Getting back to "Me" Guest Post by Chivon Anderson...Finding Me!

            

                                                               Finding Me

So after a very long break my writers itch has begun to get the best of me. The box of treasure in the form of words and expressions have been unlocked and unleashed. The greatness in me only shared with a few is about to bless the world. These first few blogs are what I will use for practice, to get the kinks out, to stretch lol. After all it has been lying dormant for such a long time. Forgive me if it is not as eloquent as you might expect or if it seems a bit shallow. I am simply giving myself the freedom to be ME with no restraints. (smile).

After talking for a while with a friend and witnessing so many blogs birthed I thought it was time for me to break my silence. I am not one to jump on any bandwagon. As a matter of fact when I see one coming my way, I run in the opposite direction. I like being unique, I love being a trendsetter. It has taken me years to break out of the mold that I have allowed so many others to create for me but today I am finally free. I am the mold, the model, the standard. Lets not get it twisted this is not about self glorification but rather liberation. I'm free to be who God created me to be. And I have been raised for such a time as this to help others become truly free. I have been hurt before which is why I can declare that the Lord's strength is made perfect in my weakness. I have loved, been rejected and found true love, not only in my husband but in God. So I can shout with confidence "WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN? IF GOD BE FOR ME WHO CAN DARE BE AGAINST ME". "FOR I AM FULLY PERSUADED THAT NEITHER DEATH NOR LIFE, NEITHER ANGELS NOR DEMONS, NEITHER PRESENT NOR FUTURE, NOR ANY POWERS, NEITHER HEIGHT NOR DEPTH, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATHION WILL BE ABLE TO SEPERATE ME FROM THE LOVE OF GOD THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS MY LORD.

Romans 8:38-39. It is this perfect love that has cast out all of my fears. I am a Kingdom Kid and their is no denying that. Hate it or love it, I'm here to stay.

To get to know Chivon better check her out on Twitter at @QueenChivs Thank for stopping by Shiners!!! Til next Monday! 

Getting back to "Me" Guest Post by Susan Silver

                                             A Story NEVER told

Here is a story rarely told.  Back in May 2010 I was steadily working on a blog with a colleague. That was the proving ground for many of my SEO tactics. We were finally building an audience and then... it ended. Not with a bang but a whimper as they say. My friend informed me that she had been hired and that she had signed a non-competition clause. That was the end of that.

At first I was a little devastated. I think anyone would have responded that way after building something for 6 months. I wasn’t quite sure what the next step was going to be. I had my own personal blog, but it was nothing. I needed a fresh perspective. I saw Darren “Problogger” Rowse’s tweet about the SITS Girls 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge and that seemed like a way out.

At that time, Cirquedumot was just a crazy experiment to show off the power of Twitter. It has become the cornerstone of my blogging experience. Through SITS I finally understood the power of networks, word of mouth, and having support for your ideas.

This seems all off topic right? This is supposed to be about getting back to me, not the tale of where things started. Off topic... the doom and gloom of any blog. It’s called a niche, not my continuing interest in the world & everything. Staying on topic is something any blogger will struggle with.

The bad news, my blog had plateaued at about three months in *faceplant*. My network trailed off and I find myself lost again. I was wondering if our online networks are nothing more than fair weather friends.  I focused on search engine optimization and content. After all, these two aspects where within my control.

I had forgotten something that made those early blogs stand out, heart.

Heart?

I forgot about heart!

You see those early success were built on the relationships I had with people on the forum. When the challenge ended where was I, not on SITS. Don’t get me wrong content and SEO matter. They will never replace your friends and supporters. They are what keeps us going when the going gets tough. That is what I was missing.

How am I getting back to me?

My blog is all about word of mouth and that means bringing back a sense that there is a person behind the content. I am just going to follow my original mission. Explain marketing mumbo jumbo and give real tips that people can use. My number one goal for the New Year is to treat my blog as the personal journey it represents. After all people relate to people not concepts.

