Blog Elevated & My Writing Inspiration

I’ve had my eye on the Blog Elevated Conference for awhile now. I so desperately want to attend a blogging conference, and this is be my first real opportunity to attend one, since it is being held right in my backyard. Having it here in Houston solves the travel expenses dilemma, but we still don’t quite have the funds to make it work. Those that have been following for awhile now probably know that we are a 4 person family living in a 3rd story, 2 bedroom apartment. We are saving every last penny for a house, and I knew I couldn’t sneak anything from our house fund just to attend a conference. A bit bummed, I figured I could maybe try to spring for a ticket after we buy our house, and this this opportunity came along that seemed too good to be true: the BE a Better Blogger Scholarship. They are so graciously giving away 2 tickets to people who can’t afford to attend! So that is what this post is all about. (if you are interested in attending, you can purchase tickets here or apply for a scholarship here).

The motto for Blog Elevated is “Be Inspired, Be Professional, Be You”, and so today, I want to share my writing inspiration with you.

My writing is inspired by 3 main things.

1. YOU – I love to encourage people, it’s literally one of my favorite things to do, and I try my best to do that through my writing. I want to let people know that they are not alone in the struggles, and help show them how to work through them. I want to inspire women to be the best that they can be, while leaving the guilt and comparisons behind them. I write to inspire, I write to encourage and I write because I love to do it. I can’t not write. It’s just not possible anymore. It’s what I love to do and I can’t imagine ever stopping.
2. Family – My family is a huge inspiration to me. My kids inspire me to do the best that I can and to love more deeply than I ever thought possible. Through my blog, I share many of my experiences as a wife and mama. These moments are priceless to me, and I love that I can revisit them on my blog and be reminded how far we’ve come together.
3. House – I mentioned above that we’re saving for a house, and that’s another reason for my blogging. I just started monetizing my blog a few months ago, in the hopes of earning some extra money to put towards our (future) house. I’m excited at how far I’ve come but I know I have a lot to learn about the business side of blogging. On days when I’m tired, or tempted to be lazy with my blogging, I think about how desperately I want to be in a real house, with a real yard that my kids can play in, I imagine how nice it will be to walk right in our front door, instead of carrying the kids & groceries up to the 3rd story, and I keep working!

What I’m most excited for about Blog Elevate (and what I really want to learn while there)

1. The connections – I am super excited at the though of meeting other bloggers! I know a ton of bloggers online of course, but I’ve never met any of my blogging friends! I can’t wait to make connections and start to build deeper friendships in the blogging world!
   
2. Bookkeeping – When I saw there was a session for bookkeeping I knew I would have to take that one! The world of taxes and earnings totally intimidates me, and mainly because I’m pretty ignorant in those areas! I have a lot of learning to do, especially now that I’m starting to make a bit of money blogging. I want to be sure I have all my ducks in a row when tax time rolls around, and the bookkeeping session looks like the ideal place to learn from those with experience.
3. Google Plus – I have to admit, I giggled a bit when I saw the session name “Stop ignoring Google Plus and Start Rocking It”, because that totally describes me. Sure, I have a Google Plus account because I’ve heard it’s important for google authorship or something, but I ignore it. I don’t understand how it works, or how to use it to my advantage. I’m totally in the dark, and I need some one to show me the light! I can’t WAIT for this session at Blog Elevated!!!!

To Blog Elevated, Thanks for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship!

And to my readers, thanks for reading and following along with me! You inspire me every day to keep writing and sharing my heart!!! And now I’m curious, what inspires you to write? Share with me in the comments!!!