In case you’re new to my blog, you may not yet understand that I LOVE Social Media! I’m constantly talking about it, writing about it, and probably annoying other people a little too. 😉 But I genuinely love the social media world and the amazing people that are out there with the same passion I have.
Before I can really get this blog message started, I need to fill in some background info for you. I’ve done a LOT of social media training over the last few years and one of my favorite people to learn from is the one and only Amy Porterfield. If you’ve never done one of her webinars, I highly recommend you find out when her next one is scheduled – she may just change your life. Seriously.
Ok, back to my story… This week was the Social Media Marketing World 2013 convention in San Diego. Now this event doesn’t come cheap and I couldn’t justify the cost even if it was in my city. Not to mention, I didn’t really know what to expect from the event and wasn’t sure if it would even be worth the cost. But in hopes of winning free tickets, I tweeted (per the contest rules) daily in hopes of winning a ticket to the event. I didn’t win tickets. I was actually pretty bummed about it too. The closer we got to the dates of the event, the more awesome it was sounding and the more I wished I could be there.
But I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. I really wanted to meet some of the amazing people I network with on various social media sites (especially Twitter). I was highly motivated by this yearning to meet these amazing people in person.
I decided to just show up. Yup, just that simple. Granted, as I mentioned, the event was here in San Diego so it wasn’t like I had a long drive to show up at the hotel hosting the convention. But, to be fair, this wasn’t just a run of the mill drop-in. There was a pre-network party on Sunday night and a lot of people were arriving and checking in at the hotel throughout the day on Sunday. I started tweeting throughout the day that I was looking to meet people. I was telling people that I would be at the hotel bar at 3:00.
This brings me to my amazing experience this week. I met SO MANY AWESOME people!! People started replying to my tweets and looking to meet up. I also met a bunch of people just by being in the bar with a lot of these people. I had great conversations and met other social media obsessed people. At this point, I could have left for the evening and been a very happy girl.
But then it happened. I saw two of the most influential women in social media across the lounge: Amy Porterfield and Melanie Duncan. At this point I actually got a little star struck. But I mustered up my big girl courage and I walked across the lounge to where they were. Fortunately, there were some people that I had just met nearby and I joined their table. Then, when I got the opportunity (Amy was literally 5 feet away from me), I called out to her and told her how awesome she was and how I had learned so much from her. She immediately came over and talked to the group of us and let us take pictures with her!
But even more amazing than this was the conversation I was able to have with one of my celebrity mentors. She asked about me and why I was there. I told her about my blog and my purpose and told her that I had come by to “crash” the party in hopes of meeting people like her. She was so incredibly nice and supportive. She gave me great confidence in my journey and encouraged me in a way I hadn’t expected.
I realize I’ve been rambling here for a while, so let me get to the point of the title, what motivates you?
For me, it’s the constant need to learn from the best and be surrounded by other people with similar passions. Speaking to these people and learning from them is so motivating to me and continues to push me beyond what even I expect myself to be able to accomplish. But being motivated means having to take risks and leave your comfort zone. It means pushing yourself to places you may have only dreamed possible.
To be honest, yes, I have imagined the day I would get to meet Amy or Melanie, but I never thought it would have been so soon! If you want something, go for it! If it doesn’t work out this time, try again. It will happen – you just need to believe in yourself.
Find what motivates you and go after it with every ounce of passion you have. I promise you will find yourself in places you never expected and surrounded by people you could only imagine.
So, what motivates you? What pushes you to keep on your journey every day? Have you had one of these motivating experiences that motivated you even more? I would love to see your comments below!
Jenn's Trends 
Hi Jenn…
I think that there’s a key thing here in your story: You envisioned meeting your social media icons…maybe not as soon as it happened, but you believed it could and would happen at some point. Perhaps you even figured it was inevitable.
I think that sometimes people just can’t envision their success..or the things that will lead them to happiness. They have some deep doubt or insecurity that tells them they’re not deserving of success. So to me the key is envisioning that goal.
What drives me is that even in my darkest times I can see possibilities. And honestly, I don’t let myself look too far into the future or worry about the past.
Unlike you, I don’t have heroes…but I look for that inner hero, envision it can be there, and so it becomes true. And I work each day to realize a little more of it. This keeps me working through things I don’t like to do…but which are necessary to get a little further toward my goals.
Hope I don’t sound too out there, lol, for someone who’s supposed to be grounded in small business..but it its what it is.
Your post was great..made me think–which I figure is the point. Thanks for sharing it with the BizSugar community!
Hi Heather and thank you for taking the time to include your thoughts. I think you hit the nail on the head about being able to visualize goals and success. If you don’t dream it or create a possibility for it, what are you really aiming for? I am inspired by people like you who look to the future of possibilities without flying off too far into a future of dreams.
I find your perspective interesting that you don’t have heroes but that you look for the inner hero. And I mean interesting in a good way 🙂 It’s good that you have found a way to set your goals and search for the inner hero to achieve your success. If it works for you, then you should always keep that perspective. You definitely don’t sound “too out there”!
I’m glad you found my post and my blog and I hope you come back and visit again. I will look forward to your thoughts on new posts in the future!