Photos by Meg Cady

If you follow me on Snapchat (lesliepresnall) or Instagram, then you saw I had an absolute blast in The Woodlands this weekend for the second annual Thrive Blog Con!

I’m a super nerd when it comes to conferences in general. It can be any kind of conference really — education or blogging for me — and I’m going to totally geek out. I think I just really enjoy learning new things from new people and I love hearing other bloggers’ advice and perspectives on various topics.

I know not all of us are bloggers, so I wanted to focus on real-life takeaways from the conference for today’s post. Sure I learned great tips on growing social media, creating a Pinterest strategy, and analyzing my Google Analytics. But the things that resonated with me the most didn’t have to do specifically with blogging — they can be applied to really anything you’re passionate about.

Three Inspiring Takeaways from Thrive Blog Conference — Not Just For Bloggers!

1. Know Your Why

The keynote speaker Alissa Circle of Diary of an Addict was pretty awesome because she too had a career in education before blogging full-time, so I immediately felt like we had something in common and that I could learn a thing or two from this gal.

My big takeaway from Alissa was to “know your why.” Sometimes when things can get challenging or overwhelming it’s important to remember why you started something in the first place.

Whether that’s blogging and feeling like your wheels are spinning and you’re getting no where or whether it’s in your career or other aspects of your life. When things get hard and you’re feeling stuck or wanting to quit, remember why you started in the first place to encourage you to keep going.

For me personally, I started blogging in 2010 (yep, almost 6 years ago!) after returning home from working for a fashion/beauty magazine in New York City. I had always wanted a career in magazines, so I studied journalism and fashion in college and headed off to NYC. Once I realized that wasn’t what I really wanted, blogging was an outlet for me to still be creative, talk about fashion, and use my journalism degree while still having a full-time career as a teacher.

2. If something isn’t uncomfortable, then you’re not growing.

This was also mentioned by Alissa of Diary of an Addict. If something isn’t uncomfortable, then you’re not growing. I really needed to hear this because I hate being in uncomfortable situations. I don’t like unfamiliar things, people, or places — especially if I don’t have a buddy. I’m a happy, content girl right in my comfort zone.

But that’s not going to get me very far.

Some days I know I need to just put on my big girl pants and make a certain phone call, reach out to a certain brand or business, go to a new place, try something knew, etc.

Getting out of my comfort zone is really a love-hate relationship. I love the feeling of overcoming fears and accomplishing something that I was scared to do, but I hate to put myself out there in the first place. So I’ll be reminding myself that I won’t grow if I stay comfortable — whether that’s in my blogging career, education career, or just every day life.

3. Big Things Often Have Small Beginnings

Whether you’re starting a blog, Etsy shop, or have personal goals with health, education, or other hobbies, this is important to remember. We live in a world where everything is instant and we want instant gratification for everything.

So when we get in situations that we feel like they’re too hard or we’re struggling or we aren’t seeing results fast enough, we often feel like giving up. It’s important to remember that big things have small beginnings.

These small things you’re doing daily and short term goals you’re accomplishing are leading up to something bigger for your future self. So keep on keepin’ on and persevering, friend.

Overall, the Thrive Blog Con was a ton of fun and I learned so much that my head wanted to explode a little. This was also my first trip to The Woodlands, and I have to say it’s super fancy — especially the Embassy Suites at Hughes Landing! That breakfast and evening cocktail hour was totally worth the trip!

Oh, and the infinity pool. I might be making a summer trip back just so I can enjoy it.

---

Shop my luggage and travel outfit:

---

Keep up with SF on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest!