Welcome to the first ever A Cake For A Wife Blog Carnival ... OF FEAR!
It kinda cracks me up that my first ‘blog carnival’ is on the subject is fear. No, this isn’t about scary clowns or tigers gone wild. This is about that deeply personal fear that comes from trying to lose weight, and all the other stuff that goes along with that. But more importantly, it’s about overcoming that fear. This is a round-up of posts from people telling their personal stories of overcoming certain fears.
Every day in ‘blog land’ I read stories about people overcoming stuff that scared the crap out of them. Do you know how awesome that is? Seriously, never sell yourself short. It doesn’t matter how ‘minor’ the accomplishment -- if it was BIG for you, then it’s BIG! Your only competition is yourself, and each of these posts are great examples of people overcoming their own private obstacles. Honestly, I think it’s more inspiring to read about someone running their first 5K than it is to read about someone running their 3rd marathon.
Anyway, here are the GREAT posts that were submitted! Cue the carnival music!
Alexia from My Wicked, Wicked Ways wrote a post about cutting off all her hair. I LOVED THIS. There is something that feels ‘safe’ about long hair, especially when you are battling your weight. It’s a way to hide, I think, and for Alexia it’s also wrapped up in issues of race and femininity. So I love that she went ahead and chopped it all off. Not to mention she looks awesome!
Julie from Chez Julie wrote a short and sweet little post about doing an L-shaped handstand in her yoga class. I love that she admits to having all the thoughts I would have had - I can’t do this, I’m too heavy etc. And I LOVE that she just went ahead and did it anyway. Julie is one of my blogging buddies from way back and I was so proud of her when she did this!
Valerie from Seattle Runner Girl wrote a great post last summer about how scared she was to take a spin class -- and then two days later she wrote a great post about how she did it! I love that she admits how silly her fear seems in retrospect, because that often does seem to be the case. I actually remember when Valerie wrote this, and I love comparing it to her blog now -- she’s really hit her stride recently and it’s always a big motivator for me to read her updates. Awesome job, as always, Valerie! :)
Sharon from Journey To Find The Real Me also wrote two great posts - one before she tackled her first triathalon, and one after. I loved reading these -- Sharon was 43 and weighed 240 pounds when she completed her first tri. Isn’t that impressive?! I was totally inspired after I read that. And I loved how honest she was when she talked about the mixed feelings she had since she had pictured herself looking a certain way (and being at goal) when she completed her first tri. Amazing job Sharon, can’t wait to see what you tackle next! :)
Suzanne from Scared Of Wearing A Bathing Suit (perfect name, right??), wrote a post that I loved about conquering her fear of biking. Suzanne was hit by a car while on her bike seven years ago and has been scared of riding on the road ever since. But a few weeks ago she overcame her fear and braved the roads again! Amazing in itself (biking in cities can be SCARY!), but what I really love is her realization that she lives her life like she rides her bike: with the brakes on. Way to start letting go of the brakes, Suzanne!
Sarah from The Road To The Last 25 Pounds wrote a great post about running her first 5K. Such an awesome achievement! I love how she writes about transitioning from the gym to the outdoors, and ‘giving up’ because it was too hard. But of course she found herself back at it -- isn’t that the way sometimes? We think we’ve given up but there’s that little part of us that pushes on. That’s all you need sometimes! Sarah did so great at her first race! Can’t wait to read about your next one. ;)
Stephanie from I’m My Favorite (wish I had thought of that blog name, hahaha!) wrote a post about spinning. I love that she tackled this class at a gym that she wasn’t at all familiar with -- totally an excuse I would have used to bail! :) But she sucked it up and pushed through, even when she thought she couldn’t finish. Great example of perseverance! Awesome job Stephanie!
Okay. At the risk of sounding like a complete and utter cheeseball, I LOVED writing this post. Honestly, I get so much inspiration each and every day from bloggers, and it made me really happy to collect and share some of that here. You know, I used to be a very negative person in a lot of ways, and I think I’m slowly but surely shedding some of that. And part of the reason that’s happening is because I see examples every day of just how much each and every person is capable of. I just feel so much more engaged with the world, and happy about what we each can contribute.
Anyway, the reason I even wanted to do this round-up post in the first place is because this week I have to do something that scares me. What is it? Well this week I’m flying to Chicago to attend the Healthy Living Summit! For some people that’s more exciting than scary, but socializing with people I don’t know is one of those of those things that brings my inner fat girl out in full force. Like, I’m talking full, brutal, horrible personal assaults. “This person doesn’t want to talk to you. You are too boring. You are too fat. Etc.”
