This past weekend I spent it in Savannah, GA at my first blog conference, FitBloggin. I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived. I was rooming with people I didn’t know, traveling to a city I knew nothing about and embarking on the complete unknown. Attending this conference was out of my comfort zone. The one thing I knew: I needed to do this.
I needed to get out and meet people who understand the world of blogging and social media. I needed to make connections with people who understand the time, effort and sacrifice it takes to maintain a blog. I needed to be know people who were enthusiastic about health and wellness…and wouldn’t look at me funny for being that way.
Yes, the swag was amazing but it was much more than that. It was making friends, learning how to improve my blog and learning how to better myself.
I learned so much from this past weekend.
1. I learned that I am slowly but surely coming out of my shell. I feel like I’m putting myself out there a little bit more. Asking more questions and really getting to know people.
2. I learned that I’ve really come a long way. Yes, I run marathons and that’s a great thing, but I’m all about improving. During the early morning bootcamp session there were times I had to stop and just say to myself, “you’re doing this.” Because a couple of years ago I couldn’t have done this and even last year, I would have struggled a little bit.
3. I learned that everyone’s story is inspiring and/or motivational. The people at this conference are truly amazing and are accomplishing great things everyday…big and small. I am proud to be one of those people but most importantly I’m proud to know these people. At Friday night’s Ignite, Alan’s story really hit close to home. I identify with every part of his journey and I look forward to traveling the rest of the road with him. He really pointed on how love and support really makes a difference. It’s all about finding people who love you for you and will support you in the moments that you really don’t expect them to support.
4. I learned that people really do pay attention to the blog. Within the first hour, Kari came up to me and told me Willie and I inspired her. That warmed my heart. The reason I blog is to make a difference in just one person’s life and in that moment I knew I had succeeded. Thank you Kari! You are strong and beautiful and you will achieve every goal you want to reach!
5. I learned so much about improving my blog. I want to engage the people who read and I want you to get something out of this. I want to provide you with great content, motivation and inspiration. I want to be here for everyone who needs help. The sessions were so informative and are really going to help me push the blog to next level.
6. I learned that I need to just face the fear and just tri it! I’ve been slacking on my goal of becoming a triathlete because I’m afraid. When I attended the tri chat, it got me energized. I listened to everyone’s stories and I KNOW I can do it but I can’t let myself get in the way of my dreams of becoming an Ironman!
7. I made some friends that I know I will have for a long time to come. Apparently, when you attend Fitbloggin you make some really great friends…and I think that happened for me.
8. It’s okay to try new things and like them. I stuck in a routine, I cycle/spin, run and do my weight workouts. I’ve been trying to branch out of that the past four weeks and I really continued the trend here. I did a cross fit session, PIYO+Insanity and a boot camp! I really was pushing my fitness limits and I REALLY like it.
9. Balsamic and herb almonds owned me. Thanks for all the healthy snacks!
10. I know I’ll be back in 2015 in Denver to see old friends and meet new people!
Here are my other posts about Fitbloggin:
