sessions to tweet through. This series should finish up tomorrow. Hope you’re enjoying gleaning some of the inspiration from my BlissDom experience!

April 4, 2013

BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience – Part 2

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twitter BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 2In yesterday’s post I shared with you a few tweets from before BlissDom and then a flurry of them from a 5:00 A.M. session with Jon Acuff, known as #5Club. Today we will visit a few BlissDom Breakout Session tweets. I confess to having missed Scott Stratten’s opening keynote. But … I just started listening to one of his audio books and the guy is AWESOME … and funny! Maybe I’ll share a book review once I finish the book!

Jon Acuff – The 3 Stages of Every Awesome Idea

Jon Acuff 231x300 BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 2

“choreplay” LOL

Every marriage has a how person and a wow person! ~ I think I’m the “wow!”

“Dreaming and Blogging are a great team sport!”

Be the support you wish you had!

We need people in our life who love us enough to tell us the things we don’t want to hear!

Be awesome LATER! #blogging spend time and energy creating ideas

Produce first, be awesome later

“Write down every idea. Be awesome, later!

If you want support for your dream, support somebody elses first. Be the support you wish you had! If you want support for your dream, GIVE support!

Give your friends and family the grace to NOT understand your dreams

Most powerful resource in blogging is honesty!

“Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”

Shelly Kramer: Writing for the Web: What, Why, and How to Kick Butt At It

Shelly Kramer BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 2(I wasn’t IN this session but I picked up a few tweets that inspired me enough to retweet them)

Keywords are bite sized chunks of info that tell search engines what your blog is about.

Link to relevant pages approximately every 120 words in your post.

link out the right way: link early, link phrases not single words, link relevant phrases

In case you aren’t at #Blissdom @ShellyKramer has blog posts with the stuff she’s sharing today.  V3 -vision. voice. value

 

John Morgan: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

johnmorgan BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 2(I wasn’t in this one either.)

Focus on trust before you even think about selling something.

First key to building your brand is being a resource. Not a service provider

Attention doesn’t = trust

“When it comes to branding, visibility gets you in the door, and ability keeps you there.”

The only difference between you and your competition is your brand

Everything you do is branding.

“Your brand is NOT a campaign, it’s a commitment. You have to own it!”

Make a list of things your competition does NOT do…and go out and do those things.

People connect to you because of YOU, not just your topic.

Annie Downs: Write Now: How to Write Wisely

annie downs 300x161 BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 2(or this one)

“Don’t tell everyone everything. You make an impact when you speak honestly about the right thing at the right time.”

You need to blog about what you wish someone else was blogging about

Write it out when you have strong emotions, post it when you’re calm.

Write when you feel. Publish when you don’t.

Do the things your competition isn’t doing. Your competition is missing out. You fill that need.

Don’t fear honesty. Don’t fear transparency. Fear foolishness.

“To begin, begin.” Yup. You’ve got to just throw yourself out there.

Lisa Leonard: Telling Your Story Authentically And Without Apology

lisa leonard BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 2

Authentic stories have conflict + they make you more relatable.

My story is good and bad. Honesty requires sharing both!

Authentic stories have setting, characters, and conflict. We each have a story to tell!

Click on the speakers’ photos to go to their individual websites or blogs. I’ll post some more notes tomorrow.

April 3, 2013

BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience – Part 1

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twitter BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 1Want to know what I learned and was inspired by at BlissDom? Here’s a quick look at the thoughts that inspired me to share via Twitter.

Before the Bliss Began:

My son helped me load my car tonight and told me that he hopes Jennifer packs lighter than I do! LOL!

God bless Texas. {for their hospitality, their weather, and mostly for their Tex-Mex} Amen.

ConAgra foods is donating food for every tweet from #Blissdom using #childhunger. So. Get used to it.

5Club BlissDom Was a Tweet Experience Part 1

5:00 (in the A.M.) – #5Club with Jon Acuff

On social media: “Friends before favors.”

If you RT, place @mention at end because your followers know you not them.

Yes, I’m in my first #blissdom session at 5 a.m.