I hope you will continue on this journey with me as we navigate the online world together. I want to take the time to thank Ms. Positivity for her support that has kept me on the path! Thank you everyone who has taken the time to visit, read, and comment! 

To get to know Susan better check her blog out at http://cirquedumot.com and you can catch her on Twitter!! 

Mood Booster Moments...."I just wanted a Chocolate Ricecake"

Hey there Shiners!!

I have not done one of these in a while and with all that is going on in my life and getting back to Living I must tell you I have had some foolery go down in my life.  I have eaten and missed my mouth completely, I have mixed colors in the wash that should have never been together (blue and yellow...ugh) that was one of my fave shirts ya know!!  (giggles) to plopping down on the side of the bed Oh and TOTALLY MISSING IT...(yes my behind met the floor at somebodies 2 am) to this past weekends well lets call it "Supermarket Mayhem"

This mood booster I tell you is something that you would only see on TV but NOOO guess who decided that they wanted to guess star all of a sudden!! Me that's who...LOL  So let me get to it!

     So I have fallen in love with these

So I have fallen in love with these rice cakes.  I even went as far as getting the strawberry cream cheese to go on top just like the packaging. Oh it is sooooo good! I didn't think I would like it but on a whim I tried it and now I just have to have them. Well off to go grocery shopping.  I grabbed the strawberry cream cheese, shopped some more and right before I left I said GASPS I need to get the chocolate rice cakes.

So we search the aisle labels and finally I found it! Nothing wrong yet but you just wait and see.  I'm looking and looking down the aisle and I found them! Right no problem yet! Well here goes nothing....when I find them this is what is in from of them: do you see the blue and yellow little cardboard displays...ok stay focused! The foolery begins now!

So these things are right in from of what I want so what do you I do I move it and hunni this got ugly quick! These things are full of items that should not be here.  So I have to move the one that looks like the blue one.  Well let me tell you that was not a GREAT thing to do because it started to topple over....yessssss Shiners it started to fall over.  So I have my big pocketbook on one arm and this thing trying to fall over.  Ever see this mess in the market but not happening to you...well think again! The cheap thing is not stable and I have to be the one to fake it like "oh everything is alright!"  NO NO NO this bad boy wants to go down. I'm in a panic now because who in the world wants to make a scene!?? Not Ms. Positivity! Shiners I tell you the truth-I am looking like a total fool because this thing is really trying to meet the floor.  So I get some strength and pull it up and lean it...I'm good now...ummmm no I'm not...it's SLIDING! You got to be kidding me...I swear all I want is my rice cakes....ugh! So I have to catch this thing I'm telling it it wanted to slow dance with me but I was surely resisting LOL, strangely enough it is super quiet and no one is in the aisle. Ok Ok Ok I say to this thing...please don't fall pleaseeeee!!  It holds up Shiners! Thank goodness....so I go looking for my rice cakes and dang it after all of that they don't have not a single one!! I am annoyed to my core...I said oh no you are gonna have at least one of these...I'm on the floor....still eyeing this display, but NOPE none! Soooooo ummmm yeah I must of put the display in front of something that this other lady wanted and ummmmmm Lets just say that I got out of that aisle quick because as soon as she touched the display it fell over! and guess what! She WALKS OFF! 

Fighting Back! "Getting Back to ME" Part 3

Chapter 3....I didn't GIVE UP         

                                                         

                                                        

Just moments ago I felt off with my story with me fighting my anemia which is a major factor in my life.  I remember it like it was yesterday Shiners.  Again I lay in this bed sleeping away....I wake up wanting to go right back to sleep. I have never just slept the day away-not even when I am sick!

Oh well-once again the fighter in me would not stand for it and I'm NOT! Let me tell you what I did....I got up, got my butt out of bed  and took a shower, washed my hair, did my homework and more.  I kept moving. I turned on some music and kept moving.  I went back and read my blog, I watched my kids play and laugh, I Wii bowled, I just danced to Just Dance 2, I looked at my twitter and saw how so many look forward to communicating and getting their daily dose of Positivity from me.  I looked over my transcripts from school....A+ here B+ there more A's and more A's, Dean' list, President's list.  I am in no way gloating-this is what I had to do to get my mind right because I wanted to give it all up because of this blasted anemia. Then Shiners....I saw it!

