Being Authentic: You Must be You

Being Authentic is key in getting others to invest time, money and energy into you.  However you can't let the noise of the world distract you from being you.

Source of Background

When navigating the web Branding and Marketing are the topics that pop up on many online communities. From Facebook ads, tweets and pins branding and marketing are constantly trending.  If you seek to be seen and want to be considered relevant, you must create a brand for yourself .  This brand is for you personally and whatever business you wish to market.  Are you familiar with this ideology?  I get engulfed with YOU MUST BRAND, YOU MUST MARKET….  What about YOU MUST BE YOU?What if everyone just decided I am going to be the most authentic me that I can be? Wouldn’t that be refreshing. 

As a blog addict ( I read, review and follow blogs daily...I love blogging) I have come across all types of blogs and I can tell as soon as I hit the front page who has bought into the marketing and branding but left the most important ingredient - the author (you).

 

“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are”. (Brene Brown)  In order to embrace your true purpose and authentic self you must let go of many things.  You must let go of the image that others have embedded in you.  These images may include how your parents view you and the expectations that they have placed on you.  They may also include the past decisions and actions that have followed you like a dark cloud.  Let go of everything that hinders you from what God has purposed you to be, gain understanding of this and walk in your purpose. “The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out”. Proverbs 20:5 ESV.

Being you is at the heart of being successful.  It is hard trying to be someone or something that you are not.  My goal is to be a person that lives life pursuing the best version of me. 

Here's some more inspiring quotes on Being Authentic:

How do you balance Branding and Marketing while remaining authentic?  Please share in the comments.

My Favorite Blogging Resources!

The New Year is quickly approaching and with a New Year comes planning and making Resolutions or Goals.  Currently I am in the process of making goals and planning for this years Blogging Journey.  After going through all of the Resources that I have on hand already, I came up with my top four resources to implement fully in the upcoming year.  Although I may implement other resources I want to make sure that I use what I already have and what seems to be working quite well. All of the items below are free in some way.  All of the resources are worth the time and effort that was put into compiling them so that a blogger like me can really take off.  I appreciate Ruth, Darren, Sarah & Kevin and Jeff!

How To Blog For Profit: Without Selling Your Soul

I have been following Ruth Soukup for quite some time on Living Well and Spending Less.  Her website is an oasis of information on how you can live well and spend less. She literally touches all facets of life.  What I truly have learned to love about her is her willingness to teach others the craft of blogging and how to take your blog to the next level. This book can be purchased from Amazon.com as a paperback or kindle. Currently if you are a kindle unlimited customer you can read for free.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog

If you have been looking for resources on Blogging than I know that the name Darren Rowse of ProBlogger has cross your path.  His library of resources has expanded over the years and his information is ever-growing and relevant to any blog niche.  I was fortunate enough to get a digital copy when the series or challenge of 31 Days to build a Better Blog  first began. Please don't do like I did and put it to a time called someday.

Currently Darren has added a 31 day series of Podcast to accompany each day.  This year I will work through the series in a way that will be meaningful to the stage of my blog.  Some of the task I am not yet ready to do however I will be soon.  

30 Day Blogging Challenge

The 30 Day Blogging Challenge is not just a challenge to churn out blog post, however you will have to post for 30 days. The main thing about this challenge is the 30 Days worth of resources and tools that will address the many facets of blogging that will take your blog from being just another blog to a blog that is becoming viable and alive where traffic comes and clicks are made. Sarah has truly out did herself on this challenge!  Its awesome and I love the Facebook Group where she supports us every step of the way!

Intentional Blogging Challenge

The Intentional Blogging Challenge is a challenge that only last 12 days, These 2 days will incorporate the lessons in those 12 days that will make a world of difference in your blogging journey. Jeff Goins the author of Goins Writer has captured the essence of blogging in a meaningful way from a writer's point of view.

I hope you find these resources useful in your own personal blogging journey. If you have a favorite resource please share with us below in the comments section. Thanks.

Please stop by my Resources for Blogging Pinterest Board for more great finds!

Disclosures:  
The image of desk is from Jill Levenhagen Collection of stock photos

What is Wellness? Creating a Wellness Plan

The Health and Wellness industry has been increasingly growing in the last two decades.  I wonder to myself why such an increase in paying close attention to our health and wellness? Based on my observations, I would suggest that the number of unhealthy individuals have increased in vast numbers rapidly that the industry need is growing right along with it. The pharmaceutical companies are one of the many entities that has reaped the benefit of our downfall.  I feel that there must be a better way to address our own personal wellness without funding the growth of the Health and Wellness industry.  That doesn't mean that some products and services are not beneficial and necessary. However wellness starts from within.

We can take charge of our wellness and turn this around.  With every great thing comes a plan!

First off let’s talk about what wellness encompasses. Wellness is a state of being that incorporates several dimensions in our lives.  It is not just a clean bill of health from your local physician, it is more intricate than that.

Wellness begins by being aware of yourself and what makes you uniquely you.  For the purpose of this post I will base my findings on these five broad dimensions of wellness: mental, physical, spiritual, social and emotional wellness.

Throughout this blog I will address these five areas by providing information and resources on personal development, life, family, mental health, fitness, nutrition and inspirational posts.

There are many ways to assess your own wellness.   Self-help is the start of all personal development.  If you want to grow into a healthier life you have to first self-evaluate and determine what your goals are and develop a plan.  Within your plan you will evaluate your life based on these five areas mental, physical, spiritual, social and emotional wellness.  Upon completion you can begin the process of creating short and long term goals to later develop into more detailed steps.

Make sure that when you complete the form that you address all of the questions within the plan.  Even if you just write it out on a plain piece of paper.  It is more effective when you write out your plans. 


I’ve created a document where you can sit down and evaluate yourself to begin the process of creating a Personal Wellness Plan.

DOWNLOAD

 Please come back and share how this plan helped you in any way.

Disclosures:  
The image of desk is from Jill Levenhagen Collection of stock photos. 
This planner is for personal use and utilizes information from other sources. 

The Story of Me and Blogging

The Story of Me and Blogging! 

Over the last five years, I have tried my hand at Blogging.  Initially, when I started it was for all the wrong reasons.  I saw a few blogs posted on social media during a time when social media had really entered the age of familiarity.  Prior to that I did not know exactly what a blog entailed or the fact that anyone could create a blog.  As a matter of fact blogging goes as far back as yahoo messaging and chat groups.  Remember that was the biggest thing going on around 1998. (Don’t quote me on those dates). This is just my personal reflection of how I grew to understand and love social media and the many possibilities.  I am still in the discovery stage even now.  

As we jump forward to the present time it seems like a blog is something everyone has!  You get a blog, you get a blog and you get a blog.  Everyone gets a blog!

Now that you have a blog - now what?  Is your blog a place on the web that collects dust and the content is infrequent and stale as old bread?  Is it a diary of ramblings that no one but your mother would read or love?  What is it?  I have pondered these questions about my blogging adventures over the last few years and wondered do I belong in the Blog Community. 

So many questions to consider.  After attempting blogging for over five years I have learned for me being a blogger requires 5 essential things.  If they are not all in place then the joy of blogging will diminish and the burn out likelihood will increase tremendously. 

Vision/Mission

Every blogger must have a vision and mission for their specific blog.  Without a vision and a clear mission you will get stuck very quickly.  The vision is a broader approach to the why of the blog.   The mission statement is the specific mission you plan to accomplish that mission.   For example my vision for Splendid Chronicles is to provide a space where I chronicle my experiences, events and observations with the hopes of inspiring and encouraging others. 

Commitment

Next there is a certain amount of commitment involved if you really want to be taken seriously as a blogger.  I have learned this the hard way.  If you intend to have a bog that is read by more than just friends and family, you must be committee to creating content on a schedule. You determine the pace but whatever pace you set is the pace that you need to keep.  For instance, although I am participating in a 30 day challenge (where I post every day for 3o days), my ideal schedule is 3-5 times per week, Monday thru Friday.

Planning

Once you have a schedule the next thing that must be in place is a Plan.  Spontaneous posting is great if you are a person that can just write away at any given moment.  However for me it is much better when I plan things out and have a basic plan of what I will write and when.  I suggest planning and writing post at least a week before they are published in order to reduce the stress of writing.  It also allows a chance to go back and review, edit and perfect your work.

Accountability

This is a tricky subject.  Who will hold you accountable? Usually you will be accountable for yourself.  If you have set a schedule and plan then it is totally up to you if you follow through with your commitments.  Another way to feel accountable is to join groups that blog and start networking with other bloggers.  I have learned over the years that fellow bloggers are your biggest readers and will always encourage you to keep at it.

Endurance

Simply don’t give up.  Blogging is a process that is on-going.  As time goes on your plans may change, your vision may even change but you just have to keep going and honor the commitment you have mad to be a part of the Blog Universe.

As I step out on this huge blogging platform I hope to touch someone with my words that thay may live life more abundantly.

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