Being recognized is both honoring and humbling. Called out for being seen in a positive spotlight is an unexpected surprise, and I share what the Blogger Recognition Award is to me, and what its like to be recognized by a colleague.

I received amazing news that I have been nominated for the prestigious Blogger Recognition Award. Aniela-Maria Codita of https://www.puntodistile.com, nominated me and while I am grateful and thrilled, I am also terrified to share this publicly. Albeit, here I am.

This nomination is very humbling, as it is a sign of recognition from a peer, a fellow writer. The fact that Aniela-Maria nominated me totally requires me to step up and stay present and truthful to my path.

I can no longer hide, or think I am hiding behind words.

In all the important turning points of my life: when my husband proposed to me, at the 1st sight of my babies being born, and at the funerals of my parents, I have had no words.

None.

When I am blissfully at a loss of words, I know that something important is happening through me.

Rather than clouding the experience, my soul yearns to feel every moment. With each breath, my heart wells up, swelling in gratitude and deepening in the conviction that the unicorn I ride on is real, even if only I, and certain people, see it.

Okay, so I don’t literally see a unicorn, the unicorn is a symbol of the magic that unfolds in my life - the continual blessing and guidance that comes to me, through me and as me.

“...There we have it. I am out of the closet - I said it: Being recognized as a writer is important to me...”

My soul blissfully lingers in The Silence as I experience the tenderness that is my heart, gratitude overflowing.

Because I find myself speechless, it must be important.

Being recognized as a writer is important to me.

There we have it. I am out of the closet - I said it: Being recognized as a writer is important to me.

Why is the Blogger Recognition Award important to me...? Because I struggle to write.

Truth to told: I sometimes (very often, many many times) struggle to write. No, let me rephrase that:

I struggle to get out of my own way so that I can write.

How can I possibly identify myself as a blogger — a writer when I am often speechless?

It’s a bit baffling, yes!

To deepen the level of conflict, I like simply being with the moment: feeling it, breathing it, allowing it to embrace me, while I embrace it.

I am a writer, and I am speechless - often.

Does anyone recognize the inner conflict I face each day? How can a writer be without words?

Can you relate to the conflicting emotions I feel by being acknowledged by a peer, who, I’m sure had no idea of the inner workings of this particular soul, that is me.

“No more struggle, hiding or getting in my own way, I am all in - full steam ahead, present to blogging, writing and myself.”

So, Aniela-Maria, thank you, dear Heart - for nomination me. Without knowing the impact, you have called me forward in s very profound way to show up.

I am commuting to write from my heart, to play and stand firm in the presence of the nudge that has been in my consciousness for many, many years.

Truthfully, I’ve been really scared to write. There’s always something holding me back. I have been terrified that what lives in the deepest darkest recesses of my soul, when shared, might go unnoticed, unacknowledged and misunderstood.

This is especially severe when you consider how blissfully wordless I prefer to live, suspended in a state of being, observing, absorbing and integrating what I experience. I’ve always blamed it on my introverted personality, but I’m really an ambivert, ya know? [ An ambivert is a person (a vert? Ha!) balanced with extrovert and introverted qualities].

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

— Rumi

There must be a piece of my soul that wishes to overcome my fear, to overcome the resistance to be truly seen, heard, Understood, and therefore, to be truly loved.

So Blog my heart, I must!

I am honored to be part of Aniela-Maria’s list of nominations, and am accepting the challenge to step it up and blog it up! I resolve to write what resonates with reckless abandon!

What is The Blogger Recognition Award?

Blogger Recognition Award is given to bloggers by bloggers to encourage and acknowledge the hard work and effort that goes into creating posts. It’s an opportunity for bloggers to recognize one another for our respective contributions to our blog, and to the blogging community.

I began blogging not long ago but really started to blog consistently as I began to build my business, which is only June of this year. I wanted to find a way to help entrepreneurs, women, in particular, process the inner and outer journey of building a sustainable online business.

For the entrepreneur and writer in me, there is never a lack of creativity. We are [I am] always overflowing with brilliant ideas!

My creativity is a blessing, but can also be a huge challenge as I find myself face to face with time limitations - there is never enough hours in a day to accomplish what I want.

The many projects we’ve taken on and the pressure we might feel on ourselves can create a sense of overwhelm, and even defeat. On many occasions, because many online entrepreneurs are solopreneurs (one woman bands doing it all), we yearn for interaction with others. All of sudden, we find ourselves not simply needing to get our day to day work done, but we also need to deal with our emotional and energetic bodies.

At the point of overwhelm, we can either to choose to break down, burn out and opt out. Or, we can choose to process and grow through our experience.

If we choose the latter and mindfully practice embracing each moment as it comes, we are allowing an opportunity for transformation.

The experience of working through overwhelm can transform us. We can become skillful when we arrive at overwhelm, enabling us to better deal with what is in front of us. At the end of the process is rebirth. Through integration, we find a new way of being.

My blogs and writings are because I no longer wish to live a disjointed, compartmentalized life, but to integrate who I am with what I do. I have always been told that you teach what you need to practice and learn the most - so this is what I’m called to do.

So … here I go, knees-knocking, accepting this beautiful gift of being nominated by a fellow blogger. I shall write, and so do with reckless abandon!

(Thanks, Aniela-Maria, for pushing me forward)!

Being nominated for The Blogger Recognition Award requires giving two pieces of advice to new bloggers, and paying it forward by recognizing others.

Here are my contributions with regard to humble advice:

Write what is aligned to your heart.
“To thine own self-be true.” William Shakespeare. Being authentic and true to yourself (your soul) requires courage, both large and small. Despite what is happening in the world, know that everything you need is already within you. When you are at a loss, find direction by tuning in to that still small voice. Some call it your higher self, some call it Spirit, God or the Silence. Always come back to your own best highest authority… and listen. Ask the right questions and you will be surprised that the right and perfect answer will come. It may not come immediately, but it will come. I often hear the inner voice speak to me when I am relaxed and not forcing the answer, often when doing laundry, gardening or taking walk.
Find Your Voice
Allow your personality to inform the voice of your blog. Each of us writes differently and say things differently. It’s what makes us who we are! I have spent far too long conforming to what standard “should be.” As soon as I gave myself permission to be me, blogging became so much more organic. Don’t get me wrong, blogs need to always be cleaned up. A misspelling here or there might be okay, but too many is a sign of carelessness. If you do not care about the quality of your blog, neither will your readers. The moment you allow yourself to be authentic is the moment your readership will increase. If nothing else, let your voice be aligned with your heart and if NO ONE reads your stuff, you’ll at least be able to see yourself clearly…and look yourself in the mirror with pride that you are in integrity.

To my nominees below :: Rules for The Blogger Recognition Award to Pay It Forward:

Compose a post on your blog acknowledging the award
In the post, thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog
Give a brief story of how your blog started
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers
Select the 15 bloggers you want to give this award to
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

With that, I am delighted for the opportunity to pay it forward by nominating the following blogs I feel are worthy of acknowledgment and this meaningful award.