Find Your Blogging Community: How to Find Them, What to Look For, and Why You Need One

Anyone who meets me will learn pretty quickly that I am totally, completely in love with blogging. I love creating content and graphics. I love promoting, and I even love the tedious tasks. But one thing that I particularly love is the community I've found with other bloggers.

There are quite a few people that I have never met in person and yet we have exchanged gifts and Christmas cards, we've talked about deeper issues, and I truly believe that if I were in trouble, a few of them would try their best to help me.

Sadly, some bloggers don't have this type of community. They don't have "blogging besties" and they have no idea how to find one.

If that sounds like you, keep reading. This post is for you!

Community Over Competition: Get to the Top by Building Others Up (Mug-spiration Monday)

Happy Monday, dear friends! I honestly cannot believe it's Monday again. I was sick last week and out of work, and my days are all mixed up and I am still trying to kick the tail-end of this cold out of my life. But I am very thankful for good coffee, slow mornings, and for getting to see the cute little booger I nanny again. I miss her when I'm away.

But anywhoooooo, today I would like to encourage you with something I learned over the weekend. A little lesson about community, competition, and the importance of encouraging others. So if you haven't already, grab some coffee, sit back, and enjoy the mug-spiration!

Community Over Competition by Encouragement

A few days ago, I opened up an Instagram notification from my friend Rachel of The Confused Millennial. I thought she must have just entered a contest and tagged me for more entries, but when I saw that I was wrong I got all of the warm fuzzies.

Rachel is participating in the Rising Tide Society Instagram challenge, and that day's theme was "Community over Competition", with the prompt being to tag a creative/blogging bestie that has encouraged her along the way. She tagged me along with two other wonderful ladies, and I felt honored to be mentioned among them.

And even past the warm fuzzies, I am glad that I was tagged because it got me thinking more about the idea of community over competition. It's not like I've never thought about it before- I definitely have. It's just that I find the concept to be a daily struggle. It's not something I can just say that I believe and then move on, because every single day is a new day for me to either choose jealously and competition, or to choose community over competition. And that's not always an easy pick.

Choosing community over competition can be hard for me sometimes, simply because I often feel inadequate. I feel like so-and-so is a better blogger, better wife, better Christian, etc. than me, so I always feel like I have to do or say something to make myself sound better or look better.

But choosing community over competition is so much more valuable than always trying to one-up another person, because building others up is often a win for both parties, not just one.

Building Others Up

I believe in building others up, first and foremost, because I am a Christian. I believe that being an encourager and putting the needs of others above my own is what I have been called to. I also believe that loving others with the love of Christ is the very best thing I can do. Those reasons are the most important in my book. BUT, even on a practical, non-religious level, building others up is the way to go.

When we choose to encourage other people, not only do they feel good about themselves and develop more confidence as a result, but they also see that we are there for them. And when people see that we are there for them, they see us as an asset, a friend, and a valued community member. They are more likely to trust us and come to us, which is what we want- especially in the blogging world.

I want people to know me as helpful and knowledgeable, but I also want people to know me as approachable, kind, and steady. I may not be THE go-to blogger yet, but I can be THE go-to encourager and friend, and that still means a heck of a lot for community-building and eventual growth.

My growth may be slower, but it will happen if I continue to work towards building a community that knows I am there for them. People are drawn to helpful people. People are drawn to those who will encourage them. It just takes time.

Be Genuine

The thing about community though, is that it doesn't work if a person is fake.
When I encourage others, my goal is to be genuine. I never want to encourage someone because it will help me grow. No. Instead, I want to encourage others because I care for them, and it is simply an added bonus that my community and brand will grow.

Community that is superficial and created only for the benefit of one person is not real community. That is still competition, because it is all inward-focused. An inward-focused person may be on top for a while, but once people get a whiff of the self-centered, competition-driven stench of that person, their reputation and career will be marred and it will take a whole lot of work to get back on top.

There's no reward in being that type of person. There's no accomplishment in running that sort of business. I would much rather be a person with slow, yet steady growth in my life (personal, spiritual, career, etc.), than a person who flies to the top only to come crashing down when their true character is realized.

I would rather be a person with real, lasting friendships, and real, genuine community, whose journey takes a little longer, than someone lacking friends and lacking community who "arrives" much faster than I do.

If we haven't helped, encouraged, supported, and loved those around us, what's the point? We can have all the accolades in the world, but without community and love, we truly have nothing. So in every relationship in our lives, in every career-endeavor, and in every goal that we set, let us strive for love over selfishness, encouragement over insincerity, and community over competition.

If You Could Make Your Own Non-Profit (Mug-spiration Monday)

This past weekend, my mama and I had a long-overdue date. There was an antique fair in Cowpens, so I headed over there first. The antique fair was really cute and if I had more money and room in my house, I could have easily walked away with several awesome furniture pieces!

But where we went after the antique fair was the most unique and intriguing part of the day. I've never seen anything quite like it and it got me thinking.

Mug-spiration Monday *Vol. 19* Hodgepodge

Happy Monday, all! It is actually chilly and I am so excited that I can wear a hoodie without fear of roasting by mid-day! Woot woot!

There's a lot going on in the world right now. Paris is the issue that stands out the most, but there are so many others too. Chandler Larsen of Life as Larson had an excellent blog post about all that's going on in the world right now (read it here). It is important to actually be aware of all that is happening and to figure out ways to help. I may not be able to do anything for Paris, but I can find things in my own area to help with. We have a duty to know what is going on. Living in our own little bubble should not be an option. But, with that being said, we also have a duty to remain thankful and optimistic in all circumstances. It does no one any good to just be a blob of fear and sadness all the time. Don't sit around in self-pity wishing for good- be the good.

I'd like to remind each one of you that God has got this in His hands. God being in control does not mean a lack of evil in the world. As long as sin is around, terrible things will continue to happen. But God still holds us, and still has a plan. It isn't always easy to see in the face of tragedy, but He still holds us and still loves us.

I'd also like to encourage each one of you today that you are worth more than you think. You have such great worth, but it has nothing to do with anything you do. You have many gifts and talents- each one of us does- but even if all of that was stripped away, you would still be worth everything in God's eyes. He loves you.

Carry that with you today as you brave another new week. Despite all of the horrific things going on in the world, He is still good. Despite your own personal struggles, He is still with you. Even if you feel worthless, you are worth everything to God. And on a smaller (but still very real) note, even your meek and meager week may be filled with a good bit of dread. Regardless of what you are going through- whether you are fearing the Paris attacks, or just fearing how to pay rent next week- remember that you are loved and that the week will end, but God's goodness is eternal. I am so thankful that it isn't the other way around!

I hope that this bit of knowledge makes this Monday (and everyday) a whole lot sweeter. There's a lot that goes on in a week- some good, some bad- and we can choose to dwell on the tough stuff, or we can pull it together and reflect on the good. Sure, there are bad parts of the day, but there are always reasons to be thankful, and there is always something to smile about.

Think back on your week. What was the best part? Was there anything that stood out as worthwhile, even though it was difficult? What are you enjoying at the moment?


I definitely had some good moments!


Weekend Recap!
This weekend, I spent Saturday at the farm with my mom, bro, and their new Great Pyrenees puppy, Blaze. Blaze is the sweetest little guy. He is so mellow and he just follows everybody around on the farm and sits there when they stop in one area. He is a heart-melter!

On Sunday, Taylor and I went to church with our friend, Jeff. We are still trying to find the right church and the hunt has seemed to take forever.