Tweeting about your post should be a small percentage of your total tweets.

I keep analytics at arms length.

Use twittercounter.com

End with a question only when appropriate! If a question will wreck your post … don’t leave reader with that!

Multiple uses of one piece of content. How do I make my content work harder.

Respond to people who are kind to you. Don’t engage the haters!

A man with experience is never slave to a man with an opinion.

Respond to 100 people who like you before you respond to 1 person who hates you.

Pinterest, Facebook & Twitter are tools. Know how they work and why you’re using them!

Start slow. Don’t promise and then not deliver.

To grow your own community participate in other communities.

Be careful how you comment! Would you say it in their living room?

Good seasonal content? Post it again next year!

Tweet where you WERE not where you ARE - exception: live events

Keep your promises (writing, blog, social media)

Live your life in the moment! Social media can be a trap.

We are the first generation that will have to talk to our kids about their digital footprint.

Pinterest – start broad and then specialize as you see patterns - On Pinterest, I start broad then narrow down to niche boards

Writers block? Trust in the list!

Guest posts to build an audience

Nobody has posted a funny photo of you online! (Don’t click that link!)

Make the platform work for you … Not you for the platform

3 types of blogs, passion, idea or thought, life – reality show in my house

You have an unwritten social contract on your blog – don’t break it!

Facebook is a conversation. Don’t twitter bomb it!

Write about issues not individuals – don’t put chum in the water for sharks

Links to posts are scheduled – everything else is (live) in the moment (scheduled social media posts)

Make the conversation wide enough to engage a variety of people

There’s too much stuff in the world for some of us to know all of it!

Wow! I took more notes before breakfast than I realized! I’ll have to divide my twitter notes up into a few separate posts.

 

April 2, 2013

Seeing Myself Through The Eyes of BlissDom

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BlissDom 2013 was too big, and impressed me too much, for just one recap post so I will be writing several posts about the experience on both of my blogs. Here’s a link to a post about my journey TO BlissDom, that I published earlier today, on Masterpiece.

BD13Logo Blue 500x206 Seeing Myself Through The Eyes of BlissDomOne of the most awesome things about BlissDom is getting pampered. Valet parking, maid service, no dishes to wash or laundry to deal with, it’s my dream come true! This year the BlissChicks took pampering us to an all new level with a fabulous Bliss Suite sponsored by One2One Network, Office Candy, V05, and NYX Cosmetics. We were able to schedule appointments to have our hair done (courtesy of V05), be professionally made up (by makeup artists from NYX Cosmetics) and then have a professional headshot photo taken by Kate Mackley. I had signed up to have my hair done at 8:00 (in the A.M.) but didn’t catch onto the fact that I needed a separate appointment for makeup and photo until later so that appointment was set for 2:00. Fortunately I was one of the few early birds in the Bliss Suite so I was able to be beautified and photographed first thing Friday morning! I have to admit that I didn’t have it together enough to take pictures of the experience but fortunately there is a FlickR stream for BlissDom photos so I can give you some idea of what the Bliss Suite was like.

O2O BlissSuite Seeing Myself Through The Eyes of BlissDomI had my hair and makeup done, got my photo taken, and then headed out to face whatever bliss might come my way! I encountered “bliss” in some interesting places! Those who know me well are very aware that I have a HUGE soft spot in my heart for the minions, from Despicable Me, and there was one in the hall posing for photos! I stopped and had my photo taken with the little guy and uploaded it to Facebook. Then I realized that the buttons on my dress were crooked so I got back in line for a second photo which I posted on Twitter.

902868 10151288063650947 39304482 o Seeing Myself Through The Eyes of BlissDomWithin moments my phone was chiming like crazy with people commenting on my Facebook photo. I knew it was cute but … really? Several people commented that I should make it my profile photo and one gal cropped the minion out so I could have just me in the picture. Bear in mind that I hadn’t seen my head shots yet but I knew they were coming. And I really had no idea that hair and makeup had made such a difference. But I changed my profile photo, liked all the comments, and went on about my day.

