out of my comfort zone

"And we know that for those

who love God

all things work together for good,

for those who are called

according to His purpose." 

Romans 8:28 

Hey guys!! I hope you all are doing fantastic. I have been doing great lately. I keep myself busy with social media, my blog, and a new project that I am taking on. I want to keep it a surprise for as long as I can keep my mouth shut lol. I will try my best to not give too many teasers, but I am beyond excited. Things are about to get crazier for me, and I am so ready! 

If you follow me on Instagram and saw my story where I actually talked, you already know what is up. I just finished a whole blog (besides editing and pictures). It was a longer one too! Yet here I am about a half hour later, starting a completely different blog. I liked the blog I wrote, and it will be posted eventually. However, I felt heavily encouraged by God to write this blog. It means a little more work, but it is so worth it considering that God gave me the idea! You guys know how excited I get when I feel like God is giving me a topic to speak about!!!

(No better way to start this blog off, but with a picture of my dog finishing a yawn. He looks like he is smiling for the picture hahahaha!)

So, what exactly is today's topic? I am going to talk about getting out of my comfort zone, and how you can get out of your's. I have learned A LOT. I say that exact line A LOT. One thing I have learned is how to get the heck out of my comfort zone. I love routine, and I love things to just stay the same. I want everything to go nice and smoothly. I do not like feeling uncomfortable even slightly. A lot of people like things like that, but it is NOT always realistic. Now, I am not about to encourage everyone to face their biggest fear or to go absolutely nuts. I can tell you right now that I will NEVER skydive or swim in a pool of bugs. I am talking about getting over your insecurities, and how I am trying to get over mine. This is not about your outward insecurities. This is about who you are and what you do. (I have a blog on "confidence" that talks all about becoming confident with the way you look!)

What am I insecure about right now? Numbers! I look at the number of views I get on here. I stare at my stats on Instagram. I am always looking at how many accounts I was able to reach, followers, likes, and views on my story. My sister, Anastasia, manages my Pinterest, and we talk A LOT about numbers. We discuss what pictures need to be posted, and ideas of what to post. A couple months ago, I hardly thought about these things. I did have a drop in blog views at one point, and I tried a couple of things to help that out. Other than that, I never really thought about numbers anywhere. 

(I took this picture early in the morning on my way to work. Look at those clouds.)

What changed? I decided I wanted to do more with social media, and reach more people. Now, I post more about God and my beliefs. My instagram captions went from saying "Sunshine" with a sun emoji to mini blogs. Going into changing that, I prepared myself that I would lose followers. People did not originally follow me to read a whole novel, but it is easier to prepare myself than to see it (sometimes). My followers look like they are at a standstill, because for almost every follower I get, I usually lose a follower. This past week I even experimented with videoing myself talking for my story, and that was definitely out of my comfort zone. Then, with the help of my sister, I decided I wanted to make a Pinterest. I knew pretty much nothing about Pinterest before making one. Now, I post THREE times a week on there. That was out of my comfort zone.

As sad and guilty as I feel to say this, it is scary to talk about God these days. I never know what people will say to me. I am NOT ashamed of believing in God. I NEVER will be, and I am not trying to say I am. I am not scared to believe in God either. I do stress about getting hated on though. No one wants hate. It is just one of my weaknesses. I get insecure about people seeing my followers look as though they are hardly moving, and my likes on Instagram being so unpredictable. I get frustrated when I do not meet my goals. This sounds so motivating, right? HAHA 

(I was on my way to Georgia with my mom, and we drove past so many pretty fields. I had to take a picture to show you guys.)

Well, I am here to say I did everything anyways, and I will continue to do so. I posted that picture that ended up with a very tiny amount of likes (compared to my other pictures), and I did not delete it. I posted that video on my Instagram story despite the knot in my stomach. I posted every blog that I thought there was a possibility of getting hated on for. I made a Pinterest. Yes, I was hesitant many times, and I stress myself out staring at all the numbers to this day. Getting out of your comfort zone can be extremely uncomfortable and (sometimes) stressful. BUT it can be so rewarding. I am opening up doors for more people to talk to me about their faith and their stories. I have people encouraging me to keep going. 

So to wrap this up, are you going to let that little headache stop you from doing something that could end up being the best thing ever?? You know I do not receive hate, and I just sit here in anticipation waiting to hear it. I stress myself out over something that has not really happened yet. So, the big question to ask yourself (about doing whatever it is you want to do but are scared to), what are you REALLY afraid of? My answer would be... Me. I critique myself harder than anyone else ever could. I cannot let myself be the reason to not go forward. Whatever your answer is, you CAN do it! Whether it is you, someone else, or something else, you have to learn to believe in yourself. If you need a cheerleader, scroll down to see where to find me. I believe in each and every one of you.

(This is a bigger verse to include lol. I cannot tell you the amount of trouble it was to get a decent picture that is readable. This is like my sixth edit haha. I just really felt like it should be included. It is just a really awesome way of saying stay positive and trust God.)

Lastly, you ALL are loved and appreciated! <3 <3 Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Please keep praying for my grandmother (heart failure + other health complications) and my cousin (recovery from brain tumor removal). 

Let's talk! I love hearing your own stories and opinions! If you have any questions / comments / concerns that you would rather not comment down below, direct message me or email me!

Instagram : Newkindofliving

Email : Newkindofliving@gmail.com  

Twitter : Newkindofliving

PEACE OUT UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!