What Blissdom Taught Me

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Hey y’all!

Today I’m going to do my best to talk about the things I learned from Blissdom. There are so many thoughts going through my head, and I hope this post makes sense when I’m done! :)

Blissdom was more than just a few days of fun with the  girls. It was an incredible learning experience in an uplifting, supportive environment. I have never felt more accepted and supported by a group of people I barley know for doing what I do. I was in a place with 750+ women (and a few men!) who get me, who understand why I share my life online, and who realize how online friendships are real friendships. It was an incredible place to be, and it was difficult rejoining the real world. Today, I want to share what Blissdom taught me about life and blogging.

First, I want to share the opening video.

BlissDom ’12 – Opening Video from Blissful Media Group on Vimeo.

Let me tell you, that video got me even more excited about the conference! What a wonderful way to start!

Our opening keynote speaker, Jon Acuff, was the perfect person to start off the conference. He said so many inspiring things that I struggled to write down and tweet everything I wanted to remember! Here are a few of his words that stuck with me.

“Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”
“Finding your dream isn’t an act of discovery. It’s an act of recovery.”
“Make time for the things that matter.”
“Social media never sleeps. You’ll never say ‘Hey, I’ve finished Twitter for today.’”
“Critics math: 1 insult + 1000 compliments = 1 insult”
“Learn to disappoint the right people. Make a list of who you don’t want to disappoint and ignore the rest.”
“Cinderella runs Disney like Jay-Z runs New York.”
Hey, it was too good not to share!
Another thing he talked about was ignoring the haters, not listening to the negative voices in your head. He asked us to tell him on Twitter what our voices tell us. Here’s what I sent to him.
That insecure part of me tells me over and over that I’ll never be good enough. Jon told me that I am good enough!
I wish I could remember everything he said. There were times when I felt like he was speaking directly to me. He was absolutely wonderful. He gave us all signed copies of his book Quitter, and I can’t wait to get started on it.
The first session I attended was called “Living and Embracing the Best Life You Have Created for Yourself”, and it was taught by Jeannette Kaplun. I have two full pages of notes from her session. Again, I wish I could share everything with you, but I will pick out some of the most important things.
“Some people think things just happen to them. What you do with those things is up to you. You choose how you react.”
“You choose what to do with the lemons life hands you.”
“Your life is a sum of choices. You are empowered. Stop seeing yourself as a victim. Change the questions you ask yourself.”
“Forgive yourself. You can’t live at war with yourself.”
“Live in the moment. If you’re always planning or trying to grab onto a memory, your present slips by.”
“You cannot please everyone because you end up failing the most important person. You!”
“Let go of what ifs, what could have been. It’s energy you need to turn what is into what you want it to be. Let go of what didn’t happen.”
“Forgive! Forgive yourself and forgive others. Forgive even when they didn’t ask for forgiveness.”
Oh, how I needed to hear this! In that moment, I closed my eyes and forgave some people that have hurt me. It felt so good to let those things go!
Another session I attended was called “Stop Monetizing Joy”, and it was led by the fabulous Alli Worthington and Erin Loechner. Here are a few words of wisdom from them!
“Paid passion equals pressure. Pressure dilutes joy.”
“You can’t force a hobby.”
“Just because you can monetize doesn’t mean you should.”
“Hobbies deserve protection and need nurturing. Earning money, by nature, is not a nurturing process.”
In this session, I learned that it is really important to make time for the things that make me happy. I’ll be a happier person and a better person if I make time for those things. I forsee more writing for fun, reading, and piano time in my future!
Again, there are so many things I could talk about that I learned. As I continue to process information and go through notes, I may share more with you in other posts.
One of the biggest things I have taken away from my experience at Blissdom is this: I am a part of an amazing group of women (and men!) that are changing the world. We are bigger than just our small corners of the Internet. We all have a powerful voice and we shouldn’t be afraid to use it.
Blogging is so much more than the numbers, the followers, and the comments. Our blogs should be used to express ourselves and to support and build each other up. There has been so much drama lately that some people have been leaving the blog/twitter world. There’s no need for any of this. We don’t have to agree, and we don’t have to all like each other, but we should support each other as fellow bloggers. If you’re focusing on the numbers and popularity, you’re seriously missing out on the important part of blogging. The world of blogging is so much bigger than any of us.
My blog is something I’ve kept hidden from most of the people in my personal life. I was nervous and a little embarrassed to tell people about it, worried about what they would say or think. Blissdom changed that for me so much that I shared my blog link on Facebook this week! I’m proud of my blog and proud to be part of this wonderful place called Blog Land. Thank you to Alli, Barbara, Paula, and everyone on the Blissdom team for a life-changing weekend!

Comments

  2. says

    {stands up and applauds}

    I’ve watched the opening video several times since coming home, it just energizes me and makes me tear up a bit.

    When I first started blogging I kept my blog hidden, too – I get it :-) Congratulations on opening up and being proud of yourself. You should be.

    Sing your joy to the world! :-)

    Reply

  6. says

    Wow! I’ve been thinking it would be fun to go to Blissdom, but now I KNOW that I have to go. What an amazing, inspirational week!

    Reply

  8. says

    Oh my gosh, how could I have forgotten about Jon Acuff’s Cinderella & Jay Z analogy?! That was hilarious!

    And P.S. You ARE good enough! Love you friend!

    Reply

  10. says

    I love this post. I’m so glad you had such an incredible experience at blissdom! I’m so anxious for it to come around again next year so I can go and experience it! I hear NOTHING but incredible things.

    Reply

  13. says

    Loved reading the recaps you ladies had from Blissdom! This post was amazing, Ashley. I struggle all the time with my blog. I don’t think I’ve told a single person I know IRL life about my current blog. Not even J… and I don’t know why. I have nothing to be ashamed of, but it seems people have a weird stereotype of blogging, and really, mine is nothing special. I need to work on this…

    Reply

  14. says

    I’m so glad you had such a great Blissdom experience!

    As a long-time reader of your blog, I really love it and think it’s awesome that you feel so good about blogging.

    I’m also proud of you for sharing your blog! I also keep it a sort-of secret, but maybe I will be able to share it too someday.

    Reply

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