Hello everyone! I’ve been pretty quiet on here lately, and probably will be the next few weeks, because Devin and I are in the process of moving.
Except here’s the catch: we don’t have a new place to live yet. And have two weeks to figure it out. It’s fine, everything is fine. Life is always the dog in the burning room meme.
Besides that, I’ve been soaking up the spring sunshine before it quickly turns into humid summer weather. Hope the weather has been lovely wherever you are too.
One of my goals this year was to say ‘yes’ more. As a tried and true introvert, that can sometimes be tricky. But I know if I want to grow my blog and myself as a person, that would mean saying ‘yes’ to more experiences.
I’m happy to report that your girl has been attending networking events left and right since the beginning of the year. But not your average after work networking events. Let’s be real – those aren’t fun for anyone. I’ve attended networking events for bloggers and creatives in general.
And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they have been so fun! Honestly. The secret is finding networking events with a room full of people that share your interests. This immediate similarity makes walking into a room full of strangers even easier.
Here’s an example.
A local boutique called The New Blak had a launch party for their new collection earlier this year that I attended. It was my first attempt at saying ‘yes.’ A girl invited me who I had been talking to on Instagram for months, so I felt more comfortable going on my own knowing she would be there.
I felt nervous and awkward. The feelings of self doubt rushed through my mind. The imposter syndrome set itself down in there too.
As soon as I walked in everyone was so welcoming and, to my surprise, excited to see me. Genuinely excited. That’s the funny and wonderful thing about Instagram. You feel like you know people so well before meeting them, and then when you do meet IRL, it already feels like a friendship.
As much slack as Instagram deserves for it’s negative algorithm effects, it’s still a beautiful tool to make connections.
I left that party feeling like a new window of opportunity in both friendship and business relationships had opened up. It was invigorating and refreshing and the exact push I needed to say ‘yes’ to the next networking opportunity.
A new side hustle also presented itself to me recently. A new fitness studio opened in my apartment building, and when the owner told me she had no time for social media, I quickly (and without much thought which isn’t like me at all) jumped at the chance to offer my services.
Like, who is this new Avery? Saying ‘yes’ left and right and diving in to new projects. I’m happy to get to know her better.
What’s that saying, “Great things never come from comfort zones”? I think it’s some variation of that. Although I haven’t pushed my comfort boundaries to their lengths, I have noticed that participating in events like this and pushing myself to try new things has brought nothing but positive results.
I’ve made new friends, created new collaboration opportunities, and most importantly, have seen a positive change in myself.
So here’s to saying ‘yes’ more throughout the year and seeing where it takes me.
