I Want Community. Who Wants To Play Along?

Day 17!  I am loving these high teen numbers!  It's so amazing to me that I, or all people, have stuck to this 30 Day Blog Challenge this long!  I usually give up on things like this much sooner, particularly if I'm not all that 'into' the theme.  In this instance, I'm not all that into business building, but its been an educational ride nonetheless and my interest is beginning to be piqued!  Just what could I do here?

So today's topic...

What three steps can you take to build trust and credibility online for you, your brand and your business?

My first answer to this is keep active and in the spotlight!  Keeping on blogging like I have done, with regularity and something of interest to say. This will keep whoever is already looking, coming back, and will encourage new people to join!

Keeping active will mean following up on my ideas for taking this blog in a new direction and cultivating others.  I am absolutely up for that challenge!

My second response would be to keep up with my Facebook page for this blog and perhaps expand into other social media avenues. This certainly won't deter people from coming here to visit and spend a few minutes (or dare I dream - a few hours?) reading.  If I make people aware that this little blog exists, and keep people reading after their first visit, not only will my blog readership grow, but my own credibility will grow as a natural consequence!  My gut says that social media activity is very important here.  The blog is where the action is, but there is a strong possibility that the socail media networks is where the INTERACTIVITY and TRUST will grow best of all.

My final thought on what I can do is to take any and every opportunity that comes to my attention to promote my blog.  Even taking up this challenge has increased my reader stats and thus, the knowledge that I'm here, in my little corner of the world wide web.  I think keeping active and getting the word out as much as possible, in any way, can only be beneficial.

I'm looking forward to interaction the most.  I want to know what readers think and feel and if they want more or less from me.  I want comments...

Comments people, please?

I started this blog for me.  But its slowly morphing into something new.  It would be nice to know who is on the journey with me and if they want something in particular from the ride too.  Perhaps I can make us both grow!  No harm in asking, right?

Image borrowed from http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/178389i1307B19E9F1AF045/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&px=-1

 

Sparkling New Directions

Whoohoo!  Day 13 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge!

Today's question is EASY!  Loving it!

What 3 things would you most like your website to have and how will you go about getting them?  

In lieu of a website, I shall use this blog as my base.  :-)

I want to use this blog to study, explore and share the greatness of others.  I have thought about this for some time, but now is the time to develop those thoughts in black and white.  I know so many amazing people who I admire for one reason, or many.  There are many many more I do not yet have the pleasure of knowing, and I would like to.  I want to explore each of these people, their goals, achievements, dreams, mistakes, beliefs and so on.  I want to examine what makes them tick, what makes them shine and what makes them LOVE their lives.  I want to know what 'their secret is" so I can soak it in, use it to my own advantage and make it available to the world to use for theirs!  I have been considering doing this with a series of interviews/guest posts all with a specific 'format' to follow, so that the questions that will reveal the 'secrets' will be addressed and we hit the mark every time!  I envision it to be something of a spotlight on an individual, a lesson in 'making things happen'.  I want it to be enlightening and educational and inspiring.

The side benefit from taking on a project like this will be that entrepreneurs I know, who are strugging to be known, will get one more avenue for exposure.  People I admire from afar, who dare to dabble in my little dream, will find a new source of admirers and followers, and hopefully a new perspective to look into themselves.  And for anyone just reading along, a wealth of knowledge, all in one place, to draw upon and improve their own lives.

So the second thing I would like to see grow within my blog/website, would be community.  I already have a facebook page where people who read this blog can connect and see what I've been up to here.  But I guess the logical approach would be to expand the blog, expand the readership, encourage more facebook friends, possibly start an email newsletter...

I began this blog for me, to get out of my shell and open up to the world.  It is funny to think that in just over half a year I'm now thinking that maybe, just maybe, I can help others with doing the same, as well as benefitting myself with their natural and learned wisdom.  But to do that, to share that around and make it happen, community is essential.

The final thing I'd love to see my blog allow me to do is further explore my creativity.  I see myself doing this though writing about topics that move me, inspire me.  By unleashing my creativity with colour, drawing, crafting, maybe even sewing.  Poetry perhaps?  Creativity with my children...  Making life beautiful ans sparkling.  That is what this blog was about in the beginning, life in all its aspects, soaring and dipping on sparkling wings.  The part that I feel has been missing to date is my creativity!  So I guess I just need to make time in my life to make it happen then be brave enough to let it be here!

So, there you have it!  :-)  I just honed in on a direction to head in!  Wonderful!

What a beautiful direction to head into!
Image from http://jaksview3.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/pathway-in-fall/

No Prompting!!!!

Eeek!  Day 8 of The Suitcase Entrepreneur's 30 Day Blog Challenge, has not got an actual challenge topic!  And I'm itching to write!  Who'd have thunk it?  :-)  I've been so hit and miss with blogging that I never imagined I'd be itching to write and not actually have a topic to write on! Let alone encounter that problem within the space of a week!

What an incredible revelation... I actually enjoy writing!

This past week has been filled with revelations actually.  It is very liberating when you grow into your skin.  There is a long way to go, I know this. But I am feeling more and more comfortable as I go.  And I like this feeling very much.

I love the realisation that I have the majority of the framework of my life already in place.  There are some missing beams and pillars.  There are also some structural modifications that need to happen.  But essentially, a there is a form, a shape of a life that I love, already in existence.  I have my family that I'd die for.  I have passions that keep my mind churning.  I'm learning about myself daily.  I've tasted travel and want more, more, more!  My spiritual self is growing and revealing itself, and in turn, I am also growing and unfurling my wings, showing the colours in the sunlight, finally.  My life framework just needs some remodelling, refurbishing and redecorating...  And maybe a bit of bling!

It isn't just this 30 Day Challenge.  It has been a long succession of high moments, low moments, slaps of reality and well deserved kicks in the pants!  It has been intensifying in the past year or two. But this challenge is keeping life, and what I want from it, square in the forefront of my mind right now.  Right where I need it to be so that I can REALLY dig into it and do something amazing and wonderful.

I posted on my facebook page on Monday, saying, "Oh, how easy it is for LIFE to distract you from LIVING!"

I've done this almost my entire life.  I've done a million things without heart and soul involvement.  I've made choices based on the needs and desires of others.  I have gone against my instinct.  I have even done nothing, letting fear, self-doubt and shame overshadow my light.  In fact I have even given away my power and waited to be rescued.  I am certain I will do all of these things again and again in my life, in the days to come.  We all make mistakes, we all misjudge, we all make choices based upon limited knowledge.  We all gamble with life.  It is how we live.  But, what I hope for in the future, is that I do more LIVING in the now than being distracted by the stuff of LIFE.

Butterfly image, courtesy of
https://www.facebook.com/RainbowFarmPhotography

Bring on Day 9!

 

I'm Up For A Challenge!

When I began this blog in January of this year, my intent was to write for me and me alone.  However, I chose to make it a public blog, to take the chance that 'someone' might read it.  Someone I might know.  Someone who knows me.  Or perhaps someone who just stumbles upon this page.  I did this because I wanted to grow into myself better.

My whole life I've been uncomfortable with showing people what I've written or created.  I don't know why.  I just never felt 'good enough' or that anything I could produce would be worthy of someone else's time.  Whilst I know that on an intellectual level, this is quite crazy, on a heart level, it was my truth.  

So... On Sparkling Wings - the blog - was born as a direct challenge to that heart/mind conflict.  It was a way for me to crack open my protective cocoon and not necessarily crawl out (Although I perhaps have done so since starting the page...  I don't know.  That is for another blog post!) but potentially invite someone else in to see me and what I can, or can't. do.  My achievements and my failures are both valuable, and potentially not just to me!  There is a chance that someone else might find them both interesting or enlightening. 

Today I am beginning a challenge...  A 30 Day blogging challenge!  You can read about it here.

Why would I take on such a challenge?  Well... my lovely friend Coralie of Rainbow Farm Photography discovered it and asked me to join in.  What better reason does one need than to play with their friends?    :-)

I also decided to take up the challenge because although I only ever intended to write for myself, I don't feel I write enough.  Another opportunity to grow into myself is being presented to me on a silver platter.  This time, it is the opportunity to find some discipline.  To partake in something daily, to build routine, to keep me going forward even when motivation is lacking.  I think this challenge may be just what I need to help kickstart my "sticktoitness" that I always feel I lack.

It is worth a shot!

So today's challenge to write on was to answer WHY I started the blog (To challenge myself), WHO was my intended audience (Myself and whoever else happened across my page), WHAT my blog was to be about (My achievements, failures and anything else in between), WHY I took on the 30 Day challenge (Moral support of Coralie and to challenge myself more) and WHAT I hope to get out of it (Discipline to write and courage to take that discipline to other areas of my life!)

There is it in a nutshell!

:-)

Bring on tomorrow!!! I'm ready for whatever is coming my way!

Looking All Sparkling and New!

Well I'm getting fancy now!!!  :-)

What do you think of my new blog design?

The image and header are the beautiful work of Coralie from Rainbow Farm Photography.  I love that photograph of the sunset over the Indian Ocean!  It makes me drift off to my happy place and dream.

She even created me a custom cover photo for my facebook page for this blog! Click here to see it in the flesh!  I like seeing it all pretty!

So here's the harder bit, because I'm doing some of the work LOL...  Creating Social Media and Contact Buttons for the sidebar... GULP.  But with the help of a tutorial, just about anything can be achieved!

Two for starters...  More to come.