Some days I really dislike how far we have come with social media and the instant messaging means of communication. We sometimes forget to talk to the people around us and have real conversations with words, and expressions, and annunciations. People get offended so much easier when you aren't right there in front of them to explain yourself further. It is making it that much harder for people to talk to each other face to face when there is a screen to hide behind.

I don't know about you, but when things get tough, people are more inclined to go to the internet to vent or write about the things that are bothering them, rather than talk to someone else about it. This is happening more and more within families, close friends, teachers, and spouses. When you spend more time sending e-mails or text messages, we start to lose the personal feeling of a simple conversation. We forget how to talk things out when things are hard.

I have personally experienced this is my own relationships with my close friends and family. We text through a whole conversation and then before you know it someone is upset because something you typed out came across differently then you had intended. Now you are spending more time texting back and forth trying to smooth things over. Now if we had just picked up the phone it could of gone a lot smoother and maybe the hurt feelings would of been avoided.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying I dislike social media and instant messaging for quick messages and keeping in touch with people, but when it comes down to important subjects or catching up, picking up the phone or talking in person is probably the better option.

I am going to start getting the people I love on the phone more. I am going to invite them over to appreciate their company. I am going to ask questions when I feel like I am misunderstanding someone. I want to make it harder to build walls around the important issues because someone's feelings might get hurt. We need to talk to one another. We need to get everything out, even when that means the hard stuff.

What do you think?

Do you ever feel like you are in blogging limbo? You know that place where you aren't exactly a new blogger anymore, but you also aren't well enough known yet to have a larger readership? That's where I am at the moment. I feel like I am on the verge of bigger and better things but I need to take a few more steps to completely get there. This is where it gets hard and sometimes confusing. Ever feel like that? After participating in Helene's from Helene in Between "Get Paid to Blog" webinar I have had this constant urge to push myself harder to reach my goals.


After some brainstorming of my own and listening to Helene's topics, I have narrowed down some of the things I want to work on to reach my goals. Listing them here will help me remember them and hopefully inspire some of you to leave feedback of your own. These topics don't have to be just for my blogger readers. You can use these topics to build any business. Today I am going to touch on social media.

Social Media: Any business owner can take advantage of social media as an outlet. We can use it to get our message across, engage with our audience, and gain visibility for new ventures. As bloggers we need all of these things to get our content in front of people. We don't only build an audience of readers, we also build community and professional contacts.

I personally need to work on my blogs Facebook page. I have had the hardest time getting it off the ground, lingering in the 400's for likes. It is the place I struggle the most and wish I could have more visibility. Any suggestions?

I do my best with Twitter and Instagram. I watch my followers grow there which makes me happy. It is a slow steady pace, but I do see it growing. I intend to step up my game this fall and really engage. Instagram is my favorite past time these days and I am working to improve my images so it will become a favorite to view. Not such a bad goal right?

I am working on my Pinterest page. I have had a Pinterest page for 4 years and used to pin like crazy before it became a popular social media outlet. When it started picking up and my feeds got super clogged with advertisements and recommendations I stopped using it. I know that was a mistake as it has become very useful for bloggers. Wedding planning has taken me back to pinning so we will see where that takes me.

Periscope has really grown in the last few months. I have an account but my phone is in desperate need of being updated so I don't do the best with it currently. I do team up from time to time with one of my friends to offer some TV commentary on shows like The Bachelorette which turns into a night of laughs and wine. I will announce the next time we are doing one and hopefully you will all join in!

Over the next few months I am going to work on a business plan for myself. I have decided to take my blog to the next level. I want to make it my own, yet a place where people want to come back and read. Join me in the next few weeks as I talk more about my goals in individual topics like this one. It would be to more overwhelming then it's worth ti post them all at the same time. Social media was a good place to start as it is one of the easiest ways to get your name out there.

How are you utilizing social media to get your name out there? What can you recommend that works for you?

It's that time again.. time to see what I did and did not accomplish in August for goals and what to expect as goals for September. Let me take you back..