BF JH3WCcAEva r Seeing Myself Through The Eyes of BlissDomAt some point that afternoon I was sitting in a session that wasn’t really speaking to me so I quietly got up, left the conference room, and went to wander among the vendors. The California Raisins were there with artist, Doug Shannon of Event Toons, doing caricatures of people. There was a short line so I decided to go ahead and have him draw me. That’s when I began to realize that what people were seeing was more than hair and makeup.  My knees were feeling weak so I had asked if I could sit on a stool while he drew my cartoon. They loaned me one, I sat, and Doug started talking and drawing. He began with my eyes and I saw something that I hadn’t seen in far too long … happy eyes! I was blown away and I said, “Whoa! Those are happy eyes!” He stopped drawing and looked at me rather quizzically and responded that he just draws what he sees. I shook my head at him and told him that I had been waging war with depression for over 5 years. He  said, “maybe so but there is not a depressed person sitting in front of me today!” He finished my cartoon, posted it to Twitter for me, and printed a copy to attach to my name badge. Every time I looked at it … I smiled … because he had seen happiness in my eyes!

That evening my head shot photos were available and I posted them on Facebook and asked people which one I should use for my profile. There was a consensus that photo number 1 was the best but that the third one was more “me” since I always wear glasses.

profilephotocollage Seeing Myself Through The Eyes of BlissDom

Later several people made comments about how different I was this year, happier, more peaceful, more open and friendly. I was, still am, blown away! And I wish every single one of you could see yourselves through the eyes of BlissDom!

Some of the words that are STILL making me smile:

“this doesn’t look like the same person that was in your last photo!” – Martha

“Have you always been this person? Have you transformed, or were you hiding this?” – Barb

“I wish I had had a chance to visit with you this year! I have to tell you that every time I saw you, I couldn’t help but notice how different you looked this year. The awesome red hair, the fun spikey-ness, and your great jewelry. I saw so many smiles coming from you this year. It made me happy.” – Sherry

“Beth :: you made me smile every time I saw you! Running around with a chicken with my head cut off! Your spirit was so encouraging! Great to have you at Blissdom this year!” – Dedra

“Beth everytime I saw you, you looked like you were really enjoying yourself. I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet. ” – Candy

 

April 1, 2013

More Blog History

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betterwriter More Blog History

Part 1 of my blogging history is here.

Once I transferred from Blogger to WordPress, I started to take my blogging a little more seriously. Less quantity perhaps as I began to wander away from the memes but more quality. I participated in 31 Days to Build a Better Blog (Darren Rowse/ProBlogger) with the SITS Girls. Click here to visit ProBlogger. (I highly recommended this program by the way and here is a link to get it for 40% off the regular price! Click here to view more details .) My blog grew by leaps and bounds and I was learning all sorts of wonderful things about some of the more technical aspects of blogging … as well as writing.

hacker 248x300 More Blog History2011 was not, by and large, a year that I would want to repeat. I signed up for the Relevant Conference in October and that was the high point of my year. I would definitely recommend it to any Christian Woman blogger. In fact it could benefit any blogger whether they are a Christian woman or not! But before I got on that train to Pennsylvania … we had a lot of family stress brought on by an adult child who chose her addictions over her kids in addition to job, financial and health stress. I blogged about all of it without much reservation. Then in August of 2011 my mom contacted me and told me that her antivirus would no longer let her visit my blog. Similar messages followed from a number of friends. Some how a hacker had gotten into my website (through a Tim Thumb vulnerability in a plug-in). I did a number of things to try to get rid of the malware to no avail. I didn’t have the money to hire someone to fix it for me and I wanted it fixed now. I backed my content up as well as I knew how, held my breath, and deleted all 3 of my blogs! Yep … I wiped them out completely!

Then I rebuilt them from scratch. I’ve always done my own blog design and building. Still learning some of those things. I couldn’t figure out how to restore my content so I just started over. New beginnings are one of my favorite things anyway and I decided I had a choice. I could be miserable over what had happened or I could embrace the opportunity for a fresh start. I chose to embrace the chance to begin again.

