Since inspiration seems to be the theme this week, I couldn’t think of a more perfect blogger to guest post on this topic. Elena, author of C.Mom is my fabulous guest blogger today and she is sharing her personal blogging journey – one I know you will instantly connect with and upon reading, feel inspired about the potential path of your own blogging destiny.
“Fire can be dangerous, but it can also be a beacon that lights your way in the darkness.”
Earlier this summer I was doing my regular old blogging thing; reflecting on all that I had learned at the Type A Parent Conference, attempting to read and comment on posts, engaging with people on Twitter, and trying to get myself out there. That is what we do as bloggers, or at least, that is what I did. I had been writing C.Mom for over a year and a half, and though I loved it, was not entirely sure what my long term vision was.
And then a spark.
I was reading a fabulous post. The words in that post about self-acceptance were all that it took for me to realize that this was my “thing.”
That “thing” turned into “Things I Like about Me,” my first ever meme. I participated in all sorts of memes the eighteen months I had been blogging, but I had never hosted one. What if I put myself out there and no one came? What if the great idea in my head was only great to me?
Without explanation, I had a feeling. I had a feeling that the topic might touch a lot of people. I had a feeling it could spark something magical. Maybe it was a hope, a dream – but I was determined to make it reality and put my entire self into making it a success.
That is when the spark became a flame.
The support rolled in through comments, through tweets, and eventually through the words of 90 linked up posts. I was stunned and in awe, but a fire was burning in me that was unlike anything I had experienced before.
The trick, for me, was to figure out what to do with those flames.
Although I know fire is risky, I needed to find a way to keep this feeling going. I wanted to fuel the flames whose energy had come from the voices of many sharing their story; flames whose energy had come from passion, from raw emotion, from a place down deep in the beings of women that I had never met.
I tweeted about my attempts to brainstorm, like one adds kindling to a fire. I emailed back and forth with other bloggers whose opinions I respected and whose voices I admired. The ideas percolated, but the pile of kindling was getting lower and lower. Until…
Until I found the magical match.
As I swam laps at the pool, I realized I needed to believe in the energy that had ignited this passion. I needed to believe in the support of those tweets and emails and comments. I needed to believe that I could keep telling my story on C.Mom, but create something new and magical in a separate space.
And so I lit the match.
I came home from my swim and searched domain names. I turned to Twitter for help on the perfect name. I considered how crazy of an idea it was to start a new site while working full time, having C.Mom, and all of my other real life responsibilities.
I did it anyway. I bought Just.Be.Enough. and took a deep breath, for I knew in my heart of hearts, this was a giant leap of faith.
That was almost two months ago. Since then, Just.Be.Enough. has evolved into a flame that is fueled by passion, by love, and by the voices of many. The stories of parenting, of our children, of our roles as wives and professionals stoke the fire each day.
The weekly meme has been home to honest and emotional stories and has evolved into a movement, a celebration where we accept our imperfections, and stand taller collectively as a group. The scary thing to me is that none of this would have happened had I not read that one blog post.
None of this would have happened had it not been for the support of a blogging community.
None of this would have happened had I not been willing to take a risk.
I am so very glad that I did. The comments, the emails, and the tweets from sources around the world thanking me for Just.Be.Enough. and for the opportunity to focus on our strengths instead of our flaws…those words, those emotions, and the self confidence that those words exude…that is enough to keep my inner flame burning for a very long time.
————————————————————-
Thank you to Heather, whose support of me and bloggers everywhere is unmatched; her encouragement and in fact, her idea for the name of Just.Be.Enough. is something that I cherish and am thankful for every day. Thank you also to the fabulous team of women that contribute to Just.Be.Enough, and to the many voices that link up each week and support me every day.
If you are interested in guest posting at Theta Mom® please send me an email since I am currently accepting submissions. Full details can be found on the Network page.
Elena, you are such an inspiration!! I am so proud of you, and honored to call you my friend.
xoxo
SO very excited to see you here friend! Just Be Enough is an amazing brainchild and truly speaks volumes of your heart and motivation and -to steal from Heather- inspiration! Go you!! XO
I have loved reading the Just.Be.Enough posts that are now flying around the blogosphere. Thank you for taking that leap of faith!
Elena – you are so incredible and such an inspiration. I am so proud of you and where you have taken your site and passion. xoxo
Elena, you are fabulous! I love this post, and your new site. And I’m so happy to see you featured here. Way to go!
