Why to Choose Community Over Competition

When I was in Dallas a few weeks ago, I met up with one of my favorite blogging friends for lunch and a quick catch up before meetings that day! I just love the community that blogging has brought me; I feel like God has placed so many girls in my life that have helped me grow as a person. I’m so thankful for that!  

Ashlee’s Romper // Shoes // Sunglasses // Statement Necklace // Monogram Necklace
Our Bags c/o Vera Bradley // Our Rings c/o Kendra Scott // Our Watches c/o Daniel Wellington
Laura’s Shirt // Shorts // Shoes (sold out, similar)// Sunglasses // Necklace

Photos by Sweet Memory Photography
Laura from Walking in Memphis and High Heels and I have become great friends through blogging and we finally got to see each other again! I love being able to chat with someone who totally understands being a mom and a blogger, and just “gets” all of the ins and outs that my family and friends probably won’t ever understand. It’s nice to have that.  We actually get to go on a trip together with our husbands this month, so I’m excited to spend more time with Laura – maybe she’ll even teach me how to get long, perfect hair like hers! 😉 When sitting down to write this post, I was going to do an outfit recap of some of the outfits I wore while I was in Dallas, but then I felt something more tugging at my heart. I want to share with you a little bit about the blogging community and how so many of these women choose to encourage and empower one another. Laura and I talk about “community over competition” often, so this is fitting for today’s post.

The blog world (or any world for that matter) can be such a small space when in reality it’s a huge space. We all know each other, work with many of the same companies, attend the same events and talk about the same struggles and successes. We are all working for one goal: success.  Success can come in so many different facets, but for me, success is reaching goals. I set goals for myself and when I meet those goals is when I set new ones. It’s always an unending bar that keeps moving and changing each month and year.  Being women in the same space, I think it’s easy to let the jealous bug get you and not focus on your own success. You see people reaching your goal before you do even when it’s not their goal, you see companies working with other bloggers when you weren’t a good fit…it’s easy to let it take the joy away from what successes you’re having.

About a year ago, when I met some of my best blogging friends, it occurred to me that there is enough success in the world for everyone. Everyone’s success looks different and is at different rates. It’s important to help one another out, be their cheerleader and celebrate those small victories. Having those cheerleaders on your sidelines to success makes it a whole lot more fun when you’ve reached those goals and you have someone to celebrate with, too! 

So, today, instead of talking about how Laura and I got together for lunch and shared these cute outfits; I’m talking about how Laura has been a cheerleader for me and I for her. I wanted to share that we choose community over competition and we choose to do that for each of our blogging friends, not just with each other.  I think we’re happier and more successful within ourselves for that reason, too.

If you let those daily struggles get you down, reach out and find someone to be your cheerleader. Help them find success in their daily goals. Remind them WHY they started doing what they’re doing and WHY they are great at it! Enjoy what you’re doing. Life is too short to compete with the people you could be cheering on to success with you! I think you just might find yourself a happier person as well as enjoy meeting your goals that much more!

If you aren’t a blogger, think about how you can be a cheerleader for a mom friend or a co-worker.  Be authentic in finding someone to be that for you. We all need someone helping us climb that ladder to success; so remember to lift each other up. You may be holding someone else’s ladder for them to get there and not even realize it. None of us get to where we’re going alone…I get by with a lot of help from Jesus, my friends and those who are willing to encourage me along the way to get to where I’m going.

I’m beyond thankful for my community.

Because Laura and I love spoiling our readers, we want to give away one Vera Bradley bag and one Kendra Scott ring to a lucky lady! To enter, follow the steps of the rafflecopter below and again to our Instagram pages (mine & Laura’s) to win!