Holiday Excitement!
I am really excited about Thanksgiving, you guys! It'll be so nice for me and Taylor both to be off for a couple of days, and we get to go see his side of the family. It'll be a really nice visit and a good little break. I love the little girl I take care of, but sometimes I just want my hubby :)

And personally, I think my November has been a great success so far, simply because I have already watched six Christmas movies, listened to Michael Buble's Christmas CD about three times, and have had my Pandora Christmas station set for about two weeks. Yep, you are very welcome ;)

Coloring Fun!
I have also really been enjoying my new adult coloring book lately. I don't color in it super often, but I will get it out every once in a while and it is really fun. I didn't know adult coloring books existed until about a month ago. I am thinking it would make a great gift to color a page and then frame it. I think a lot of people would really enjoy that.


I know that coloring books, puppies, and Christmas movies don't matter in the grand scheme of things, but I really do believe in seeing the good. We should never hide behind those things, but we should find joy in them and be thankful, despite any hardships that come.

Happy Monday! Stay strong!


What are you thankful for and taking joy in today?

Mug-spiration Monday *Volume 5*

Hello, beautiful people! It's Monday. it's summer, and it's a brand new week.
Yesterday, my pastor gave a really good sermon, I sang with the musicians, and we had a nice evening with my in-laws after that.

Did you have a good weekend? I hope so. I hope it was sweet, restful, and fun. I hope you experienced relaxation, peace, and grace. But what if you didn't? What if you had a hard, tiring, emotional weekend, with very little peace? If that's you, I'm sorry. But you know what? You don't have to stay there. You never have to stay there. Dust yourself off. It's Monday- a new day, a new week, a new opportunity, and a new chance to seek God, to focus on Him, to embrace the good, and let go of the bad. Be inspired to start afresh.

Did someone hurt you this weekend? Did you lose a loved-one? Did you fail at something you had put all your time and energy into? It's ok! It really is.
This week, choose to forgive. Choose to thank God for the time you had with the one you lost. Use your failure to propel you into a time of success- whether it be trying again, or deciding to do something new. You can do it.

You can't change your yesterday, but you can choose to make today exceptional!

To inspire your week, here are a few Mug-spirational Monday links for you. I hope they encourage you and get you going in the right direction.

Mug-spiration Monday- Inspirations for your week.

Spiritual Inspiration- Your life is a permanent sermon. It is essential that you put your trust in God.

Health Inspiration- Consume things packed with nutrition, and know that your body can do more than you think. Just keep working on it.

Work Inspiration- Whether you are working your dream-job or a grunt-job, work your hardest always.

Creative Inspiration- Don't hide your talents. Use them!

I hope you have been officially inspired! You don't have to be perfect to do well or to enjoy life (thank God!). You just have to take one day at a time, starting fresh, and being very present in that new day!

Happy Monday, everyone!

How was your weekend? Are you feeling drained? Will it be a challenge to be positive today, or are you feeling awesome?

Get It Together Initiative (update and a grateful heart)

Last Month, I started The Get it Together Initiative- a health and fitness goal Facebook group. It's a month-long challenge (June 15th-July 15th) that encourages accountability, shared goals, and community. As the challenge is winding down, I thought I'd share about how it's going.

I have been pretty pleased with how the challenge has turned out. Some people started out strong and then stopped posting, which is to be expected. But for the most part, I have a solid group of ladies that have actively participated in both the Facebook group and our Pinterest Board.

The thing I love most about this, is that it is so diverse. The group is comprised of some of my closest friends, my mother-in-law, my mom, some acquaintances, and some wonderful people from the blogging world who joined in too! And what's been cool to see is how well everyone jumped right in and got to know each other.

On the 15th of July, all of us will weigh-in and share if we lost weight and met our goals. Points will be awarded based on goals met, as well as activity in the Facebook group. My friend, Grace, has offered one of her pottery items as a prize, which is an awesome treat!

And though the challenge ends on the 15th, my hope is that we will still use the group to encourage each other. Just because the challenge is over doesn't mean our health and wellness journeys are!