I went to the Relevant Conference in October and came home to jump headfirst into our busy season at work so I didn’t have a whole lot of blogging time available until February. Then I made a comment about wanting to go to Blissdom but it would take a miracle … and a blog friend paid my way so I could go. It was beyond awesome and I heard a couple of speakers with the potential to rock my world … blogging and otherwise. Jon Acuff  & Jeff Goins I came home determined to write more and better and to quit worrying about numbers and comments! I decided to give up my health and fitness blog because I didn’t just love it and I didn’t have time to keep 3 blogs going. And I started pursuing opportunities to hone this writing craft.

Okay … so what is my blogging dream? I want to find a way to make this blogging thing make enough money to support my family. Whether I do that through advertising (dubious), e-books, or conventional publishing … I want to write and make a living at it. I also want to encourage and inspire … especially women. I want to share my struggles, not for your sympathy, but to encourage you that God is faithful … even in the darkest places.

I am still a niche-less blogger. Solidly faith-based but other than that … I write whatever I feel led to write in the moment. And I’m loving it! Thanks for reading!

April 7, 2012

Branding Me – A Bit of the Bliss

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i am 238x300 Branding Me A Bit of the BlissI am. 2 tiny words. 3 letters and a space. And yet such depth of meaning. I am is the name by which many of our Biblical fathers have known the Lord. I am speaks of power, creativity, glory, etc. I am, and all the things that we are, is part of the way in which we are made in His image. Therefore it is important, maybe imperative, for each of us to figure out what, and who, I am. Not what I do, I think, I believe, I want … I am!

I attended several sessions at Blissdom. Of those that I attended there are 3 which made a solid impact on my heart and mind. And while I am still ruminating on, and working through, those thoughts, and their resultant actions, I wanted to share just a bit of the bliss with you.

Tami Heim led a Business Track session entitled Branding You: The Merger Between Their Perception and Your Reality. She gave us 3 worksheets: Core Values, Strengths, and The Intentional Framework (we were given permission to share and I have typed them out for any of you who may want to do this activity).  We began with the core values sheet and narrowed our core values down from 40+ possibilities to 5. (I think everyone who had to cut family from that final 5 felt a little guilty!) Then we moved to the Intentional Framework and listed our Core Values in order of priority and identified 4 or 5 of our greatest strengths.  Part 2 was identifying our goals and the impact those goals would have on our world. And then we took a personal stand and used the things we had discovered to write an “I AM” statement. I found this to be a really powerful and emotional activity …

I am a transparent, and imperfect,  follower of Jesus. I am loving, warm, receptive, non-judgmental, and real! I am choosing daily gratefulness in pursuit of abundant joy. My desire is to share my faith and encourage others towards a joyful and abundant life!

I am still processing this activity and may further adjust my definition of who I am (plus finish Part 3 which is where we make the merger) but for now … this is who I am.

Who are YOU?

February 29, 2012

Quit Judging – Start Dreaming

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Are you tempted to judge, evaluate, compare yourself? I surely am! I stepped on the scale at the doctor’s office yesterday and felt my heart sink. The number makes me feel unworthy of good health. I sat in the chair in my bedroom this morning and caught a glimpse of my unclothed body in a full length mirror and recoiled in disgust. I sat on my scooter chair at Blissdom this past weekend and wondered why the social thing is so hard for me when it looks so easy for others. I sat in learning sessions pondering SEO, keywords, Google Rank, etc. and found my blogging to be unworthy of following.

Some of those things are within my power to change … although it will take dedication, determination, discipline, and good old-fashioned hard work! But that’s beside the point. The point is that I need to learn to love, accept, and appreciate who I am right now … or I’ll never be content with the changes and improvements!

Jon Acuff, one of the speakers at BlissDom, spoke to this in the Friday morning keynote. He encouraged us to define our dreams and refuse to allow the external to limit those dreams! To not compare my beginning with someone else’s middle! And learn to ignore the (negative) voices. The only way to avoid having rocks thrown at us is to lay down and do nothing! Refuse to exercise the  muscle of doubt. Etc.

