(Kinda late, way too long & all in bullets because that’s the way I feel like rollin’)
This was indeed my reaction to being at Fitbloggin. I adored meeting my peeps.
Our community rocks. I’m woman enough to admit I was terrified a little apprehensive about my trips to BlogHer & Blissdom. The former I feared due to its size & the latter because I knew one woman attending (out of almost 600). I envisioned fitbloggin being like one big PJ Party/Family reunion (made of family members you’ve never actually met before) and it totally was. There are no words for the amazing men & women I (finally) met (in person). We are a group filled with uplifting energy & unconditional positive regard. It bears repeating: OUR COMMUNITY ROCKS.
Together we are greater than merely the sum of our parts(sure this is an extension of bullet one but it’s my blog & you’ll have that). If there were a thread or sentiment of competition/bloggers denigrating others to elevate themselves I never saw it. What I did witness was OGs reaching out to help newbies. SEOIdiots (*raises hand*) receiving patient explanations from self-identified computer geeks & avowed nonrunners being cheered on and encouraged as they wogged the 5k.
My Twitterstream & blog reading feel entirely different now. The ability link a face and a *voice* when reading a post/a tweeter’s words has made a profound impact on me and I already felt pretty damn connected to our healthy living community! Unlike other conferences Ive attended (blogworld and non) everyone I met was as kindlovingamazingsupportive in person as they are online. Ive found myself more excited than ever to follow everyone on their journey. This is the biggest thing I got out of Fitbloggin, pretty much why I went, & 100% why I encourage everyone to attend at least one blog-conference. The face-to-face connection is fantastic.
There’s room enough for everyone. One person’s mindblowing success (from tv show to book to video to stunning!weightloss!story!) does not preclude the rest of us from being successful. This has been my mantra for years & all the men and women I met at Fitbloggin served to reinforce that feeling.
Be yourself. You are enough where you are and the way you are in this moment (and YES. I do realize Ive beaten this horse to death—but it was brought to mind again this past weekend). Prior to Fitbloggin there was the inevitable discussion with regards to dresscode. Did the conference demand business casual? Blogger business casual (which to me is akin to ‘Texas formal’— I’ve nary a clue what it means)? Sporty?Cocktail attire?!The answer, of course, was yes.There were suits (track, professional, & in my case jump) hose & heels, and flip flops (*again raises hand*). There were blazers & yoga bottoms. There were as many variations in attire as there were blogbrands present. The answer was as Id intuited: dress in whatever fashion allows you to project your most authentic self. Yet another reason why our comminuty & its conference rocks.
There’s never enough time. As excited as I was for Fitbloggin I wasnt sure after a weekend Id not be ready and HAPPY to return home. I wasnt sure that 2 days with people I liked from afar wouldnt be enough for me. Happily (& sadly) I found that 48 hrs only left me wanting more. I didnt have enough time to talktalk with many bloggers whom I wanted to meet, I discovered not only did I like the products there but I liked the company reps. & could have chatted with them for hours. I adored being on two panels—-but was bummed to miss out on so many words of wisdom while I served on mine. The entire experience left me wanting more which, I guess, is the sign of a well planned/executed event.
**wipes brow*
That’s me and that’s only the the beginning of my thoughts on the conference.
No photos (I tweeted some but kindasorta dropped the photoball. Did you snap a bunch? PLEASE link your post in the comments!).
Semi-disjointed.
All misfit.
Saturday morning before the 5k. Bonus points if you can find my tired ass self in the picture.
(Kinda late, way too long & all in bullets because that’s the way I feel like rollin’)
This was indeed my reaction to being at Fitbloggin. I adored meeting my peeps.
**wipes brow*
That’s me and that’s only the the beginning of my thoughts on the conference.
No photos (I tweeted some but kindasorta dropped the photoball. Did you snap a bunch? PLEASE link your post in the comments!).
Semi-disjointed.
All misfit.
Saturday morning before the 5k. Bonus points if you can find my tired ass self in the picture.