I’m feeling the need to address the elephant in the room. I want to talk a little bit about that thing we all wanted to get into but DIDN’T. That thing we are all mopey and stressed out about.

That thing we didn’t get an invitation to attend. (And by we I mean me, and maybe even you.)

Ouch. It stings.

Getting an invitation means that you are special. It means you are important. It means that you are SOMEBODY. And not getting an invitation… doesn’t. Or so we let ourselves think.

Here’s the thing to keep in mind… you ARE somebody. Just because you weren’t included this time, that doesn’t mean you don’t matter.

Deep inside you know exactly what I am talking about. You know that you are being overly sensitive and possibly irrational. You‘re feeling vulnerable and uncertain.

Trust me, I know.

Image via Glenda Otero

I felt the exact same way when the news rolled out across Twitter. I frantically checked my email and spam boxes. I stalked the hashtag. I started mental comparisons between myself and the bloggers who made it in. (It was slightly pathetic, I admit.)

Once it became clear to me that I did not warrant an invite, I went through a dramatic, albeit short-lived,  period of self-doubt and depression. “Why do I bother to blog, anyway? I’ll never be as talented or influental as them. I can’t believe I even thought I might have a chance. They probably don’t even know I exist. I should just call it a day and give up.”

Yes, friends. I actually considered giving it all up. As in shutting down my blog and never returning. 

And for what? For an invitation.

Sigh.

It is so hard in this blogosphere to keep everything in perspective.  My (and/or your) lack of an invitation wasn’t a rejection… there were simply not enough to go around. There are a ton of bloggers out there and only a finite amount of openings.

Someone is going to have to sit this round out.

And that someone is … us. Plain and simple, really.

Social comparison is a dangerous trap that many fall into online because it is so easy to do. The truth is, we all need to be extra guarded and vigilant when it comes to our self esteem or we will end up unfulfilled and unhappy.

Compairing yourself to others is nothing short of toxic.

I personally plan to give a mental high-five to all of the folks proclaiming their excitement over being included in this year’s festivities. I encourage others to do the same. They deserve to have a fantastic time! Who knows? Maybe next year we’ll be the ones who get a surprise in our own in-boxes… or not.

I am the number one mom of the world.

El numero uno. The awesomest of awesome. The bomb.

Why? Because I (well, sort of) gave them a little taste of Disney this week.

Disney came to Baltimore to put on a Disney Summer Social and our family was lucky enough to be included in their festivities! (The boys were beside themselves with excitement. If there is one vacation they ask for again and again – it is another trip to Disney.)

We had a lovely time socializing with blogging pals, meeting new friends and catching up on everyone’s family adventures. It was a real treat!

The boys were fascinated to learn about these new updates to their fav Disney adventures:

• “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios taking riders to the planets Coruscant and Tatooine. (We. Love. Star. Wars. Nuff. Said.)
• Wild Africa Trek, in Disney’s Animal Kingdom taking small groups of visitors on adventures into unexplored areas of the Disney savanna to learn about wildlife.  (My firstborn is pretty much destined to work in a zoo. His love for animals sometimes outways humans.)
• Lightning McQueen replacing Herbie the Love Bug on stage in Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. (Our family loved this show. We saw it twice. Fire! Fast cars! Stunt men!)
• Enhancements added to the  Haunted Mansion. (Great experience. Just enough to scare but not too much!)
  

As for me, I have been dreaming of running the Disney Marathon, okay, actually of earning the Goofy medal for a long time.  (And now there is a TINKERBELL 1/2 MARATHON! You know she is my favorite, right?) I was kinda thinking of asking for Disney Marathon entry for my birthday present this year but, it seems a little over the top. Then again you only turn 40 once, right? (Husband? Are you reading this?)

The Disney event was a lovely ending to our summer. Which got me thinking of ways to extend summer break just a bit longer. Hmmm…. Disney cruise, anyone?

Disclosure: I attended the Disney Summer Social event with my children and received some goodies and treats.  I was not asked to post nor compensated for it.  All opinions expressed are my very own.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to my newest online obsession: PINTEREST

Heard of it yet?

I have to admit that at first I didn’t quite “get it.” Now, however, I am a junkie.  (As in, spending all of my free time oohing and aahing over what others curate.)

