Fearless?

So, this is a little bit scary. it's my first ever 'real' post and I find myself with a case of bloggers block! There are so many different topics I could start with, but just as many questions rise to the surface as the number of ideas that come to mind. Hmmm, so what to do...

As I introduced below I am taking one of Holly Becker's blogging courses and the one I am taking now is 'Blog Boss'. As of today I am a week in and the lessons have been just what I expected, although I have come away feeling equally excited and daunted by the prospect of being a Blog Boss. Well, I say 'being', I should really say, 'becoming', as evolving into a Blog Boss is not an overnight affair. Rather than crawling back into my novice blogger corner though, I am trying to dig deep and find some confidence to apply what we are learning in class. So the first collection of images that I am going to post, rather fittingly, is one of inspiration to me.



The mug is rather affectionately named, "Madame", and drinking from it whilst working helps me to feel more like a Boss. Years ago for a birthday, I was given the journal with the word, "Fearless" on it. I am certainly not fearless but I hope to be confident and to fear less about blogging one day. The last image is of a sweet card from a dear friend. It reminds me that we all need help at times and acknowledging this help or expressing gratitude for a gift is seriously underrated and commonly overlooked.

So bolstered a bit by a lift of inspiration, I am buoyed into relishing this week's lessons with a little less fear and a little more Madame!

Do you have any images that inspire you, or keepsakes that you keep around you to keep doubting niggles at bay?

First Things First- a post of first's

Hello, welcome to Thirteen Paper Planes!

As I write this I am embarking on a few new projects in 2013, both at work and at home and this blog will document my progress. There are a few firsts happening this year and on Monday it's my first official class on the Blog Boss Course run and created by Holly Becker from decor8. You can find out more about her courses here; I am really looking forward to learning more about blogging, as my experience is very limited and I am so glad that a friend recommended Holly's courses to me.

This leads me to my next "first". Last year the company that I work for as my day job expanded and my responsibilities changed. This has meant taking on a new challenge and working for the first time in a marketing role. The industry I work in is a technical one, requiring specific knowledge and experience, and as one of the non-technical team members my job is a little more complex. I am learning to juggle between forging ahead with the aspects I feel comfortable with and asking for help and guidance with the areas that require collaboration. For the first time I am experiencing what it is like to use Social Media for business purposes, learning the do's and dont's of newsletter writing and finding new tools to help me along the way, which I will try to share with you.

The final "first" for this post is a fairly major one... I am in the process of buying my first home with my boyfriend. As a first-time buyer, the experience brings the unexpected at every turn which is a bit of a shock to the system but will be worth all the up's and down's when the process is complete. It's a fantastic opportunity to learn a lot too, so I am sure there will be a few posts dedicated to this "first" along the way with some tips from my perspective on surviving one of the most stressful of life's milestones.

So this brings us to the end of my first post on Thirteen Paper Planes. I'm looking forward to sharing updates with you on these first's and other's that will inevitably pop up over time. I'm sure the blog will develop to cover many more topics. I'd love to hear about your first's too and if you want to get involved, please post a comment or ask a question below.