But each day I’m getting better at silencing that crazy b*tch, and I owe it partly to all of you. So thank you for being inspiring, thank you for being brave, and thank you ALL for sharing your journeys. I’m so proud to be part of this community! I'm getting excited about Chicago, and I figure, if all else fails, I just gush about how awesome my readers are. :)
It kinda cracks me up that my first ‘blog carnival’ is on the subject is fear. No, this isn’t about scary clowns or tigers gone wild. This is about that deeply personal fear that comes from trying to lose weight, and all the other stuff that goes along with that. But more importantly, it’s about overcoming that fear. This is a round-up of posts from people telling their personal stories of overcoming certain fears.
Every day in ‘blog land’ I read stories about people overcoming stuff that scared the crap out of them. Do you know how awesome that is? Seriously, never sell yourself short. It doesn’t matter how ‘minor’ the accomplishment -- if it was BIG for you, then it’s BIG! Your only competition is yourself, and each of these posts are great examples of people overcoming their own private obstacles. Honestly, I think it’s more inspiring to read about someone running their first 5K than it is to read about someone running their 3rd marathon.
Anyway, here are the GREAT posts that were submitted! Cue the carnival music!
Alexia from My Wicked, Wicked Ways wrote a post about cutting off all her hair. I LOVED THIS. There is something that feels ‘safe’ about long hair, especially when you are battling your weight. It’s a way to hide, I think, and for Alexia it’s also wrapped up in issues of race and femininity. So I love that she went ahead and chopped it all off. Not to mention she looks awesome!
Julie from Chez Julie wrote a short and sweet little post about doing an L-shaped handstand in her yoga class. I love that she admits to having all the thoughts I would have had - I can’t do this, I’m too heavy etc. And I LOVE that she just went ahead and did it anyway. Julie is one of my blogging buddies from way back and I was so proud of her when she did this!
Valerie from Seattle Runner Girl wrote a great post last summer about how scared she was to take a spin class -- and then two days later she wrote a great post about how she did it! I love that she admits how silly her fear seems in retrospect, because that often does seem to be the case. I actually remember when Valerie wrote this, and I love comparing it to her blog now -- she’s really hit her stride recently and it’s always a big motivator for me to read her updates. Awesome job, as always, Valerie! :)
Sharon from Journey To Find The Real Me also wrote two great posts - one before she tackled her first triathalon, and one after. I loved reading these -- Sharon was 43 and weighed 240 pounds when she completed her first tri. Isn’t that impressive?! I was totally inspired after I read that. And I loved how honest she was when she talked about the mixed feelings she had since she had pictured herself looking a certain way (and being at goal) when she completed her first tri. Amazing job Sharon, can’t wait to see what you tackle next! :)
Suzanne from Scared Of Wearing A Bathing Suit (perfect name, right??), wrote a post that I loved about conquering her fear of biking. Suzanne was hit by a car while on her bike seven years ago and has been scared of riding on the road ever since. But a few weeks ago she overcame her fear and braved the roads again! Amazing in itself (biking in cities can be SCARY!), but what I really love is her realization that she lives her life like she rides her bike: with the brakes on. Way to start letting go of the brakes, Suzanne!
Sarah from The Road To The Last 25 Pounds wrote a great post about running her first 5K. Such an awesome achievement! I love how she writes about transitioning from the gym to the outdoors, and ‘giving up’ because it was too hard. But of course she found herself back at it -- isn’t that the way sometimes? We think we’ve given up but there’s that little part of us that pushes on. That’s all you need sometimes! Sarah did so great at her first race! Can’t wait to read about your next one. ;)
Stephanie from I’m My Favorite (wish I had thought of that blog name, hahaha!) wrote a post about spinning. I love that she tackled this class at a gym that she wasn’t at all familiar with -- totally an excuse I would have used to bail! :) But she sucked it up and pushed through, even when she thought she couldn’t finish. Great example of perseverance! Awesome job Stephanie!
Okay. At the risk of sounding like a complete and utter cheeseball, I LOVED writing this post. Honestly, I get so much inspiration each and every day from bloggers, and it made me really happy to collect and share some of that here. You know, I used to be a very negative person in a lot of ways, and I think I’m slowly but surely shedding some of that. And part of the reason that’s happening is because I see examples every day of just how much each and every person is capable of. I just feel so much more engaged with the world, and happy about what we each can contribute.
Anyway, the reason I even wanted to do this round-up post in the first place is because this week I have to do something that scares me. What is it? Well this week I’m flying to Chicago to attend the Healthy Living Summit! For some people that’s more exciting than scary, but socializing with people I don’t know is one of those of those things that brings my inner fat girl out in full force. Like, I’m talking full, brutal, horrible personal assaults. “This person doesn’t want to talk to you. You are too boring. You are too fat. Etc.”
But each day I’m getting better at silencing that crazy b*tch, and I owe it partly to all of you. So thank you for being inspiring, thank you for being brave, and thank you ALL for sharing your journeys. I’m so proud to be part of this community! I'm getting excited about Chicago, and I figure, if all else fails, I just gush about how awesome my readers are. :)
