Don’t Miss the Joy in Life

“What kind of blog will you have if you don’t have a life.”

That is something that struck me to the core this weekend.

Do you ever feel like there is a purpose or reason for you to meet someone or go somewhere? Almost like it was fate or that God was watching out for you?

I felt like that this weekend!

When I first decided to go to the Chopped Conference I had no idea what was in store for me when I arrived.

I had the chance to hang out with some super sweet ladies who have since become near and dear to my heart, Liz (The Lemon Bowl), Lauren (Climbing Grier Mountain), Meg (The Housewife in Training Files), and Kristin (Iowa Girl Eats).

On top of that I got to meet some of my favorite “on-my-gosh-is-that-who-I-think-it-is” bloggers? Lindsay and Bjork Ostrom from Pinch of Yum were incredible, not only are they filled with so much knowledge but they are so down to earth and really care about helping people be as successful as they have been.

When I was talking to them Friday night Lindsay said something that just stuck with me. I have been trying to figure out the balance of mommy/family life and work life/blog life. She told me to pick a part of the blog that I want to focus on or improve on and forget about everything else till that one piece is awesome. She said for her that was photography, did you know that they didn’t even have a Pinterest page until like 6 months ago? Crazy!

As soon as she said that I felt like she was giving me permission to put aside the part of blogging I didn’t like or that stresses me out. It was like lifting a huge weight off my shoulders.

I was excited to hear Lindsay and Bjork speak again. They had some great advice on how to advertise on your site and optimize it, how to start working with affiliate programs as another revenue stream, and then becoming an inventor and creating a product to sell. {i.e. a cookbook, book, etc.}

They finished their presentation with a slide that said: “1% ∞”

Which means 1% for infinity. Lindsay said there is no way you can be all things to all people at all times. Just pick 1% of the great big giant list that you have, make it awesome, do it for infinity and then move on to the next 1%. Immediately I started to tear up!

I’ve felt like I have been trying to do everything!

I’m a mom, a wife, a wife who works for her husband 2 days a week, a chef, a photographer, an editor, a writer, and a social media strategist. It is exhausting and I think this weekend I finally just let it all out.

Right after the Ostrom’s spoke, Kristen from Dine & Dish came up and she started her presentation with the quote I shared earlier.  “What kind of blog will you have if you don’t have a life.”

She told this story of an almost near death experience she had. Immediately what flashed in her head was, what kind of legacy was she leaving behind? What will her kids remember her doing? What will her husband remember her doing?

Again, I started crying. I know probably looked like a hot mess at this conference crying all day but whatever!

I think what hit me most about Kristen’s session was yes I am passionate about photography, food, and sharing my heart with you guys. But it is not my soul focus.

It seems like all the things I once loved to do have gone by the wayside and I have gotten consumed in the “vortex” that operating a blog can be. I love to read, to go outside and take walks, to sit out in the sun and enjoy its warmth on my skin, I’m obsessed with coffee, I want to start meeting with friends more and not be so much of a hermit because of the “things I need to get done.”

Life is awesome and I don’t want to miss it because of my “task list.”

There will always be something to do, something to tweak, something to fix, or something to share.

But I only have one chance to be with my son when he is two. One chance to go to a pumpkin patch, or go berry picking, when he is at the age he is at. I don’t ever want him to see me on my phone looking at facebook and feel like my phone is more important than him. Nor do I want my husband to feel like my computer is more important than him.  I want to sit and cuddle with him, play games, go for walks, or cook dinner together.

There is so much life going on all around us I don’t want to miss a second of it.

One of the things Kristen had us do during the session was write 5 things that make us happy that we are not doing. When we got home she challenged us to continue that list until we get to 52 things that make us happy.

She picked 52 because there are 52 weeks in a year, so the goal is that every week we do one of those things that makes us happy and then continue to do it. She has actually done this and says that it has given her a more balanced life!

So my challenge to you is.. what are 5 things that make you happy?

List them below and then when you have time write out the rest to equal a total of 52. I am going to be doing this and I would love to go through the journey with you!

Ok, something else you need to do {on a fun note} is register for this incredible giveaway below. Another blog friend of my Julianne, who blogs at Beyond Frosting is celebrating her two year anniversary and to celebrate we are helping her giveaway a gift of your choice. The lucky winner gets to choose between an amazon gift card, KitchenAid Artisan Mixer, or an Ipad Mini 2!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DON’T MISS A RECIPE ->

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