Are You Using Pinterest to Promote Your Website?

Are you using Pinterest to promote your site?  If not, have you considered it?  It's such a wonderful way to share what you are up to with the visual nature that appeals to most of our readers.

One of the biggest benefits to using Pinterest over another form of social media is how little you need to actually do to have success driving traffic to your site.  This is because others do the work for you by pinning your images.  Here are a few things you want to consider:

• If you haven't, you need to set up an account.


• If you haven't, you need to verify your website for best results.  This also allows business accounts to post Rich Pins which include your logo.


• Have pinnable images on every page.  This means attractive images and, ideally, with a watermark or some other reference to your website.


• Have a Pin It button available so people can easily click it and post your image to Pinterest.


• Share images from other sites that you feel your readers would be interested.  It's nice to share the love and promote others as well.


• Keep an eye on what images have been pinned from your site by logging into your Pinterest account, and going to http://pinterest.com/source/domain.com/ and replace domain.com with your website's domain. Then you'll see all of the images people have pinned from it. This will help you know what your readers are loving.


• Read this article for some great tips on creating great images for Pinterest and more.


• Read this article for more creative ways to use Pinterest for your business.

I'm always looking for easy ways to promote and share and Pinterest is definitely one of them.

 

Bonus! Need help creating a button or widget for your site?  Check out this resource.

If you are looking to use Pinterest and are a client with Be Inspired, we can help you verify your website for best results for just $35 - well worth the money.  Contact Michele at michele@michelebergh.com with your Pinterest log in information, we'll send over an invoice and get 'er done for you so you can focus on what you love to do!

Life Lesson 41: Beauty + Grace Make Life Enjoyable

Last night, as I drove home from spending the day with my grandson, I just had to pull over when these magnificent creatures crossed my path. I pulled over and gently walked closer and closer until I was about 10 feet away from the 4 of them. They didn't seem to mind although they were definitely aware of my presence. I spoke softly to them as I took a few pictures and I thanked them for allowing me to share their space. It was just a nice way to begin my little adventure this weekend.

You see, I'm off for a few days to Chicago with a friend. Traveling with just my backpack, which I have never done before. I'm a bit of an overpacker...you never know what you might need, right!?

But this weekend is all about adventure and trying new things. It's about living with grace and ease and about seeing the beauty in all things. That's why I had to skimp on clothes...I had to make sure there was room in my backpack for my camera, lenses and all. Even though I don't need a fancy camera to catch those special moments, it sure is nice. With my $80 ticket, no carry on bigger than the backpack is allowed. One of my goals this weekend, as well, is to have an adventure without spending an arm and a leg.

I'm so excited to see where this journey goes. Good or "bad", it will be fun and filled with wonderful experiences because that's how I choose to see it. Seeing beauty and living with grace is a choice. I can't wait to share how it goes!

So what are you doing to live your life seeing the beauty and living with grace? Will you make the same choice?

Life Lesson 40: Go with the Flow + Enjoy Life

Here is it...my birthday already.  I committed to 47 lessons, one for each year of my life, and that commitment remains...it will just take a bit longer than I planned but that's okay.

The lesson I'm sharing today is that sometimes we just have to go with the flow.  Life isn't neat and clean and sometimes gets in the way...sometimes in a good way and sometimes, not so good.  I want to talk about the good things that get in the way.

I am committed to enjoying life and sometimes that means that things come up last minute that really make a difference in the quality of my life and my relationships and so I definitely don't want to miss a thing - the reason this series is taking a little longer - and I'm okay with that!  The time I spend with those I care about is really important to me.  It's also important to do things I really enjoy, both planned in advance and spontaneous as well.  This past weekend included staying at a friend's place, a street dance, and two boat trips on the river - one with friends and one through a company that provides them to the public.  It was so much fun to let loose and play...to meet new people...to spend time with friends...to spend time in nature.  I was exhausted (still kind of am) but it was so worth it.  Soon winter will be here and I'll have these memories to tide me over until the weather is warm again and we can create more memories like this.

