I came across some content from Gary Vaynerchuk on LinkedIn this week. His insight is very interesting. He states the obvious. The messages I took away from listening to him are:
You need to be optimistic.
Do what you want to do. “You have to figure out how to try shit.”
Find your passion. See what you like and don’t like. You won’t know if you don’t try. “People decide no before you try.”
If you stop caring about what people say if you fail, then you will keep trying things and not care if it doesn’t work out.
Sounds easy right? Well if you stop worrying about it, it truly is easy.
Stop Doing The Same Thing As Everyone Else
Don’t do what everyone else is doing. If you see something that everyone is doing, think outside the box and see how you can offer something to them that is different. Something that will compliment what they are doing. Most people who are successful, failed, or they just tried really hard to get to where they are. The point is, successful people work very hard. Things are handed to them. It isn’t easier for them because they are successful.
People Don’t Give a Shit
The message I continue to hear when listening to Gary’s videos and podcasts are to STOP CARING ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF YOU. Be you. Someone said that to me recently. When I stopped being me, and when I let everything I heard or read bother me; that’s when I lost my confidence in myself. I had to stop comparing myself to others and get back to the me that I used to be. The confident, self-assured me
Be Patient
Patience. It’s not something I have – AT ALL. I am learning real hard how to be patient.
Position yourself in the right position to go out and win.
Think about what you are good at.
You have to keep putting in the work, every day.
There is no quick cure.
Hard work matters and you have to be patient.
If you have drive, you will succeed to get to where you want to be.
I work VERY hard. My family knows that about me. Sometimes I put too much of myself into what I love to do. But that’s because I thrive on it. I want to succeed. I just have to figure out the work/life balance. So when I am not working, I can shut it off and be present.
That is where I struggle. I KNOW what my passion is. It is what I would do if I could do it all the time. I have an entrepreneurship type of personality. I am constantly thinking of ideas on how to do things, learning new things, or finding ways to grow my brand and my knowledge. I don’t believe that you get lucky in life. It is what you put into it.
You have to be self-aware. What are you good at? What do you like doing? Stop caring about what people think. Do your own thing. Be your own person. I am working on me.
Recently I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful woman, Sharon, for a cause that is important to her. Every Halloween she raises awareness to help support local food shelters with a Student Group Competition. She asked for my help in getting the word out via social media. I love her message, “hunger is scary”. I immediately loved what she was doing and told my kids. When we go trick or treating this year, we are going to bring our wagon with us and collect food for our local food pantry. We will also hand out fliers with a link where those who are interested can donate funds to an organization.
After Halloween passes, people focus on the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want those holidays to be significant in many ways this year. They will be bittersweet and will have a lot of emotions attached to them in our community of North Branford this year. But I’d like to do something uplifting and good for our town. I want to continue the spirit of community and caring for your neighbors by keeping the awareness prominent that others we may even go to class with don’t have much.
In the spirit of one of Lyla’s wishes when she left the hospital last year, I’d like to full up our food pantry boxes to overflowing. People come and go with busy lives and may share their lives on Facebook and social media and things may look well and happy; but images say one thing. What someone is really going through may not be displayed. I’d like us to open our eyes to others and not just pass them by as we come and go from our kids’ activities; but let’s “be a community” and talk to one another. Let them know you care.
What Is Hunger is Scary?
Sharon’s organization’s goal is to engage local teenagers in their communities by providing them a way to volunteer on Halloween. Individuals can rally a community around a common cause of fighting hunger by organizing a street, neighborhood, or an entire town to participate in giving.
To help raise awareness to Sharon’s program, I invite you to follow them on their social media channels:
I am also hosting a Twitter Party on Tuesday, October 24 at 8:00 PM ET to raise awareness. Please RSVP to this event to learn more about how you can participate and you can even win prizes!
Well the rumor everyone has been talking about is true. RunDisney is cancelling their races until further notice. The last race weekend to take place in Disneyland is the Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend November 9-12, 2018. I wish I was registered for this weekend since I have not participated in this race weekend in Disneyland yet.
What does this mean for the West Coast?
This is the statement that was released by runDisney today:
We have heard from many of you over the past few months regarding registration for runDisney race weekends at Disneyland Resort. We greatly appreciate your loyalty and dedication to our runDisney race events and want to share the following update with you.
