___________________________________________________________________

15 Years of Being an Influencer, 

And 10 Life Lessons I've Learned

This year marks the 15th anniversary of my business, BridalTweet.com.  Since it began, this platform has granted me over 1,200 advertisers, 20,000 members, 120,000 social media fans, work life balance, creative freedom, and countless personal connections that I treasure. 

Step aside, Kim Kardashian and MrBeast!  I was an influencer long before that term was even coined.  In 2009, I saw the writing on the wall that social media was an easily accessible channel of opportunity to market myself and others.  That was when BridalTweet was born.

The road wasn't always easy.  Small businesses require lots of trial and error, determination, an abundance of energy, and the support of others.  To make things even more challenging, I built this platform while holding a corporate day job (2009-2011) and while raising two kids (2011-present).  Multi-tasking at its best, entirely exhausting, but all worth it.  Ultimately, I was able to quit my corporate day job and be fully present in the lives of my two beautiful children – all while fulfilling my dream of owning a successful and profitable business.

10 Life Lessons I've Learned from Owning This Business...

1.  You are not stuck.  We live in a great country with great opportunities.  If you are ever on a path that doesn’t bring you happiness or isn’t teaching you enough or isn’t capitalizing on your talents, then switch paths OR create a new one.  That doesn’t mean that you should pick an easier path.  In many cases, it will be harder.   But it will be more fulfilling.  And it is OK if it takes you a few different turns to find your path to fulfillment.  It took me over 30 years to find mine. 

2.  You are in charge of your happiness.  Use every negative or difficult experience to motivate you to ‘create’ a positive, fulfilling experience.  And I say ‘create’ instead of ‘find’ because you need to make it happen.  You are in charge.  No one else is going to make you happy.  It is you who must choose to be happy, and it is you who must make yourself happy.

3.  You have your very own unique talents that will enable you to soar.  I believe that every person on this Earth has been given special, unique talents from God.  It may take a while to figure out what those talents are.  But once you do - use them.  Use them with fervor.  And use them to do good.  That is your purpose.

4.  Know and fiercely defend your non-negotiables.  Non-negotiables are values that are so important to you that absolutely no price can be paid for them.  They are not even up for discussion.  Each person's non-negotiables are different and they can vary widely.  Once you know what they are, hold true to them.  Doing so will make many of your other decisions very clear and easy.  For me, my non-negotiable has been putting my family first at all times.  In some sense, this was my non-negotiable even before I had a family because throughout the years, I was consciously building a business and lifestyle that would eventually complement the way that I wanted to raise my kids.  

5.  You will never be defined by your job or income.  Jobs come and go.  Businesses have good years and bad.  You can’t hang your hat on them for ultimate happiness.  But if you create a path for yourself that uses your special talents to help others, then you will know true satisfaction.  

6.  You are not entitled.  No one in this world owes you anything.  If you want something, go out and earn it!

7.  Know when to say 'no' and say it often.  I'm actually very good at this, and it's what has helped me to stay sane.  "You can do anything - but not everything." - David Allen, influential thinker on productivity. 

8.  Focus on quality over quantity.   When I was 30 years old, I cared about 'how much' I accomplished.  And now my 40-something-year-old self really only cares about the way in which I'm doing it.  Am I doing it in a way that provides balance for myself and my family?  Am I helping others?  Am I really utilizing my talents and creativity?  Am I learning?  If not, I need to shift gears. 

9.  Your path doesn’t have to be big or loud.  It really doesn’t matter that my business has so many followers on Facebook.  Who cares! What does matter is that I’ve built a platform that helps people.   Always remember that finding happiness, and using your talents to do good in the world can be achieved in the most simple, ordinary ways.  

10.  This world will constantly send you messages, which will contradict all of this advice.  Many of these life lessons are countercultural in our very busy, materialistic world.  Yet in my bones, I know that these lessons are so very true, and they have put me on a path toward living a more meaningful life. 

Wedding Vendors: Are you wondering how BridalTweet can help you succeed? LEARN MORE

Thank you again for making this a fun and supportive wedding community,

Christine Dyer, Social Media Expert and Founder of BridalTweet