Winter has never been a great season for me...I don't enjoy being bundled up and I don't enjoy being really cold but that's going to change this year.  I'm going to do my best to enjoy the weather and find activities I enjoy so I'm not wishing an entire season away before it even begins.  I realize I can create all kinds of memories...the key is being committed to enjoying life and that's where I am at.  If you are a winter person and have activities you love, please share them here.  I'd love to hear what you enjoy...who knows, it might be the perfect activity for me as well.

So allow life to happen and actively be a participant in it.  Go with the flow and have some fun!  You only live once, right?!

[caption id="attachment_8496" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Beautifully free...[/caption]

Life Lesson 38: Changing Reality

I've been troubled for some time now. Lots of thoughts rolling around in my mind about something that happened several months ago. What happened didn't involve me really. It wasn't about me at all but it involved someone I cared about a lot.

I've wondered if I'd ever get past it...ever get over it. I've wondered if I wasn't letting it go as a form of self-sabotage...not being able to fully appreciate the good in this area of my life that exists today because this negative experience is nagging, always nagging, me in the back of my mind...in a way, keeping me safe...keeping me from loving fully. I've wondered why living in that pain seemed to be necessary, somehow, for me right now.

Yesterday I read something about how we could change - or neutralize - our negative feelings by imagining a different outcome or different experience as something more positive. It got me thinking about what I would have preferred happened all those months ago.

Interestingly, through all my reflection, I was able to really see and feel deep in my heart that what happened was perfect. The experience is part of what has gotten me to such a positive place in my life in this area. I kind of wished it had ended differently but I wasn't able to come up with something I would prefer until this morning...

And then the answer was there. The truth was there. Truth. Not the crap we make up in our head. Not the assumptions we make based on partial information or no information at all. But the truth. It had been there all along...I was just so wrapped up in the hurt and pain that I didn't see it. How it truthfully ended was exactly what I would have wished, if I'd been able to write the story myself. I can't believe I missed those facts. They were there in print...in black and white...available for me to see all along. But I didn't see it...I wanted to feel like a victim. I wanted to wallow in my self-pity. Why? I have no idea but it was serving me somehow. And now I could let it go.

This lesson ties into the lessons I've learned about perception...how powerful perception can be whether it's truth or not. It ties into our ability to manifest. By stepping off that wheel of fear and into my heart, my reality changed. The outcome of that situation was perfect in every way. It always was. I just couldn't see it before.

Today my heart is full of love and appreciation for the truth.  For being able to see it.  For being able to love fully, without hesitation and without feeling a need to keep myself safe.  Because I am safe in every way simply because I allowed myself to open up to the truth and shift my reality.

[caption id="attachment_8492" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Life is a journey. Be willing to step across the bridge.[/caption]

Life Lesson 35: I Am Never Alone

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.  ~ Audrey Hepburn

[caption id="attachment_8480" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] We are never alone.[/caption]

Support comes in many forms.  We are truly never alone.  Rejoice in that awareness.

Life Lesson 30: Sometimes I Am Wrong

I have never liked admitting that sometimes I am wrong but, the truth is, sometimes I am.

And sometimes, instead of trying to figure something out, I'm just going to tell you I don't have the answers.  Because I don't.

I used to think I needed to be right and I needed to always have answers but that's just another belief that's bullshit.  It isn't true and it isn't who I am.  Sure I like to know stuff...a lot of stuff.  I'm a total sponge but I don't have to know it all and I don't have to solve everyone's problems.  That isn't my role in life and that's okay.

And I like to be right.  I like to be viewed as a resource and it feels good when people look to me for support and information.  But I can't always be right.  It's not possible for any of us to be right all the time.  And that's okay too.

It's exhausting to maintain a position of always being right and knowing it all.  Really exhausting.  And I'm tired of being tired.

Truth is...

I'd rather be happy than right and I'd rather play sometimes than always have to have an answer for everything.  It's a much more enjoyable way to live.