In case you are unfamiliar with the application, let me explain: Pinterest simply allows you to create virtual pinboards of your favorite images, share them with your followers, and discover amazing new things along the way.

A Dozen Ways That I Use Pinterest (And you can too!)

• Idea gathering:  For future use in event planning, entertaining and the like
• DIY creativity: There are some might creative people on the Internet. I pin their projects to attempt later.
• Inspiration: Quotes, photographs, places and spaces. I love collecting them!
• Home decor ideas
• Fashion & style finds
• Office: Design and organization ideas for the office.
• Incredibly cool and unique products that I don’t want to forget about.
• Humor: Recording hilarity on the web.
• Foodie fun: A collection of recipes and food ideas.
• Styleboards: For later use when helping clients create website and graphic design materials
• Vision boards: A collection of items serving as my online vision board
• Collaboration: To compile and collaborate with others on projects

A tip: Once you get started, the easiest way to pin items is to install their “Pin It” bookmark. From that point, anytime you find an image you like, just “Pin It” and you will be given options to pin any of the pictures on that page to your Pinterest boards. So simple!

I do think that Pinterest is a great way for blogs, Etsy shops and unique products to be discovered. If you are thinking of this as a traffic generator for your own content, some advice -  The best way to get traffic from Pinterest is to post attention grabbing photos to your own website that will get attention from readers and encourage them to “pin you.” In other words… create the content and it will naturally get shared.

Find me on Pinterest: My boards

Have you tried Pinterest? What do you think of it? How do you use it? (If you are on Pinterest… leave me your url and I’ll follow your boards.)

What keeps you up at night?

A very innocent question that has been haunting me for a few days now.

What keeps ME up at night? Sigh. So many things.

Let me give you the back story on this question… I was privilege to be invited (along with my dear friend Lara) to a celebration for the launch of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council on Tuesday evening in Washington D.C.  (I know, right? Just a typical day at the office.) The GEC consists of ten entrepreneurs under the age of 40 who will be using their knowledge and influence to  help the UN achieve a “new level of innovation and impact in solving global problems.” (Given the fact that in my professional life I council non-profits on marketing and social media, I was ecstatic to be included on the guest list for such an endeavor.)

During the evening, each GEC member spoke on “what kept them up at night.” Their responses varied but the passion in the room was palpable.

I would be remiss if I didn’t list the executives being tapped for this project: Ryan Allis (Founder) iContact, Elliott Bisnow (CEO) Summit Series, Sergio Fernandez de Cordova (Founder) Fuel Outdoor, Brian Gott (Publisher) Variety Magazine, Marissa Mayer (Vice President) Consumer Products, Google, Angela Mwanza (Senior Vice President) UBS Private Wealth Management, Shervin Pishevar (Executive Chairman)  Social Gaming Network, Shauna Robertson  (Co-Founder) Crowdrise, Zaw Thet (CEO) 4INFO and Randi Zuckerberg (Director of Marketing) Facebook. (Yeah, just a little bit of talent on that committee.)

And as I mingled with the council and the executives from the foundation that evening it began to dawn on me that bloggers also have incredible potential for impacting global philanthropy. Now, this is not a new revelation to the world, but it seems to me that if we could focus en masse, we could make a truly profound difference. That is an incredibly empowering thought.

So, I ask you… As a writer/blogger/social media maven, do you realize how much power you wield? Do you believe that you can change the world with your influence? Have you ever used your online presence to raise money or awareness for a cause?

The video below from the event features Elizabeth Gore of the UN Foundation speaking on behalf of Randi Zuckerberg who was unable to attend the event. She is nine months pregnant and unable to travel. I think we can all forgive her.

As for what keeps ME up at night – anything that has to do with poverty, children’s issues or the plight of women both domestically and globally.

Why is it that I am so busy from an overabundance of work/family obligations that I can’t find time to eat yet don’t manage to loose A STINKING OUNCE?

Why is it that I can clean for days to prepare for my in-laws visiting but my mother-in-law can find hours worth of things to clean while she is here?

Why is it that my son claims that he brushes his teeth every morning but that his toothbrush is a permanent, hard, cementy mess that wouldn’t even be fit for scouring toilets?

Why is it that when I actually have quiet time to sit down to write a blog post I find that I have nothing to say?

ANYONE?