Given the level of construction to support the ongoing Disneyland Resort expansion, we have been working hard to determine how we can continue providing our West Coast participants with the best possible runDisney experience, which is designed around the ability to run throughout our resorts while enjoying entertainment offerings and characters.
After careful consideration and weighing all possibilities, we have made the very difficult decision to place all runDisney race weekends at Disneyland Resort on hiatus beginning in 2018. This includes the associated Coast to Coast Race Challenges.
Anyone who has registered for one of these races will be contacted directly by runDisney today by email and will receive a full refund for registration fees and for any commemorative items they may have purchased.
How do you feel about runDisney cancelling the races?
I am glad that I ran the races during the Labor Day weekend which they had changed from the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge to the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Pixar Challenge. The only events I ever ran in Disneyland were the Disneyland Half marathon weekends for five years in a row in an effort to get my Dumbo Double Dare legacy medal, which I did receive despite the name change for the race challenge.
We all knew this was coming. There was talk of it during the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend stating that the construction of a new hotel in the parking lot where the runners are staged prior to and after the event would cause a problem. There was also the fact that when you asked runDisney about what is happening there wasn’t an answer given. The Star Wars Light Side proof of time date came and went with nothing said at that point either.
Having stated that they are placing the races on hiatus, I am hopeful that when the construction ends and there are new areas and attractions changing in the parks that this means the races will be extra spectacular when they are completed. The races I ran this past September were great. I always loved the race courses in Disneyland. You spend a lot of time in the parks for the 10K and for at least the first 4 miles of the half marathon. This year I also had the opportunity to run the 5K. It was the one and only time I did the 5K in Disneyland and I am so glad I had the opportunity. It really was a lot of fun. I enjoyed every minute of that course.
Are you disappointed to hear of this hiatus? How do you feel about the change? I’d love to read your comments.
Before the BloggyCon conference I received an opportunity to try and review the LipSense lip color and gloss. I had seen several of my friends posting photos of their awesome lip color but I didn’t know what the big deal was about it.
I am very fussy when it comes to my lip color. I prefer only one brand and when I find a brand I like I buy them in bulk! My current brand was Covergirl Smoochies in the color named #text me. But then they stopped making it and I had to search amazon to hook me up with a few more. If my lips don’t have color on them I feel naked!
I agreed to tried the lip product but wasn’t sure how I would feel about a lip stain. I chose the color Napa and the Opal Gloss.
When you apply it you have to apply it with your lips slightly parted open and you will feel a tingling sensation. The reason for that is because of the denatured alcohol inside the tube to keep the product bacteria free. If your lips are dry you will feel the tingle. After using the product for two weeks you may not feel it anymore. It also goes away once you apply the lip gloss.
After applying 3 layers of color, then you apply the gloss. I mean it when I say that the product stays on for the entire day. When your lips begin to feel dry just apply more gloss to freshen them up.
I wore mine through the day, drank tea, ate lunch, went for a run, and had seltzer water throughout the day. All I needed to do was all more gloss from time to time.
The beginning of my day
Halfway through my day
During my run
At the end of the day (notice how tired my eyes look but my lips still have color!)
If you’d like to try LipSense you can order now and receive a 15% discount with the code bloggymoms15 from www.redgatebeauty.com.
Check it out! Now is the perfect time to start buying stocking stuffers for the holidays!
Do your kids have similar objects and you can’t tell whose is whose? Do they leave things behind at school and you are afraid they won’t make it back home? Does your child have an allergy that you want people to be aware of? Mabel’s Labels has you covered…. literally!
What are Mabel’s Labels
Stay organized this school year with their wide variety of waterproof name labels and tags. Perfect for school supplies big and small, these labels are guaranteed to stay put through the dishwasher and laundry. And yes, they really do stay on! This Mabel’s Labels has you covered with even more amazing options than ever before!
They aren’t just for school lunch boxes or jackets. Mabel’s labels has tech skins, sports labels, iron on clothing labels, allergy labels, bag tags, storage bin labels, pantry labels, safety bracelets and so much more!
About Mabel’s Labels
Today, Mabel’s Labels is the best-known brand of durable labels for families, and our growing line of products features baby labels, child safety products, sports labels, household organizational labels and seasonal items. They’re extremely durable, they’re laundry, dishwasher and microwave safe – and they’re 100% guaranteed.
