When I attended BlissDom ’12 in Nashville last year, it was my first time ever attending a blogging conference. I was both excited and nervous: I wasn’t sure what to expect, I wasn’t going as part of a group, and I wasn’t even sure I considered myself and my blog “worthy” of attending. I was still working to find my voice and direction, trying to figure out what this thing called “SEO” was, and attempting to navigate all the intricacies of the blogging world. All while looking at the other bloggers around me saying “Wow, I will never be that big/good/well-known”.

A photo I took inside the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. This was before my photography classes; imagine how much better my images would be after attending BlissDom ’13!
If I was already nervous, walking into the massive Opryland Hotel didn’t immediately quell those nerves. After walking for what seemed like miles, I arrived at the registration desk where I checked in and then went to find a seat to listen to the opening ceremony. The key note speaker was Jon Acuff, author of Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job. His entire talk was good, but he said one thing that immediately resonated with me. He said “Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” Continue reading »