21/365 4 more sleeps and a surprise

I was oh so brave when I booked my flight and

purchased my conference ticket 4 weeks ago
for Blissdom but now that I am 4 sleeps away
from a day of travelling alone to a different country,

to a city that I have never been to,
with the task of "being myself and not being nervous,

as truly everyone is just like you"

creating an ocean of butterflies in my stomach.

However, as I listen to the pep talks of my friends

and read the many posts of Blissdom alumni
sharing their past stories
I am finding my big girl panties and

getting ready to make the absolute most of this opportunity.

Deep Breath. Shelf the drama. Just get er done.

and if it's possible (doubtful) it is time to

stop over thinking the situation.

Hey, stop laughing... it could happen and no

I don't see that pig flying either

Anyways, I am finally in a head space of "it is what it is" and

I am who I am, so take it or don't

as I will not allow others opinions to define me.

Perfect, all ready to go.

Then to affirm my feeling of taking on the Blissdom world

there was a large box waiting for me and it

held many treats from the wonderful ladies at Blissdom

and a few of the sponsors ( ConAgra Foods, Freschetta, Hallmark, )

Kaeden and I had a great time looking through the box of treasures,

his favourite was the recordable book from Hallmark,

he had me record the story right away and has been playing it all night.

This would be a great gift for Aunties and Grandmas to get/record for the little

ones in their lives. It was really easy to use, well other than Kaeden and I cracking up

and I would have to re-record it but that wasn't the books fault!

I love the cookbook and the very fancy looking pizza cutter.

There was also some cool popcorn (that pops into its own bowl, have to love that Mr. Redenbacher - the stop sign in the picture is of the popcorn box), a few coupons (I just hope we can get most of these products in Canada, I will have to look into that), and a $10 visa card (for food to make a recipe out of the cookbook)

We are off to a good start, that Blissdom and I!

putting on the big girl panties and warming up that cowbell...

this is the year that I am committed to creating change.

change in my immediate world

change in myself

change in my city

change in my world at large

the action plan is not finished

but I am learning that in order to move forward

I need to just start moving my feet and

GASP, not over think every move I make.

change is hard

and it will push you.

it is so easy to not do things

that will make you feel uncomfortable

and decide that you are actually

happy the way everything is

and maybe nothing needs to be changed.

but in my heart I know that there is more

and I need to dig deep and put on those

big girl panties, close my eyes, grab that cowbell

and just jump in.

first up?

a HUGE step for me.

I am going to a Social Media/Blogging Conference,

in Nashville... on my own.

I will not know a soul.

There will be very successful women in attendance.

Many of these women know each other from prior conferences.

Up until know I have been a dabbler in Social Media.

I have a blog with a few readers.

I tweet. I take pictures and post every day. I tell stories.

I am quirky. Hopefully I make a few people smile everyday.

However, I am not a blogger.

Not like Dooce or Pioneer Women or NieNie.

Will I walk into this conference and be laughed right out of the room?

likely not. However, will I be over my head? likely.

Will there be times I will be very uncomfortable and standing in a corner

like the girl at the school dance avoiding eye contact? most likely

Will I spend many a moment wondering if anyone will talk to me?

If they are talking to me, do I sound like a dork?

You know, your average, run of the mill insecurities!

I am very lucky to have a supportive husband (and children)

who are encouraging me to take this "blog thing" out for a spin

and see what I can do with it.

With my personal blog aside, any knowledge that can be gathered

on social media and how to efficiently use it is valuable knowledge in

our emerging business culture where understanding and better yet,

being able to implement a successful Social Media strategy will be key.

I am scared though.

It is a large financial and personal investment.

There is a million "what ifs" running through my mind

but starting last year and forever carrying on, is my

need to listen to my head and heart and if it feels like

the right thing to do...then make it happen.

Blissdom starts January 26th with focused courses in Business, Writing, Creativity, Being new to Blogging, and Niche markets(classroom environment). I am going to concentrate on Business and Writing.

The 27th and 28th is conference style but also with 3 different threads, Writing, Professional and Brand Partnership. All of the sessions look valuable and it is going to be difficult to

choose which ones to attend.

you may be asking why am I putting myself out there and making such a large investment?

other than feeling like it is the right thing to do?

I have a voice and a platform.

I'm not much of a tooter of my own horn,

but I have received many wonderful comments

about my writing and my photography.

and

I want to change the world.

These two things can work together,

and I need to figure out how

is the best way to do it.

Blissdom I think is my ticket.

I have never tried to make this blog anything more

than my little corner of the world and

have never done any of the things that you need to do

to expand your readership.

However, if I am going to change the world

I need all the tools I can get.

My voice and ability to see the world through a lens

is a good start.

As well I have a wonderful base

of faithful readers.

It just seemed that developing my social media

and blogging skills makes the most sense in my quest

for world peace.