What did you “Give Up” for Lent?

We are well into in Holy Week and the final stretch of the Lent season. Prayerfully, through fasting, prayer and fellowship, God has reveal some things to you.  You’ve sorted through some stuff,  developed some new habits and hopefully shed some old ones, arriving a step closer to the place you are purposed to be.  Having arrived on the other side of where you were nearly 4o days ago, what are some lessons learned and accomplishments made?  Here’s my Testimony…………………

When I began Spread Love, I really had no clue about the network of bloggers and all of the intricate details and discipline that came with being able to blog successfully.  All I knew was I had something to say about an array of personal and professional interest. I’ve always possessed a natural gift of  keen insight which made me the go-to girl for resources and information for many of my friends and family.

I didn’t approach it totally blind, and did some research on web-host, web designers and blogging for dummies and a host of other aides however; I must admit, it was like an information overload. After looking at other blogs (particularly of my favorite bloggers) I felt intimidated and began thinking that I wasn’t ready and I couldn’t possible measure up.   After a serious bout with procrastination and self sabotage, I knew if I didn’t kind of just jump off the cliff at that point, I knew it probably wouldn’t happen or, even more time would pass without me taking action on what became the (screaming) quiet voice in my head telling me to “just do it”!

At that point, I literally with no real tech skills, walked myself through WordPress as best I could. With the encouragement and prayer of a few loved ones, I hit the publish button. 17 (wiser) months later, I have so many lessons learned.

Many weigh the success if blogging differently however; if you’re taking time to research, record and write about any given topic, you at least want people to read it. As a new blogger, I figured at least the people who I knew would have at least read and support  my new endeavor. While that’s a fair expectation, in retrospect I now  realize that I lacked some of the confidence and commitment needed to really put myself out there in unfamiliar circles to grow my skill and audience.

Could I have been more prepared; absolutely. Although my reasons for starting the blog  were not about getting rich, I realized as with most things that you do, you want to see growth and progress over time. If something is important to you, you have to give it the time and attention it needs in order for it to flourish.

Giving up my comfort zone for Lent has revealed some great lessons in many aspects.  In terms of the future and maturation if the blog; I’m making some great strides in the direction surrounding myself with like-minds by utilizing social networks to engage with other bloggers, obtaining and using concrete tools like my blog action planner to support me in organizing and creating a better system.  My proudest step yet; attending the Blogging While Brown Conference in Austin, Texas (hotel/flight and event ticket secured). I resisted the urge to dial-a-girlfriend to inquire about who was down to go me.  I even (now don’t laugh because I know I’m late) invested in a MacBook.

How’s that for getting out of my comfort zone, stay tuned……….. Spread Love It’s the BrooKlyn Kisha Way!

What did you “give up” for Lent?  What BOLD moves have you made lately or ready to make?

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