I planned to use August as a month of forgiveness and letting things go. That didn't happen as much as I anticipated, but that doesn't mean I haven't put some stuff into place for next month to make it better.

I set a goal to sponsor 3 blogs. I didn't exactly do that. I have been hanging out over on Anne's sidebar this month and will be gracing Christine's in a few weeks. I suppose 2 out 3 ain't bad right? I will strive for more in the Fall for sure!

I vowed to pin more.. well that kinda sorta happened cause ya'll I got engaged!  (see what I did there?) I need to start pinning all those amazing wedding ideas right?  Are you following me on Pinterest by the way? If not, why not?!

I talked about my upcoming series.. Which is still in the works as well as a new series so I'd say I nailed this one. Stay tuned this fall for some fun new series and collaborations!

Last but certainly not least I was going to use my media kit more often. I am happy to say even though I did not use it as much as I anticipated to, I did have a an opportunity come my way because of it. So I'd say that is a win as well.

Now lets take a look at what September has in store..

First and foremost the Blog Staycation is back for the Fall! If you are unfamiliar with the staycation; it is a 4 day online blogging event that helps connect you with the blogging community as well as helps you to grow your blog. This will be our third event and it has been a success each time! Go check out the announcement page and get all the deets!  Go now!

To start off September, I always set a theme to go along with my Happiness Project. This is part of my personal growth goals which I feel are just as important as monthly goals. This month I have chosen self improvement as my theme. Because last month I failed at my forgiveness goal, I want to continue to work to get past some of those hard things and let them all go. I want to start September with a clean slate to enjoy the magic that Fall brings. Now onto my monthly goals:

• Start a journal. If you read my blog on Friday you would see I talked about starting to journal. Not only for self improvement but to also improve my writing. I would need an interactive journal as I would not be able to commit myself to a blank journal. I am planning once I receive the journal to spend some time with it each night, helping me focus on writing more down. Wish me luck!

•  Next up is collaboration. I really would like to collaborate more in the blogging community and pull myself out of the slump I feel like I have been in. I have a really great idea for October and would love to share it with 2 or 3 others for lots of blog love! If you're interested in collaborating please shoot me an e-mail!

• Continue to use Pinterest and grow my following. I am starting to pin more with the upcoming wedding whirlwind so I am hoping I will pin more this Fall as a whole. If you  have any tips please send them my way!

•  Reach 10,000 monthly page views. I know this one seems very hard but I am SO close I can taste it! I suppose if I had did more with getting myself our there and sponsoring more blogs I could have already achieved that. Minor details right?

• Blog planning. I think this seems to be my biggest problem lately with getting quality stuff posted. I always feel like I am rushing to get stuff done once my work day ends. If I could sit down 1 or 2 nights a week and plan better I think I could completely cut down the frantic moments I have in the evenings before I plan to post something. We shall see. 

So there you have it. I have a lot of my plate for September but I'll be damned if I don't make it work. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Writing has never come naturally to me. I have never considered myself a writer. I know; shocking considering I write a blog regularly. I am one of those people who has really great ideas and I can picture it all in my head. Every last word right there in my mind. I sit down to write, and bam! it's gone. I remember the concept and what it was I wanted to talk about, but it never sounds quite like I remembered it in my thoughts. Does that ever happen to any of you?

Recently I have had the urge to pursue writing in a different way. I have noticed lately my emotions play a lot into my writing. When I am upset or angry about something in my life, the words keep flowing smoothly from my mind onto the paper. I read it when I am done and I am proud of what I wrote. My words flirt with the paper as they create a great piece. Something I can call my own and not feel inadequate about calling myself a writer. 

Because I am trying to pursue writing in a different way, I have been looking at different journals and options to keep my thoughts flowing. I am not really interested in a blank journal as I am not great at writing daily. I am looking more at interaction journals. Things that will inspire me to participate in writing daily. Not only will it encourage me to write more, it will give me ideas of what I should be doing. I have been looking at thinks like The Wreck It Journal or Live Out Loud. Both of these books are by Keri Smith. I really love the concept of these books and I think they would both be very therapeutic for me.

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Happy Friday!