I’ve been ruminating on these things since this weekend. And then today’s Jesus Calling reinforced the message:

Stop judging and evaluating yourself, for this is not your role. Above all, stop comparing yourself with other people. This produces feelings of pride or inferiority; some times a mixture of both. I lead each of My children along a path that is uniquely tailor-made for him or her. Comparing is not only wrong; it is also meaningless.

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

I am who I am. And who I am is pretty awesome!

 

The Joy Dare

24 – 3 Gifts Before 11:00 a.m.

an abundance of clean clothes from which I can choose an outfit for today

a car in which I can drive to work

a handicapped space available in the closest lot

25 – a gift nearly worn out, a gift new, a gift made-do

comfy jeans and threadbare t-shirts

abundant *swag* from the Blissdom Conference

a laptop which will suffice until we can afford to replace a broken computer

26 – 3 gifts seen as reflections

my *little* cat playing with his reflection in the mirror

blue skies reflected in a puddle after the rain

myself – defined as worthy by the heart of a friend

27 – 3 ugly-beautiful gifts (see ugly as beautiful)

feet after a manicure – flowers on my toes

my abundant collection of Crocs shoes – I know they are ugly but they are so comfortable!

a sinus infection upon return from Nashville gave me a couple of days to rest and recover before returning to work

28 – 3 gifts, from the past, that help you trust the future

journal entries testifying to His goodness

highlighted Bible verses

birthdays and anniversaries

February 28, 2012

Blissdom – A Quick Recap

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BD12Logo Blissdom A Quick Recap

Because Blissdom was a gift, both literally and figuratively, I felt a responsibility to get everything I possibly could out of it … and bring a lot of it back to share with you. The reality is that blog conferences are overwhelming and I tend to come home with my head spinning … full of info and ideas … and it’s just too much! I can’t seem to grab hold of anything specific to implement or share. There’s just too much! But I shall try …

The Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center is MASSIVE! (One of the things I learned is that I should not use all caps for emphasis. I’ll work on that.) Had it not been for my handy little scooter, I would not have enjoyed the weekend at all because there was just too much (literal) ground to cover! It is also incredibly beautiful, with indoor gardens, woodlands, rivers, etc, and fun to meander through! Bert, who went to be my chauffeur, thoroughly enjoyed just wandering around meeting people or sitting on benches watching them. The other thing I would say is that this hotel has the most phenomenally well trained staff I have ever experienced! They drop whatever they are doing to help you find your way. They are incredibly helpful, polite, friendly, etc. I would definitely vacation with them again! I’m seriously missing the wait-staff who rush in to remove my used napkin, empty dishes, etc. today as I needed to make my own bed, pour my own drinks, and pick up my own clutter!

Swag … oh my goodness! If you haven’t been to a conference you have no idea but … I came home with so much stuff! Shoes, Vitamins, Candy, T-shirts, Mugs, Shampoo, Conditioner, Laundry & Housecleaning Products, Books, Software (I won MS Office Professional 2010) in a drawing, etc. There are 4 huge bags full of swag, waiting to be put away, on the futon in my office/guestroom. I cannot imagine what the girls who flew did with all this stuff!

Sessions … some good, some great, some so-so! Bloggers are, by and large, a friendly group and so I never felt unwelcome at any table at which I planted myself. And most of the table talk sessions were warm, friendly, and productive. There was also one where the “Leader” talked loudly on her phone (at the table) during the speaker’s presentation. And one where one person was determined that we all agree with her point of view. But that’s life. There were other tables where I found friends, sisters, like-minds, and common voices, inspiration and excellent input!

Keynotes … Opening keynote was excellent! Closing keynote was, I felt, directed at a much younger demographic than what I fall in. Understandable given the audience! Still some great points! My one wish would be for a morning and evening keynote each day and an opening keynote on Thursday evening. I wanted MORE learning … less parties!

And that is where my age and social anxiety are showing! I felt extremely uncomfortable at the parties. Too loud! Too many distractions! I don’t understand HOW to network in that environment. And so … though I tried every single one of them … I always left early, wishing there was a quieter option for those of us who aren’t party girls!

