We’ve all heard the saying, the more thing change, the more they stay the same. And for someone that has made as many strides forward as I have over the last couple of years since I had my gastric bypass surgery, I continue to be reminded of just much I am still the same in oh so many ways.
See, this last weekend I attended my first every bloggers conference, the second annual MN Blogger Conference. The event was organized by Melissa (Missy) Berggren and Arik Hanson and sponsored by TopRank Online Marketing, Allina, and KARE 11. First off, the event itself was great. I missed the opening keynote session and about half of the first break-out session because I was on the radio at the time, but I got there in time to catch a bit more than half of the session Protecting Your Work and Hot Legal Issues by Teresa Thompson.
After that I attended the panel discussion on Building Communities Online and Offline. I hit this one mostly to hear Jen Emmert (in the photo above with me). See, it’s kinda weird, and I don’t remember how I first found her on twitter, but she also writes about weight issues and such, is also from this area, and her site is Prior Fat Girl. So yea, I think it was inevitable that we had to meet. And I gotta say, she’s a doll. We’ve chatted on twitter and such, and as soon a she saw me she offered up a hug, that I readily accepted. And yes, we had a cookie after lunch (tho Jen only had half a cookie.)
The other two sessions I attended were Advertisements, Endorsements, and the Casual ‘Like’ by Hayden Creque and Vlogging: Lessons to Learn from TV by Erica Mayer. I may get more in to the topics at some point later, but that’s not the purpose of my posting today.
Like I started out… I’ve made a lot of great changes, but an event like this also emphasized for me ways I haven’t changed. I am still very much the wall flower. I am still awkward in social situations. In my own way, I am still very, very shy.
People who only know me from Twitter, or this blog or other areas online tend not to believe it if I tell them I am shy. But it’s true. Did I get this way growing up because of my weight issues? I don’t know. Honestly, I think I had numerous “issues” growing up, and my weight was only one of them. As I got older, it was simply the most obvious of them. There are some obese people that are the complete opposite – becoming very social, very outgoing, sometimes superficially so. I think for some of them, being that boisterous can be a way to shield themselves, mask the pain they feel from others.
Me, I was the introvert. Sure, as I get to know someone I easily open up. And I’m still that way. Actually, I don’t even have to know you that well… I will easily talk about all sorts of things, I’m the proverbial open book. Which may in part explain my falling so easily in to this role I’ve seemingly taking on with this site, my speaking, and such. Put me in an online chat room, or in front of a radio microphone and I have no problems at all. But put me in a room full of strangers and I just want to find a corner to hide.
Well, actually no. That’s not what I want to do. But it is the urge I seem to have to constantly fight against.
Some people seem to just naturally be able to walk up to others and strike up a conversation. I know I am not alone when I say I am not one of them.
But I think there is hope. Just as I continue to fight the battle with making healthy decisions about food and exercise and such, I continue to fight the battle against being a wall flower. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s a “tool” available to help me out like bariatric surgery did with my weight. This, like the exercise and eating better is just a matter of doing it… and like exercise after surgery, I suppose starting small and working your way up would be good, you don’t need to throw yourself in to crowd of a couple hundred people at a blogger conference.
But yea, it was a good time… I’m looking forward to next year as well as finding other events I might be able to attend to help me further spread my wings, and if you have any good suggestions for helping me further break out of my comfort zone when it comes to social situations… let me know in the comments.
Oh yea, and I did get my new business cards in just in time for the event. I think I even handed out a few! Check it out, what do you think?
Dear Rob,
It was nice to meeting you at the blogger conference even if we just spoke briefly. I think the movie http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/ may be interesting to you and your readers because it covers the topic of weightloss.by dudes.
Regards, Raphael
Hey Raphael, you too. I’ll have to go check it out.
You shy? I saw you chatting up a storm with people at the conference! Maybe you knew them already though… I think we shook hands but I’m not sure we actually carried on a conversation though (I was one of the girls wearing the Toys In The Dryer t-shirts). Anyhoo…it was nice to be in the same room with you at the conference :)
Hey Jamie, I think we said hi when talking with Hayden in the hallway. And sometimes I am better than others… and always (trying anyways) improving. I don’t have kids myself, but I did tell my sister about your site after the conference. Hope your launch has been going good for you!