START 2012: how to start a blog this weekend! (easy as 1, 2, and 3!)

by gloria marie Posted on January 27, 2012

all week i’ve been talking about starting. to conclude the series i want to talk about starting a blog, out of all the things i do it seems as if that is one of the things people are most interested in starting, and it’s the most easiest thing to do! i’ve been sharing online before blogging was a term, but it’s only really been in the past 2 years that i’ve become focused on blogging more seriously. the following is 3 easy steps to get you started with blogging!

1. choose a blog topic

the more specific your blog is the better. to be honest, my blog suffers from way too many topics! for example, when i write about photography i am sure i isolate people who may follow me for my inspirational pieces. not everyone is a photographer. and i teach at the elementary level full time, been doing so for the past 4 years, but i rarely talk about teaching or my classroom on my blog because i believe that will bore my core audience. i highly suggest that if you start a blog you narrow it down to a specific topic for a specific audience.

one of the keys to readership is defining your topic and audience.

choose a topic you are interested in, don’t blog about a topic because you think it is popular. blog about a topic because you really love it! this will help you when it comes time to produce content for your blog. it is so much easier to write about something you are passionate about than some random topic you hold little interest in.

2. choose a content management system (cms)

back in the day if you wanted to build a website you pretty much needed to know html, nowadays you don’t need to know html you just need a good content management system. a web based software to manage all your content. i use wordpress (available at wordpress.org), and self host my blog. many hosting companies make it really easy to install wordpress.org softeware with just a couple clicks. i suggest this route if you have big plans for your blog and want to have your own personalized domain name. if you are completely clueless on publishing on the web this might require a tad of research, but the web is full of information! don’t be intimidated.

however, if you just want to blog and not get too technical i suggest using a cms platform you don’t have to host yourself. this process is pretty much is a sign up and get started approach. if you want to use wordpress but not host it yourself sign up at wordpress.com, if you want to use one of the most popular blogging hosting services sign up at blogger.com, and if you want some instant gratification/readership/response/content sign up at tumblr. i’ve been having a lot of fun with tumblr lately.

3. produce content

this is where the magic happens! there is a popular saying that says “content is king” and it’s a true statement. if you don’t have content on your blog you will not gain any readers. since i take my blogging seriously in the back of my head i have the number 3. i need to produce at least 3 pieces of content each week for my blog, and then it comes down to quality over quantity.

producing content isn’t always easy. you really have to be dedicated to the process. sometimes you will have writer’s block. sometimes you will just be really busy and will find it hard to produce content. but you must be consistent if you want your readers to come back.

to help you stay on track of producing content consider the following: 1) sit down at the beginning of the month and write out at least 5 article ideas, sometimes you really need to be intentional. 2) create a staple/series on your blog. every friday i do the friday pic series. the world is very chaotic, and people like consistency. 3) read! consume tons of content for inspiration. when you read make connections with your life or other text you’ve read in order to generate article ideas.

go for it!

there is more that goes into blogging (seo, connecting with your audience, promoting your blog, blog design, etc) but i have given you a starting place. if you desire to create a blog i want you to start this weekend! and don’t worry if your content is a little lack luster at the beginning…you will get better! dig in, educate yourself more about blogging (google blogging and become overwhelmed! i mean, amazed!), and watch your blog grow!

if you have questions about blogging don’t hesitate to contact me! i am more than willing to discuss blogging with you.

happy blogging!