Elena, this was so heartfelt and….raw, vulnerable…. Thank you for sharing and opening yourself for all to see. I can’t wait to go check out your blog. Congratulations on your success and on being featured today!! =)
That’s why I fell in love with you Elena – no, not in the creepy way! But the way you reach out to others, connecting everyone and inspire others. You are amazing! Thank you for lighting that fire up and may it keeps on burning!
I’m so glad you decided to play with fire
Just.Be.Enough. is my daily source of inspiration, and being part of the team is just amazing. Thank you.
Elena, I hope you know what an inspiration you truly are. Just.Be.Enough. has changed so much for me, in so many ways.
xoxo
I love hearing how Just Be Enough evolved, and am so grateful for your spark and vision. Love you so much, sweet friend!
Sweet Elena … you opened a door, and invited friends old and new to rest awhile.
To be honest and true.
To themselves.
You are an inspiration.
and you rock fake eyelashes – BIG time!
this post is inspirational, as if you weren’t already such an inspirtation to so many people, this piece encourages all of us to look beyond ourselves and DO SOMETHING, light the match, start a fire (big, little, one flame..but do it, go for it, keep moving forward)
we have not been friends long but I cherish your place in my life, I look to you for advice and humor, for comfort and tough love.
JBE is such a phenomenal space, a place to put our hearts on the table and have them brought back to beating by women who know, who listen, who understand, who stand with us and not against us. It serves as a reminder to us on bad hair days, fat days, grouchy days, sad days….and happy fulfilled ones that by just being HERE we are enough, that our presence is a gift to others.
In the blogging world, we are all NOTHING without each other.
love you my AMAZING friend. xo
So amazing. Your story. Your site. It’s truly one of those things that whispers to me that there’s more out there. I just need to go for it.
Wow, what a wonderful post. I really really really needed to hear this right now. My inspiration is on the upswing but every weak wind seems to blow out my candle as of late.
I think just.be.enough is an awesome website.
Love it. Following our guidance leads us where we are meant to be. Kudoz for you for following through on what you heard. We don’t have to think it all up ourselves…..although I do it all the time….I do know better. The best of “luck” with your site. And you don’t even need the luck. My last post was slightly similar in a way. I’m on my way to check our your website.
I’m so excited it’s now a give away or coupons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sandra
So happy you followed your heart Elena.
You have brought so many bloggers together and helped so many women see the beauty in themselves.
Bravo.
So very excited to see you here and even more glad that you decided to play with fire. Just.Be.Enough is a wonderful site full of inspiration and support.
Heather, congratulations on your Just.Be.Enough blog, but more than that, on taking a big leap to find the path that truly suited you. Leaps of faith…aren’t always easy, and sometimes the fall takes a while, as I’m finding. I’ll be checking out your blog to find out more.
I’m also following you on Twitter now so I can get updates.
ThetaMom, thanks for hosting this great guest post.
Congratulations on Just.Be.Enough. What a wonderful and inspirational story. It isn’t easy to follow a path of the unknown but sometimes going out on a limb just works out. Sounds like it did for you. Can’t wait to read your blogs!
So very happy to see you here Elena. Happy Theta Mom Day to you!! I’ve said this before, and I will keep saying it. Thank YOU for listening to that spark and creating Just.Be.Enough. The site, the women that contribute, and your support is all so inspiring!
ABSOLUTELY!!! I have had offers to write, host, act, appear…all because of my blog. It’s funny because, as long as you start a blog for the right reasons, it can take you place you would have never even imagined. I mean, I was published in an honest-to-goodness-real-book. Because of my blog. Unreal.
You know how proud I am to be part of this, of course. What I love about it is the fierce determination with which you pursue this passion.
So great that you’re here sharing the story and inspiring others to do something.
I’m so glad you stepped out and took that risk, because Just. Be. Enough is one of my favorite new blogging communities.
Elena – congrats to you! On your post here and one the amazing site that is Just Be Enough. I love it and find inspiration there every time I visit.
WOW! What an amazing story! I love inspiring, empowered women who want to make a change and help others because its.the.right.thing.to.DO. You go girl!!!!
Congratulations Elena – it is indeed a flame that’s sweeping through blog-land.
Just.Be.Enough is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen emerge from something else. I simply love it.
Just.Be.Enough is something you should TRULY be proud of, it’s empowering,it’s fun, it embraces all of us…our quirks, our shortcomings, the things we don’t think are worthy of consideration and it gives them LOVE, an uplifting voice, a place to feel less alone.
I couldn’t love you more for turning what you liked about yourself, into all of us celebrating what we like about ourselves. You are the true definition of a mentor and an inspiration.
(plus I am so glad to be a part of it, to lend my voice to your vision of how AMAZING each one of us is)
xo