If you would like to be a part of this community, feel free to join. You won't be able to participate in this challenge, but we would still love to have you. And who knows, maybe we can do another challenge soon!


I am very thankful for this group and all the wonderful women who are participating. I am also thankful that I got to be the one to set it up and lead. I've never done something quite like this before and I have enjoyed it :)

Also, I am posting links below to the blogs of those who are in our group. Show them some love!

Trine Hansen: Creative Pink Butterfly

Destiny Barker: The Journey

Hannah Johnson: Hannah Says

Mug-Spiration Monday *Vol. 4*

Happy Monday, guys! Did everyone have a good holiday weekend? I sure hope so!

Today is Mug-spiration Monday, a space where we come together to embrace Mondays as fresh starts and joy-filled opportunities. I fully believe that embracing that and living that out is possible.

Some of you may be wondering why that is important. Why would I make a whole segment just about having a good Monday? Well, for days like today.

I woke up, started having coffee, and BAM! My anxiety and struggle with the lies of the Enemy hit full-force while I was trying to have my prayer time. I had wrong focus the rest of my prayer time, was worrisome, and just plain aggravated. Then I didn't get my blog post finished, I was running behind, and ended up being late for work. I still couldn't get my focus right, even after a 35 minute car ride, so I continued in the wrong attitude. It wasn't exactly what you'd call God-honoring...

And that's the thing. I think most people think of Mondays as the day I just described above (or similar). I know I can easily say, "Wow! It's been a real Monday!". Poor Monday- what did it ever do to us? ;)

But seriously, when I get in these funks, I am not only not honoring God personally, but I am also not a very good witness for Jesus. I am way more inward-focused, selfish, and grumpy than anything else- and that's not ok.

And that's why this segment is important. We need to change our outlook on Mondays, in order to set us up right for the day and the rest of the week. Can we have a grumpy, selfish, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday? Absolutely! But the point is, we tend to have such a negative attitude about Mondays that, if we learn to correct that, then surely we can correct our attitudes on other days too!

It's ok to have bad days, but we must make sure that our bad days do not flow outwardly as a burden or bad witness to others. The best way to make sure that doesn't happen is for us to control ourselves, stay positive, and move forward!

Happy Monday, everyone!

You Had No Idea, Did Ya?

Yesterday, I was perusing through my Bloglovin feed, when I came across Venus Trapped in Mars' newest post. She was joining in on a link-up on a blog called Helene In-Between. The link-up is all about revealing facts about yourself that a lot of people probably never knew.

I really enjoyed reading Sarah's (author of VTIM) list, and decided I would join in on the link-up.

***Things you probably don't know about me***

*My hands look JUST LIKE my grandmother's hands (except for my thumb, which looks exactly like my mom's)- Since I am kind of obsessed with becoming just like these two wonderful women, I actually feel really special that my hands look like theirs...yeah...that's kinda weird. I know.

*I am terrified of ring-worms- When I was a kid, I got a ring-worm. The fact that there was a "squiggly worm" under my skin was incredibly traumatizing. I still cringe every time I think about it. And even though I know now that it's not really a squiggly worm, I can't help but think of it that way. Yuck!

*I still think of Satan every time I see a snake- They are gross and scary. Just like Satan. End of discussion :p

*I adore Mario Kart, Pokemon, and Harvest Moon- When I am sick, a lot of the time I will either play Harvest Moon or Pokemon, even now, at 24 years old. And whenever we go to visit my family, my mom, brother, dad, Taylor and myself always make sure we get in at least one round of Mario Kart. It's a tradition that no one plans on breaking.

*If you move the rear-view mirror in my car you.will.die- it hasn't been moved for about three years. That's because the last time someone moved it, I almost had a heart attack. It's fully an OCD thing. I absolutely cannot stand it when someone moves my mirror.