More details in days to come as I sort through the swag … and my notes … and try to figure out my calling … Am I content with being a hobby blogger or do I want to take this blogging thing to the next level … and am I ready and willing to invest the time, emotion, energy, and money that the next level requires? Not sure yet …

If you have specific questions please ask them in comments and I will attempt to answer in a future post.

And one more lesson from Blissdom … I do NOT like Vanilla Vodka! Especially in Coke! icon smile Blissdom A Quick Recap

February 27, 2012

Let the Bliss Begin

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BD12Logo Let the Bliss Begin

Bert and I got in my car yesterday morning about 8:00 and headed east. We arrived at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center a little past 7:00 last night. We didn’t look around much last night because we were exhausted but we saw enough to convince us that this place is HUGE! This morning Bert wandered around some and then went and got my scooter from the lobby. Once he got back he and I went exploring. Got lost a few times but found our way thanks to some very helpful hotel employees. I ran the scooter into a wall, and over Bert’s foot (whoops), learning to maneuver it. (Turning tight corners is NOT my favorite activity!) Found about a dozen different ways of getting around but I was still feeling lost and seriously overwhelmed. Bert went with me to register and found the easiest way to get from our room to the Blissdom area on his way back. He showed me how to get from here to there so I can now find my way to at least 2 places in this huge maze!

Our room is super nice! I’d like to take both the closet and the bathroom home with me! The closet is a HUGE walk-in … like a separate room almost. The bathroom is really large and has a walk-in shower with a sit down bench. Super for someone with achy knees! This is a limited mobility room so there’s plenty of room to maneuver the scooter.

BD12white FirstBliss Let the Bliss Begin I went to the First Bliss Newbie Meetup and met so many fabulous bloggers! Some that I have built friendships with online like Shell (of Things I Can’t Say) and Chrissy (of Chrissy Inspired). Angela England, a fellow Okie, whom I had met briefly at Bloggy Boot Camp in Austin. And several bloggers that I recognized from Relevant!  I’m a bit overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of bloggers at this conference. (I am so NOT ready for BlogHer yet!) But I am determined to relax, have a wonderful time, and learn lots!

I’ll try to venture back here when I can to share more of the Bliss with you!

By the way … the transmission is trying to go out in my car. Please pray that it doesn’t give out while we’re on the road! Thanks!

February 23, 2012

Standing Out at BlissDom

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I’ve been quietly (for the most part) observing the BlissDom *fever* that is growing, on the BlissDom Newbies FaceBook page,  as the day of the conference draws nearer. One might think that some of these ladies (and a very few gents) had not been out of the house in a VERY long time! Actually … I’m excited too! I even watched a VLOG (something that I almost NEVER do) on how to stand out at BlissDom. Now … honestly … standing out doesn’t require that much effort for me! I am a person of size and I will have burgundy hair. But I wanted some little something that would subtly advertise my blogs to everyone I meet.  We’re talking something beyond the business card … something very unique. I don’t wear baseball caps and except when cleaning the house I’m not a big fan of t-shirts. I already bought a bag to carry so I didn’t want to order a new tote … besides which … those hang on the back of the chair or sit on the floor. Thinking … thinking … One suggestion was a custom iPad skin. LOVE the idea … especially since I WANT an iPad skin … but for taking notes I keep my iPad in a handy little case that contains the iPad and a blue tooth keyboard and props the iPad up for me so I can see it. So … the skin wouldn’t show! More thinking … Yesterday my BlissDom box (prep kit) arrived … including my name tag … which I have asked if I can *decorate* … and they said online that we would be given a plastic badge holder when we check in. Okay … but I don’t like pinning badges to my clothes. They’re always crooked. So I went looking for a lanyard and I found this little beauty on ETSY:

eeyore lanyard 1 Standing Out at BlissDom

And YES … I bought it before I even had time to think about it! I mean … how could I resist? It’s Eeyore!

February 9, 2012
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