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START 2012: the importance of starting something worthwhile

by gloria marie Posted on January 26, 2012

i have a million ideas in my head, when i share an idea with my brother i introduce the idea as my new new idea. in my evernote i have a notebook titled “business ideas” and i jot down all my little business ideas. ideas that will, of course, make me millions and millions and millions of dollars! but here is the deal, most of them are not worth my time, not worthwhile to me.

when starting anything it is important to ask two questions: 1. is this worthwhile to me? 2. is this worthwhile to the world?

so is what you want to start worthy of your time?

the worthiness of what you start will determine if it dies or survives.

some of these ideas i speak of have nothing to do with anything i am particularly interested in. if i were to start work on some of them i would probably quickly lose interest in them, abandon them, and move on to the next idea. and i would basically be nowhere. when i do start something i try to start things that i have an interest in, something that is worthwhile to me. this keeps me going when i want to quit.

if you don’t know if what you want to start is worthy of your time consider this….would you do it for free? and further more, as a child did you do anything that is related in any kind of way to what you want to start?

i am not suggesting that you start something where you work for free, i am getting to the point of external vs. international motivation. if you are motivated by outside influences to start something it probably isn’t a good thing for you to start. it’s probably not worth your time.

the things i do today are not out of the blue. writing isn’t something where i woke up and decided to do yesterday. as a kid i wrote. the fact that i own a business isn’t out of the blue. as a kid i had garage sales on my parents’ lawn. as a kid i asked my parents for a lawn mower so i could mow lawns for money (this business adventure went nowhere!). i was a babysitter. as a 4 year old i use to untie my dad’s army boots for 10 cents. and i have many other stories! my point is that i’ve always been a hustler! seriously, starting a business for me is totally logical. it’s part of who i am. it’s in my dna. what is in your dna?

does what you want to start make sense to you? is it worthy of your time?

is what you want to start worthwhile to the world?

this question has nothing to do with pleasing people. individual people. this question has to do with using your life in a way that is beneficial beyond just you. when i started thinking about people who have started worthwhile things i thought about Jesus. at the age of around 30 Jesus officially started his ministry and it was a game changer. what he did with his life changed the world. if we are to be Christ-like i believe we should also start things that are worthwhile to the world. use your talents and gifts to start something that will benefit the greater good, directly or indirectly.

start
something
incredible!

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START 2012: the perfectionist curse (and why you might actually be no good at what you do)

by gloria marie Posted on January 25, 2012

yesterday i pinpointed some possible barriers to starting on whatever it is you desire to start, and i believe one of the greatest barriers in starting is wanting to create perfect work. therefore, i am dedicating a whole post in this “start 2012″ series to what i call the perfectionist curse.

the beginners

during the day i teach. i teach kindergarten, i call my students my babies, my sprouts, my beginners. for the most part they are a group of 5 year olds who are very inexperienced in a lot of things, but are eager to do almost everything. in my book a guide to doing incredible things i share how my students come to me at the beginning of the year. at the beginning of the year most of them have terrible handwriting. i can’t really make out the chicken scratch. in the educational world chicken scratch is called “emergent writing” and i don’t really expect anything else from them, they are new at the whole handwriting thing. and of course i have my exceptions, you know the 5 year olds who do calligraphy in their spare time! but my point is, most of them are inexperienced and their writing is terrible. this is normal. they are beginners.

chances are if you start something you might actually be no good at it…in the beginning. most people who are good at what they do have been doing that thing for a long time, have made a huge time investment. there is a popular saying that says it takes 10000 hours to master something. 10,000 long hours. i don’t know how true this is, but it is unrealistic to expect perfection at the beginning of any journey. i do know the longer i do something the better i get. i write, i photograph, and i teach and out of those three things i do i think i do writing the best because i have invested more time into writing than any other things i have done or do in my life. i am not saying i am an incredible writer, but i am just saying that from personal experience i know that the more you put into something the better you get. and like with my 5 year olds there are exceptions, but don’t expect to be perfect or great from the onset. allow yourself to start, put in the time, so you can work towards that perfection you desire.

what is the perfectionist curse?

the perfectionist curse is when you want the thing you desire to do so perfect that you never start because of the fear that it won’t be perfect. i like perfection as much as the next ocd person. i like straight lines, very defined things, you know it’s either a line or it is not. i like to hit my marks. but as a creative i have to let that go or i would never start, create, and share anything!