Join the Party
Join me and Mabel’s Labels on Tuesday, October 17th for a Twitter Party #WMRMabelsLabels to win prizes and learn more about their great products and get a sneak peek at their holiday line!
I consider this year a transitional year for me. I started off the year needing strength to get through the emotions I was feeling with the death of my son’s best friend on Christmas Day. I also started off the year running the Dopey Challenge in Walt Disney World as I have done the past several years. Now as we approach Fall, the leaves are changing, the light is changing and our family routines are changing; I am also feeling a very strong pull in my life for change. It’s time for me to head down a new road.
What Is Changing
I’m changing. My life goals are changing. My children are changing. Our family is changing. I mainly feel the pull to move into a career where I will be doing what I love to do, working in social media. That is my passion and I am not living my passion right now. People who know me, know that I enjoy social media. And when you start talking to me about blogging or social media, the excitement is noticeable in my voice.
I am officially searching for a new job to work in the Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing field. It was scary at first to update my resume and start the search, but if I wasn’t pushed I wouldn’t have started. I am very grateful to my friends and my family and my husband for their support in helping me achieve this goal. I have some good leads and I pray every day that the right plan for my life will happen.
I have noticed that the more I let go, the more things are gently landing in my lap. It seems when I try too hard and push too much I just end up frustrated because I am not getting the results I want, and not in the time frame that I want. Letting go is a big deal for me. I prefer to control everything and this is a hard lesson that I am learning.
My fears
I was fearful that I wasn’t good enough. I had been struggling with this for a year. I am now learning that the reason why I feel this way about myself is because I am not feeding myself with positive affirmations. I am letting my negative thoughts get the better of me. I am falling slave to my doubts. I AM capable, I do have the qualifications, I am really good at what I do.
My Growth
I invested in myself this year. That is why I consider it a transitional year. I invested in attending three blogging conferences and they have been phenominal. I went to Mom2.0Summit in May, #BlogHer17 in June, and BloggyCon in September. At all three conferences, my friend Claudia Krusch, was there. I met at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration in 2015. We had the chance to connect at each conference. And at each conference we got to spend more and more time with each other.
At the BloggyCon conference I even had the wonderful pleasure of spending dinners and free time with her family. Her husband and son were so kind to allow me to tag along with them. We really had an enjoyable time and Claudia even sent me a sweet message that she had a very fun weekend spending time with me. THAT is what filled my heart and soul. THAT made me feel that I am good enough.
I also had the chance to spend time with Elayna Fernandez and her beautiful daughters Elisha and Elyssa on Sunday afternoon when the conference was over. My flight home was late in the evening, so we were able to go to Cedar Park for several hours and ride the rides. I had met Elayna and her girls at the #BlogHer conference in June and they were so welcoming and friendly. It was very special to me to spend time with them for the afternoon.
The conferences were exactly what I needed. After I came home from the first conference I was physically exhausted. I believe that was because I poured my entire self into learning as much as I could, networked with many people and brands, and worked hard to up my game. Each conference was unique and I acquired great information, resources, and connections from each conference. I plan on attending all three of them again next year!
Where Am I Heading
While I don’t know specifically where I will be working in the future, I do know where I want to be. I want to wake up every day with no regrets. I want to feel like my career isn’t a job. I want that job to be an extension of my personality and my desires. One day, I would love for my blogging and social media influencing to be my full time job. I am working real hard to get there. It DOES NOT happen over night. It will take several more years of hard work and great support from others. But I believe that I can do it.
I am also working on a presentation so that I can teach a seminar at the next BloggyCon in 2018. I enjoy speaking in front of people, and I also enjoy teaching people new things. I think this will be a great avenue for me to build my audience and my credibility in the social media marketing community.
It’s time for me to let go. Elayna’s blog post about quitting was something I had been reading often to help me stay focused on my desire to make a change. She said:
“Giving up is not a sign of weakness or failure, it can be a sign that we’ve had enough, that we have outgrown a certain person, path, or purpose, or that we simply are ready for a new adventure that is more in alignment with our true calling. Surrender and allow yourself to quit that which makes you unhappy or unfulfilled, so that you can free up your time for new opportunities and possibilities to show up and to do what you love and brings you life.”
Walt Disney said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
