Second place…the first loser… #BOH2016

There’s this saying, that “second place is the first loser.” I get that competition is a wonderful thing and there can only be one “winner”…but there’s such a negative connotation to that saying and it doesn’t really sit well with me.

I believe that everyone can be a winner. And no…I don’t think everyone should get a “participation award” for just showing up. I believe if you work hard and put every possibly effort into something…that you’re totally and completely winning. I believe that the only person you can actually lose to…is yourself. If you’re not putting it all out there…then you only have yourself to disappoint.

It’s the same way with the kids and school…I think that sometimes a C is just as good as an A. If, and only if, you worked your butt off to get the C.

Same goes for blogging.

I am surrounded by AMAZING bloggers and I’m incredibly lucky to work with many of them on a regular basis. Every blogger I know is finding their voice, chasing their dreams, trying to reach bigger audiences and find success. They’re working hard…and totally winning!

Best of Halifax 2012

Five years ago…I won “Bronze” for “Best Blogger” in The Coast’s “Best of Halifax”…and it absolutely thrilled me! I wrote this post…about how I was beat out by two fashion bloggers and the fact that I have the fashion sense of a gnat! I went to the party and had this picture taken…my very first photo by Timothy Richards with me and two girlfriends, Trish and Donna.

I’d been through a lot that year having been knocked down and dragged around in divorce court…and writing had become my escape…getting an award for it was a bit surreal. My girlfriends holding punching gloves as I donned a crown on my head…just seemed incredibly fitting. The irony of it all was pretty amazing to me when you have some people thinking you’re the worst in the world…and a city behind you suggesting you’re “the best.”

That night…I felt like a winner for the first time in a very, very long time.

Best of Halifax 2013

In 2013, I picked up Gold and was absolutely flabbergasted. I wrote a post explaining the first time I’d ever read The Coast magazine…and what it means to me to finally be a writer after so many years of wanting to be one and just not thinking I was good enough. We are, after all, hardest on ourselves! I went to the party with my friend, Trish, and my oldest daughter…and was so happy to share my success with this amazing young woman who has been my biggest cheerleader through the years.

Best of Halifax 2014

By 2014, with another Gold Plaque to place on my bathroom wall, I reflected on the word “best” recognizing that really…I wasn’t THE best. I was doing the very best that I could…but there are many others who are far better than me. I’m lucky to be doing something I love to do and truly, I’m surrounded by some of the very best bloggers around…all supporting one another and helping each other out. It just felt good.

Best of Halifax 2015

2015…I was sure I was done. However, for some crazy reason…this little blog hung in there and managed to get Gold again. I thought it was NUTS. To be honest, there was this little fashion blogger who was building a lot of steam locally and nationally…and I was pretty damn sure she was knocking me off my ladder. When I won, I was incredibly surprised…and humbled. I wrote again about how I don’t believe I’m “the best”…and equated winning an award for writing similar to the Award of Excellence…this was my Flexed Arm Hang! I was putting it all out there…hanging in for the very last second. Hoping everyone would catch me when I fall. My writing…this blog…my readers…it all means the world to me.

I work hard at what I do…because I absolutely love what I’m doing! I am 100% doing what I was always meant to do and that my friends…is all the award anyone needs! I truly…feel like I’m “winning” at life!

Best of Halifax 2016

And so…we arrive at 2016. This year, that fashion blogger, she totally ROCKED it! In fact, if you aren’t following Kayla Short at Short Presents, you absolutely MUST! While I’m still lacking on my fashion sense, Kayla has taught me a great deal about blogging since I first began following her a few years ago. Her Instagram alone is worthy of a look and while fashion is her main topic, she’s branched out into many other areas and we’ve had the pleasure of working together many times over the last year. I’m nothing but truly and genuinely over-the-top thrilled with her success. She’s inspiring, motivated, kind, supportive…she works hard…and it’s paying off! In fact, not only was she voted Gold in The Coast’s “Best Blogger” this year…but she was voted as one of Huffington Posts top 50 Canadians! She’s on the same list as the PRIME MINISTER! (So much better than being on the same list as “The Queen”.)

Kayla is proof that putting it all out there, loving what you’re doing and letting it show…is the best reward of all! She 100% deserves the Gold Star for going after her dreams and living life to the fullest and I am so lucky to count her among my list of amazing and talented blogger friends. I count on her support and am so fortunate to have her on my team!

Blogging continues to grow in Atlantic Canada with many more opportunities for those of us who choose to work in this fabulous industry whether its full-time, part-time, or as a side hobby. For myself, Kayla and many other bloggers…it’s a complete labour of love that has us encouraging and supporting one another. While it looks awfully exciting from the outside (and believe me it is)…it’s also incredibly hard work to stay organized and get all of the details just right. We’re running our own businesses and making a living from a career that none of us ever knew we wanted because it simply never existed before. A career all of us feel incredibly fortunate to have!

For 2016…I’ve received Silver in The Coast’s “Best of Halifax” for “Best Blogger” but I far from feel like I’ve “lost.” If anything…it’s been one of the very best years of my blogging career and I owe it all to surrounding myself with amazingly supportive and talented bloggers, the fabulous brands I represent, hard work…and you.

Thank you to every single one of you who voted for me and continue to support me on this amazing journey! I truly and honestly feel so very blessed!

Plus…despite my lack of fashion sense, I’m told Silver looks fabulous on me!

xo