after you get over being so perfect you can’t even start the next step is to share whatever it is you have started. uh-huh, even if it is not perfect! this. can. be. scary. but this will help you get better at what you do. feedback is important in perfecting what you do. if you are a creative i want you to start sharing whatever it is you create. if you write start blogging, if you create visual arts put up an online portfolio, etc. share it with friends and strangers. with my second book i wanted to hold on to it longer, perfect it more and more, and the more i spent time perfecting it the more i started freaking out about sharing it, but i finally just had to let it go and share it. i believe in creating great worthwhile work, but i just want you to be aware of the dangers of wanting everything perfect.

to quote from yesterday:

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START 2012: what’s holding you back? (7 things that could be preventing you from starting)

by gloria marie Posted on January 24, 2012

i use to work for a non profit as a program coordinator. the organization had a federal funded project where we hosted teacher workshops. each workshop had a projected number of workshop attendees. at the end of the project we had to account for any numbers below the projected number. we had a list of barriers. we pinpointed things that prevented teachers from attending our workshops. that’s what i want to help you do, pinpoint barriers between you and the start line.

i’ve come up with a list of 7 things (in no particular order) that could possibly be preventing you from starting on whatever it is you desire to start.

1. intimidated by other great work

i am constantly reading other blogs, looking at photography, and discovering cool businesses and entrepreneurs and while it is inspiring at times it can be very intimidating. but if i get in my mind that my work sucks and everybody else work is so awesome then i am doomed and will just crawl under a table. intimidation stifles creativity, it puts fear in you and can freeze you up! get over other people’s great work and create your own, just go for it!

2. caring too much of what people think

really bad ideas are everywhere! let’s say you start on a project and it completely sucks, all your friends will not laugh. if you care too much of what others think about what you do or don’t do you are thinking too highly of yourself. yes, i said you are thinking too highly of yourself. are you really that important? for the most part, people are too wrapped up in themselves to dwell on your failures. if you start something and it is terrible…start something else!

3. a bankrupt mind

the concept of using what you have to get what you want isn’t a new concept but a true concept. sometimes people don’t start because they lack the grand resources they think they need to start. when you lack resources you must become resourceful. i preach creativity because it’s priceless. a lack of creativity is a bankrupt mind. if you are creative you have what you need to start.

i recently discovered dereck sivers the founder of cdbaby.com and absolutely love his mentality. the clip “start Now. No funding needed” is an awesome illustration of my point:

4. you don’t know where to start

if only life was like a board game and had a place that read “start” and a die that told you what pace to move at. sorry, life isn’t that easy! so how do you figure out where to start? educate yourself on what it is you want to do and start from there. education is step one. you will never know enough to feel 100% ready to work on your project, but you just have to jump in at some point. if you are waiting for the perfect time and spot to start most likely you’ll be waiting a long time.

5.laziness

every year i talk about the idea of running a 5k. one year i got kind of close, for like 3 weeks i was dedicated to the treadmill. but i guess i got tired of being a hamster on the treadmill. and the real honest truth is… i haven’t ran a 5k because i am too lazy to train. laziness is the barrier between me and a 5k. sometimes the only thing holding you back is laziness. i don’t want to run a 5k bad enough to get up in the morning and train. so how do you deal with laziness? to be honest, i don’t really know but i do know that when i really want to do something i do it. some degree of laziness is human, but if you are in a constant state of laziness perhaps the thing that you are “supposed to be doing” is something you have no real desire to do. find something you really want to start and do it.

6. you are afraid

one of my favorite quotes is by marianne williamson and it starts off with “our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure…” some people are afraid of their power, their talent, and their calling. sometimes starting means you can’t stop. once you start something that is your calling it becomes your lifework, and you will always feel compelled in your heart to do it. don’t be afraid of the commitment. and when you start something things change and change can be scary. don’t be afraid of what you want to start and the ramifications of starting. at the end of the day the good outweighs the bad.

