Hey everyone, I hope you all are doing well! I look forward to coming back from work so that I can unwind. Sometimes, I don’t even turn on my tv. My back hits the bed and I stare at the ceiling, replaying the events of the day. Often, I roll over, with my head in my pillow, thinking and planning ahead for the following day.
As I started at the ceiling this evening, I remembered that I forgot to tell you all about the cool blogger’s brunch that I attended yesterday afternoon. The event was hosted by The Blogger Girls, three talented, well versed fashionistas, that amongst a long list of duties, bring light to Nashville’s fashion world with their own interesting perspectives. Several months ago, I had the pleasure of attending a networking event that they hosted as a precursor to Nashville’s Fashion Week.
Being that I’m fairly new to the blogging world and that my network matches my blogging experience, I am thankful that they invite me to a Blogging Brunch. The event was held at Bar Louie in the Gulch.
Meeting other awesome bloggers, business owners, entrepreneurs, and pr/marketing/ event coordinators was such a great treat.
A few helpful tips that I gathered from the event which are also applicable to life in general include:
1. Sliding in like you belong. Most of the time, people won’t realize that you are out of place until you announce it. As I was visiting colleges, I attended Carter G. Woodson weekend at what is now my Alma Mater. During this weekend, intelligent minority students from all over Appalachia, are hosted and shown the school from the perspective of students and the staff. One of the guys that rose up from Nashville with my group and I at breakfast in the cafeteria the Saturday of the trip. I had a pimple breakout on my face and I was horrified. Ashamed of my face, I began to discuss how disgusted I was with my face at that time. He told me that he would have never noticed that pimple had I not brought attention to it.
Long story short, don’t carry yourself as though you are a pimple. Being cool, calm and collected will get you farther than drawing attention to short comings.
This is true for networking, getting into places that you otherwise wouldn’t, and for when you make mistakes.
2. Don’t be Afraid to Ask. The worst response you’ll receive is no. You will love after being told no. (Don’t be afraid to be persistent. Also, don’t confuse pushiness with persistence.) The fear of rejection has kept me from many opportunities. When I first got Ebony ( my beloved car), My mom told me one time that I couldn’t get my tags at the office close to our apartment. She asked all of her friends and they confirmed. Disregarding her “no” and her friends confirmation of her “no”, I headed to the office closest to my apartment. My tags were purchased at office without any problems. Had I simply took the no that was initially provided, I would have went to the other side of town to purchase my tags. As the old hymn goes, ask and you will receive,seek and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened unto you.
3. Lastly and most certainly most important, the room for success is spacious. There is room for everyone to be great. Often, I wondered if I had a purpose in discussing my life, my style, and my opinions because so many other people are doing exactly what I do. Still, I have my uniqueness on my side. I’m not everyone else. Everyone else isn’t me.
Insecurity and Comparison have been thieves of my joy. Humility and insecurity are NOT synonymous! On the flip side, pride is the root of all evil. Find balance in being proud and humble. Recognize the truth that other people’s talents are not threats to your talent. We all can shine. We can view, encounter, and experience this life differently. My voice is important. I am important. We are inportant.
The biggest lesson of the day is that I need to take myself seriously. I need to make business cards that display my talents as a singer,blogger, stylist.
Here is what I wore to the event:
Dress: Ross, 3x – Under $25
Shoes: Payless
I love the patten of this dress, the pastel blue and pink colts, an the skit in the sleeves.
I used Fergie’s Dessert Festival pallet from Wet N’ Wild. I’m trying new makeup applications. My main trick is to use less liner.
Here are a few blooper photos that I liked:
In what ways are you challenging yourself to step outside of your comfort zone?
Can’t wait to hear from you all!
Until next time,
-Nora
Nora Zaneta 
So…you know I'm totally here for the blooper photos right? Love the last one especially. I appreciate your ability to take life lessons and apply them to what is going on right in front of you. There's a lesson and story for everything! I'm glad to see you making contacts in your local area. Ugh! Wish I could do that. P.S. When you get tired of the dress I will gladly take it off your hands.
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Thanks for reading! Girl, my age 50+ parents take turns photographing my outfits so the process is always interesting! I don't want to just show people a cute dress. I'm not promoting consumerism or vanity. There's a message behind everything that I post. Networking is hard when you don't know anyone in power! Berea made me feel like I could network anywhere. After getting into the real world, it's definitely a harder task that I initially thought. Don't sleep on Ross! I find so many gems there. You just have to be patient enough to sift through the mess. If I think about giving this dress away, you're first choice to receive!
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