by Gladys Diaz

This weekend, I had the privilege of being invited to speak on a panel at the 2013 Niche Parent Conference.  While I was very honored by the invitation, I was also terrified!  See, the topic on which I was asked to speak  was not dating or relationships – well, at least not the romantic relationships I’m used to speaking about.  I was invited to talk about how we’ve used Heart’s Desire International’s Facebook page to connect with our community, establish relationships with our readers and clients, and build our business and our brand.

To say that I felt like I was stepping outside of my comfort zone is a huge understatement!  First of all, I’m not a Facebook expert, we don’t have thousands of followers on our page, and I was speaking to an audience of experienced bloggers who may have already known some of the things I was going to share.  I was so terrified that two days before the conference I was ready to let the person who invited me know that I just couldn’t do it.

Thankfully, a good friend of mine got me to see (ironically, via a Facebook chat) that I wasn’t invited to speak as a Facebook expert or because of the number of “Likes” on my page.  She helped me realize that, while we may not have a ton of “Likes” on our page, we use our page to touch Lives, and that lives are heck of a lot more important than “Likes”!

It was at that moment that I saw clearly how I’d been letting my fear keep me from stepping out and doing something that felt uncomfortable for me.  So, what did I do?  I thought of YOU! I thought of my readers and my clients and how I’m constantly inviting you to step outside of your comfort zone and not allow your fears to stop you from having the loving, intimate relationship your heart desires.  I thought about how I invite and challenge you to take steps that are aligned with your goals and dreams, because it’s what you deserve!  And I thought about the types of results you have when you choose to trust me and yourselves and take those risks! So… I chose to follow my own advice!

Here’s a quick video message I shot for you on the terrace of the hotel, sharing what I did to move past my fears, step outside of my own comfort zone, and take a risk that was aligned with my goals!

Thanks again for the inspiration and for being a part of my journey!

P.S. If you haven’t done so yet, please stop by and “Like” our Facebook page! We share inspirational quotes and messages daily, as well as articles, resources, and advice about love, hope and relationships!

Questions? Comments?  Let us know below! We love hearing from you!

A very special thanks to Nadia Jones (TheNicheMommy.com) and Parker Lake (Certatim) for the invitation to speak on the panel, Caroline Murphy (SmartyPantsMama.com) for her session on v-logging, which inspired me to get out of another comfort zone and make this on-the-spot video, and all of the mommy bloggers and speakers who inspired me during this amazing conference!