7. you want everything perfect

do yourself a favor and get over the idea of starting something and it being perfect. only God is perfect, he has all the perfect ideas and solutions. we are mere humans, we will never get the praise that God gets for his work for our work. so go ahead and start whatever you desire to start, and present it to the world. you have something to offer but you will never offer it if you are so worried about being perfect that you never start creating it.

tomorrow i am going to be talking about the perfectionist curse (and why you might actually be no good at what you do).

so can you relate to any of these barriers?

read yesterday’s post: start 2012: so what is the one thing you desire most to start?

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START 2012: so what is the one thing you desire most to start?

by gloria marie Posted on January 23, 2012

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb

last year in march i started a post named “start” and i really never started on it. i didn’t know exactly what i wanted to say about starting but i knew i wanted to write something about starting. starting is one of the hardest thing to do! 9 months later i look at my wordpress drafts, and there is still nothing much there than a title. then i think, i should do a whole series on starting. yes, i am very smart like that. i want to do a whole series based on a post that is still in the draft stage that’s been there for 9 months. yes, smart indeed. but now i know what i want to say about starting, i think.

people talk a lot about doing things, starting things. i think more than ever people are realizing that the world is set up to where anyone can basically be anything they want and create anything that they want. for many, ideas abound but that’s about it. they never actually start to make their ideas a reality.

i will begin the series off by talking about barriers, want you to examine possible causes on why you might be “stuck” at just the desire stage of your ideas and dreams. and out of the things i have started in my life i have decided to share my experience on starting a blog, i will do that on friday. as always, when i write about things it is simply what i know.

in the upcoming days i will share the following:

tuesday: what’s holding you back?
wednesday: the perfectionist curse (and why you might actually be no good at what you do)
thursday: the importance of starting something worthwhile
friday: how to start a blog this weekend!

to start off i want you to think about ALL the things you want to do but haven’t started on and pick one that represents your biggest desire. do you want to write a book? start a nonprofit? start a book club? start a business? start a blog? throughout the week i want you to be mindful of this one desire, whatever it is! as i go through the topics above i want you to think about how they apply to your one thing you really desire to start, especially the post tomorrow about barriers.

i say to pick only one thing (for now!) because things can get overwhelming if you try to start a million things at once. trust me, i know! so identify your one thing you desire most to start and starting on this one thing will have a snowball effect on your other projects you desire to start. you’ll become somewhat of an experienced starter!

2012 is the year to stop talking about things and to start doing things! we are all talented and gifted, and capable of doing incredible things. i would love to hear about the one thing you desire most to start, leave a comment or contact me and come back tomorrow for the most important part of this week long series.

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God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions

by gloria marie Posted on January 22, 2012

a devotional for sunday:

Matthew 6:33-34
The Message (MSG)

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

***
read over the passage again. change the “you” in the last sentence to “me”. make it personal.

we live in a very competitive world, and it is easy to become preoccupied with getting and to become stressed out in the process. but here the scripture talks about what God gives, what he gives freely. he gives you his attention. you don’t have to wreck your brain wondering where your next meal or achievement will come from. God is attending to your every need.

his attention is on you and he takes pride in you! think about something you take pride in. how do you care for it? how do you protect it? even more so God is giving you his care and protection.

respond to God’s giving by shifting your mindset from a state of desperation and anxiety to a state of providence and peace. dwell in God’s reality, initiative, and provisions. you can let your hair down. God wants you to enjoy your life, this moment, because your present and future is provided for. in this scripture God is essentially saying, “i got this!”

thank you God for always meeting my needs. i will do my part, put works to my faith, but at the end of the day i know it is not about how hard i work or what i can get but what you give me. and i don’t have to freak out about today or tomorrow, you will be there to help me deal with it all.

have a good sunday!

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love notes

by gloria marie Posted on January 20, 2012

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click on the image to visit loveglo.tumblr.com, a blog where i post “love notes” that i have hand written/drawn for my family and friends. this is just a fun creative project i started at the end of last year. enjoy!

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