Last weekend was pure blogtastic bliss. I spent two jam packed days under the wings of the oh-so-fabulous Gala Darling, Kat Williams, & Shauna Haider at The Blogcademy. What did I do there? I gained a truckload of valuable information, met inspiring women from all over the world, and spent a lot of time fan-girling and squeeing about being in the presence of three of my idols.

It was, hands down, the best two days of my entire life (so far).

I walked away from the weekend feeling motivated, inspired, and a thousand times more prepared to take my baby blog to the next level. I’ve got some big plans for the rest of 2012 and I can’t wait for all these ideas that have been cluttering my head to become a reality.

As part of my 31 day journey to a happier place, this retreat couldn’t have come at a better time. I wanted to quickly share some of the most salient lessons of this weekend:

• Stop waiting for perfection in the details, and just dive in to it already! You don’t need the world’s best logo to start a great blog…. seriously, guys. I mean, let’s get real – this is not my dream website and I’ve been blogging for 2+ years now.
• Recognize that there are virtually no original ideas left – and that’s OK. You’re not expected to  have earth-shattering realizations in all of your posts. The idea is to put your own spin on an idea and make it unique to you.
• Find innovative and creative ways to present content. Experiment with videos, try a podcast series, or create a colorful infographic/flowchart! The more outlets you use, the easier it is to keep the attention of your followers. Nobody wants ‘monochromatic’ content.
• Consistency is key. You want to build up the trust of your audience by having a schedule and sticking to it. Sometimes this means planning ahead and hermiting for days before a vacation/writing break. Suck it up. Deal with it. Get it done.
• Brand the shit out of yourself. Realize that, when done the right way, your blog can be a gateway to stardom and financial security. And then believe in yourself. Never, ever think that you can’t make all your digital dreams come true. Even Gala, Kat & Shauna had to start somewhere…..

To wrap things up? Big love and thanks to the headmistresses and our photo professor Lisa Devlin. Endless hugs for all the Blogcademy Graduates. And a mega squee to my co-intern Megan (we both really couldn’t get over how awesome an opportunity this was… there was a lot of gushing happening behind the scenes).

I hope that everyone from the Class of October 2012 will keep in touch!

And if you missed the New York City Blogcademy Launch, be sure to head over to their website and sign up for updates and future events/locations.

My blogger-butt has been kicked into gear and it’s time to hunker down in my bear cave and start cranking work out. Watch out, world. Bear’s back and better than ever.

xx Nikbear