April 28, 2013

A weekend away


We had such a wonderful weekend away.  A weekend free of computers, good phone reception, and things that needed to get done. 


It was a weekend full of guitar playing, delicious food, outlet shopping . . . 


book reading, lots of walking, and beautiful weather.


And a reminder of how much I love Chris and spending time with him.


Today I have a special person to introduce you to.  Besides being cute, likable and easy to relate to, Brooklyn is a wise woman who is sharing with you today how to be a person of influence, fighting the temptation to blend in with those around you!

Hey cute For Lauren and Lauren readers! I am Brooklyn and I blog over at This Little Blonde
I have a quote hanging on the wall in my room that says, "You will never influence the world by trying to be like it." 

I absolutely love how that quote changes my thinking. We live in a world where we are encouraged to "blend in." We try and fit in, and we try to be one of the crowd.


The last thing this world needs is one more person that is keeping his or her mouth closed about the things they care about. The world doesn't need more celebrities, it needs people who consistently do good. The world needs more people who put others first. The world needs more people of influence. So I have come up with a list of 3 simple ways to become a person of influence.
1. Seek to be worth knowing rather than to be well-known
I remember hearing this quote a few weeks back and I honestly can't get it out of my head. Be that person that is so nice, and so silly and so helpful that people can't help but like you. Your character will say more than your reputation ever will. In the blogging world, use social media to connect with your readers. Don't be a blog lurker! Comment away! People love to know that you are reading and thinking about their blog. That makes you someone worth knowing, because you are someone who cares. 

2. Work WITHIN your own sphere of influence
When I dream, I dream big. I don't just want my mom to read my blog posts, I want the president of the fricken United States to read my blog post. But to be honest, that will probably never happen. I try to really focus on my audience. Who can I influence? My roommates, my family, my boyfriend, my readers, my coworkers, etc. So how can I personally change so that my influence on them is a positive one? You don't have to write a letter to the government that will change ObamaCare for the better, but you can leave a note for a roommate wishing them good luck on their test the next day. Maybe you can't get a big blogger to tweet you back, but you can tweet back a new friend that asked you a question. 

3. Find your strengths, and use them
I am NOT good at sports. But I am a GREAT cheerleader. I am not a good artist, but I'm a decent writer. You need to do what YOU are good at. Not what any other blogger is good at. I can look at every person in my life and find something to be envious of, but instead I try to focus on the things I am good at, things I like about myself. When you are comfortable in your own skin you are more worried about others than you are about yourself. Write about things you love. People will notice.

What are you ideas on becoming a person of influence? Also, because I think you're really great, I am offering you 50% off ad space on my blog with code FORLAUREN
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Thank you Brooklyn for your post and your wise words!  Hope everyone had a great weekend!

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30 comments:

  1. Looks like you guys had a great weekend! What cute little shoes :) Your little one is going to be so stylish!!

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  2. So glad y'all had a great weekend :) looks & sounds perfect to me!! Have a great start to your week! Love you!

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  3. I'm so glad you 2 had such a great and relaxing time. That top right picture is adorable! And I JUST got Bread & Wine in the mail on Saturday. I can't wait to start it! Have you read any of Shauna's other books???

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  4. Jordan and I need to do things like this more often. Sounds (and looks) like so much fun! It's great to get away with none of those silly distractions.

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  5. Sounds like an awesome weekend!! Glad you had time away together! I'm guessing you ate at Cracker Barrell?!! Love that place! Canada needs them!! I actually just bought a brand new rocker exactly like those! I've always wanted one since I was kid!!

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  6. So glad you enjoyed your weekend, love you.

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  7. It looks like you had a great weekend away, glad you got to relax and disconnect! Sounds like the best type of weekend :)

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  8. Love your blog! I would love if you came and looked at mine!
    http://rosarahsgoodlife.blogspot.com/

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  9. you so deserve an awesome weekend with your husband. Oh man...can't wait to meet the little one. Love the bump pictures!

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  10. Gorgeous pics!
    http://blog.diamondsanddust.co.za/

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  11. SO glad you guys had a great time :)

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  12. Sounds like you had a great relaxing weekend! And yay thanks for introducing Brooklyn :)

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  13. Aw looks like you guys had such an awesome weekend away! Love the photos of you hiking...looks so pretty :)

    Annie
    The Other Side of Gray

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  14. Your weekend sounds wonderful! I definitely need one like this, no PC's, no phones, nothing but a good old book and nature... :) So relaxing...

    xxx

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  15. Looks like a wonderful weekend away! Glad you got to spend some time together and enjoy each other!

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  16. so glad you guys had such a great time!! and the weather was so pretty!

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  17. Yay for a fun weekend! It looks like you had an amazing time. The warmer weather sure make getting outside more fun!
    Ginny
    mynewfavoriteoutfit.blogspot.com

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  18. Looks like you had a wonderful time together! This makes me want to get away this weekend :)

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  19. I'm so glad you both were able to have a relaxing weekend away! I think I need to plan one of these for me and my husband as well! :)

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  20. Beautiful pictures! Sounds like the perfect weekend and I need one of these just to get away from everything, no phones or computers haha

    -Vogue&Heels
    www.vogueandheels.com

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  21. Sounds like such a fun weekend away! Those cap toe baby shoes are adorable.

    -Sharon
    The Tiny Heart
    $50 Target Giveaway!

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  22. That baby outfit??? Adorable!!!

    Carly
    www.lipglossandcrayons.com

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  23. Yay for disconnecting and unwinding!! Looks like you and Chris had so much fun!! And I spy some cute little shoes for that sweet baby girl!! :)

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  24. I'm so glad you guys got to get away and unwind! Looks like you had a wonderful time. :-)

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  25. Great weekend getaway! Love the yellow striped tee!! And I agree, blending in not so much fun - being pleasantly unique is!! Thanks for introducing Brooklyn! Hope you are having a wonderful day!
    -Jyoti
    Style Delights Blog
    Enter $30 international giveaway by Chicnova

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  26. Glad you had a great weekend away with Chris!

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  27. Looks like a great weekend away! I could really use an unplugged weekend away from all the things that need to get done.

    Love the guest post. So true. Gave me lots to think about.

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  28. Sounds like such a great weekend!

    Loving the goodies you bought baby girl :)

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  29. I saw that book and coffee picture on instagram yesterday and I totally ended up buying it because of you. I've seen it everywhere but once I saw you had it, I knew it must be a good read!
    So happy you had a fun weekend :)

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