I saw it alright....that Bleeping D!  Dang it!! I said all because I am anemic. That D saved me but crushed me. I never had one of them before. So I step back up to the plate this term Shiners and I will have 2 shiny fat A's! Let me tell you why-Because I'm getting back to "ME"

That's right...me and this anemia are going toe to toe!  I'm no quitter-I don't give up at anything!  I will find me in the process.  I will relax, I will eat ice cream, I will laugh, blog my heart out, smile abundantly, and whip anemia's butt!

See I am Ms. Positivity!! I am not mean in any way, I am a loving mother of 2, loving pre-wife of one, God fearing and as long as I have faith the size of a mustard seed I will prevail.  I will take my iron pills, take my B-12(because my body does not produce enough) and Shine as bright as I can for me, and every one I love and care for!  You will see a different me-I will be calm, spunky, witty, funny, and full of life.

This may seem simple, but for one who is dealing with anemia that has knocked me off of my square-it is major!

See Shiners I need you guys....One of my great friends sent me this on Facebook the other day: Kelly Reid
"Have I told you lately how special you are? You are an amazing woman! You are truly an inspiration. Here I am thinking how in the world am I going to balance work and school and then I think of you. Not only an FT employee, a student, a mother (dang good one at that!) a girlfriend, a friend to many and a blogger to name just a handful (among many others hats you wear) ;) Wow!!! Keep it up, you motivate me to be more and do better. Love you!"

See I never knew the affect that I had on people until I started Positively Shining. Without you their is no ME! That is why I have to get back to ME so I can totally Positively Shine for YOU!

So here is to getting back to "ME" The fight I  WE will win TOGETHER! 

So Let's show them how we get back to us! 

The Climax....Prelude to "Getting Back to "ME" Part 2

Chapter 2 of where I left off....

So I will refresh your memory a bit...I was failing, fatigue, anemia, school, kids, work, goodness it just seems like I'm complaining but trust me I'm not!  That is one major thing that I do NOT do is complain.  I suck it up and make the best out of a situation.

The main obstacle is this blasted anemia.  How can I be Ms. Positivity if I am beyond moody?  Anemia makes you this way....it took me a good while to figure out what is wrong with me and it made so many things much clearer.  I mean I love to sleep but this was becoming way to much for me.  I'm 31 why am I in the bed sleeping at somebody's 7:30pm!?!....Oh because I have no more energy to keep my eyes open.  This affects everyone and everything around me.

I prayed-I cried-I slept-I pushed myself to the limits.  This is bad Shiners....sleep trumped so much, even quality time with my kids.  I prayed more, and trust me you don't have to be super religious to not give up and dang it that is what I DIDN'T DO!

This is very frustrating BUT....I refused to give up.....

To Be Continued....

Less Duty More LIVING.....

Happy 3rd day of the New Year Shiners!

                                                     
If you look at the title many of you can probably agree that life isn't all about duty but also about living.  I feel that many times we-myself included have forgotten how to live.  This does not apply to everybody but again for many.

Have you ever watched your mood Shiners when duty takes over and you don't get to live?  You know what I mean, the likes of work, children (if it applies) school, being an important person for an organization, care giver etc.  I am not saying these are things that we should ignore but many times they get in our way of living and our mood goes way down. Duty strikes again. GRRRRRR!!!

Well guess what Shiners with this being the New Year and all I say lets start off by getting our positive mood back and LIVE! Yes LIVE!  I feel that we don't do this enough.  We work and work-care for and care for and we forget about our inner peace, happiness and positivity.

Oh well the buck stops here! RIGHT HERE! I know I'm tired.  Let us stop this routine dead in its tracks and live!!!! Lets live Shiners...lets stop putting duty before everything else! We matter just as much as duty matters!

Back burner no more! We will LIVE our days positive and to the fullest from this day forward!

Now lets go and LIVE!!!