*My favorite band is The Jonas Brothers (pre-breakup)- I've always loved pop music. I guess most girls "grow out of it" and stop loving boy bands. Call my tastes under-developed if you must, but my music of choice will almost always be pop music, and the more boy-bands that are in that mix, the better! And I still think Nick is the cutest ;)

*The thing I am most attracted to about my husband (other than his love for God) are his lips. I'm sure everyone wanted to know that...you're welcome.

*I was seriously offended when my husband said my toes weren't sexy- We were playing "The Newlywed Game" with some friends and Taylor had to name "the least sexy part of my body", or something like that. He said my toes. Most people (normal people) probably would have been like "yeah, my toes are ugly"...but I, the epitome of odd, was seriously offended that he would say my toes were not sexy. They are soooo sexy. Husband be crazy ;)

*I played basketball in high school (and scored 1,000 points in two years). Even though I went to a small Christian school, so the competition wasn't as tough, I'm still pretty proud of this one. I miss basketball (and being skinny and in-shape).

So now you know more about me than you probably ever wanted too, You are welcome. Aren't I interesting? ;)


What are some things people would be surprised to know about you?

The "Get It Together" Initiative

As someone who gained 100 pounds in college, I could stand to lose a few of those. And I start every day with good intentions. I eat a healthy breakfast, I drink some water, I read a health/fitness blog post or two, and then something happens. I see a food blog, a recipe, or I get a craving for Mexican food (like yesterday) and I throw all of my good intentions out the door and invite fat, calories, and grease in instead. Is this as familiar to you as it is to me?

Earlier this year, I created a group on Facebook called "Get it Together" (find it here). I started this group to encourage myself and others to eat healthy, exercise, and be accountable. The group is good for me because I never like writing that I "failed" that day, so if I stay active in the group, I have something to keep me motivated. My friend, Challice, has also been trying to do weekly challenges. One week it may be "who can drink the most water this week", the next week "who can put in the most amount of time working out". 

Right now, the group is small. However, I think it would be more effective if it grew in both size and incentive. So, starting today, June 9th, I will be opening the group up to anyone who is interested in participating. Then, on June 15th, I will launch the Get it Together Weightloss Challenge.

The weight loss challenge will last one month (June 15th-July 15th) and will be based on a point system.

Daily Participation (Up to 3 points/day)- For every day that you share in the Facebook group (this can be a picture and description of a healthy recipe you made that day, a picture/description of what your workout was that day, a picture/description of your meal plan, etc.) You get 1 point per post and you can earn up to three points per day doing this. The purpose of this is that it encourages others to follow a healthy lifestyle too. If I had been craving a burger, but I log on to our group and see that you posted a picture and recipe for a yummy salad, it will be much easier for me to gather myself and eat healthy :)


Completion of Weekly Challenges (2 points/week)- Each week, there will be a new challenge. For example, one might be: Drink 70 oz. of water at least 4 days out of the week. Whoever completes that challenge would get two points.


Weight Loss (up to 50 points)- At the beginning of this challenge, you will need to decide on a weight loss (or health) goal. For example, I hope to lose 10 pounds during this month-long challenge. If I lose all ten pounds (or more), I will get 50 points. If I lose 5 pounds, I would get 25 points.
The same goes with health goals. If your goal is to get 8 hours of sleep each nights and eat three servings of veggies every day for a month, and you do that, then you get 50 points. Just makes sure you keep track of how often you accomplish your goals so that you can post them at the end of the challenge. If sleep and veggies was your goal for the month and you slept 8 hours a night 14 days out of the month, and you ate your 3 servings of veggies 25 days out of the month, then you would report that to me and I would convert that into points :) If that confused anyone, ask me questions in the comment section below.

This will only work if people are seriously interested. If you are trying desperately to lose weight, get healthy, or simply find motivation, this group might be for you! 

Who's with me? Leave a comment below if you are interested or have any questions.

Click here to request to become a member of the "Get it Together" group and challenge.

If you are joining us for the challenge, grab the button below to put on your side-bar.

    

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