[caption id="attachment_8474" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] A very cool tree at Minnehaha Park that looks to me like a woman reclining and just enjoying being in that space in the midst of the creek.[/caption]

Life Lesson 29: Live in the Moment

Worrying about the future will get you nowhere.

You can't change the past and regrets will tear you apart.  Let them go.  You did the best you could with the knowledge you had.

Focus on the present moment.

It is the only moment that matters.

Enjoy all it has to offer you.

Don't miss a thing.

[caption id="attachment_8472" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Sunset at my home earlier this summer.y D[/caption]

Life Lesson 25: The Only True Problem is My Own Monkey Mind

Our mind can be both a blessing and a curse.  It stores a lot of information and can be helpful in solving problems.  BUT it also creates a lot of problems.  My mind tells me stories it has completely made up...both good and back.  It makes assumptions.  If I'm not in a good place, it looks for all kinds of bad things in my life to point out to me.  It's amazing to me how many decisions I've made over the course of my life from made up information in my mind.  Decisions not based on any facts whatsoever.

I remember being at a workshop many years ago where we talked about how to tell if it's real...if it's facts we are working with or crap made up in our head.  The measure was to ask ourselves if the story would stand up in a court of law.  As we picked apart our stories, we discovered that much of it would not stand up...because it just wasn't true.  Much of it was hearsay or made up by our monkey mind.

Sometimes it feels like a full time job to manage my monkey mind and it can be exhausting BUT worth the effort.  When I am able to stay in a place of love...to keep my heart open...my monkey mind is quieted and I am able to be clear from a place of compassion and love and make decisions that support me in a much better way...a healthier way...a loving way.

I find I am able to keep my heart open when I practice mindfulness...when I spend time in nature, connecting to the energy of the earth.  I must remain grounded and centered and notice when I'm not so I can make adjustments in my life.

[caption id="attachment_8461" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Monkeys at the Como Zoo[/caption]

What do you do to quiet your monkey mind?

Life Lesson 21: The Reflections of Our Environment

I've noticed lately that I have been in a purging pattern.  I look around me and see so many things that I don't need to have around...and I'm ready to let them go.  I've cleaned out closets, clothes, furniture, papers, books, etc.  It's such a good sign for where I am in my life!  It's time to let go of all the old that no longer serves me.

After all, our environment is only a reflection of our inner self.  If you are surrounded by clutter, it's because your soul is cluttered. Look around you today.  What do you see?  Dishes done?  Laundry complete?  Garbage out? Or not??

Do your soul a favor and take a look at your environment...what is it telling you?  Is there something you need to work on?  Something causing you grief?  Something you need to let go of?

 

[caption id="attachment_8442" align="aligncenter" width="575"] Sunset at the Lake 4th of July Weekend. Such a beautiful reflection.[/caption]

If you want to make space for something in your life like a new relationship or job or money...make space in your closet!  It's amazing what it can do for your life to have a clean and uncluttered environment around you.

 

Life Lesson 15: Living Inspired By Design

If you want a wonderful life...an inspired life...you must create it.  It doesn't happen by default.

Design the life you want today.

It's that simple.

[caption id="attachment_8430" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Heart-shaped Branches and Leaves[/caption]

Life Lesson 13: Do You Want to be Happy??

Years ago, while watching Dr. Phil, he posed a question to a guest that really hit home for me.

He asked if they wanted to be right or if they wanted to be happy.

Yep, I have been a "right-fighter" for most of my life...needing and wanting to be right no matter what.

Not any more.

I don't need to be right.  I don't need to argue with someone over something that really doesn't matter in the big picture. And guess what??  Most of what we argue about doesn't matter...it REALLY doesn't!

I just want to be happy.

That's it.  Happy.

[caption id="attachment_8425" align="aligncenter" width="576"] At the Tomato Fest this summer. This guy was dancing around and just appeared to be enjoying himself in every aspect.[/caption]

I'm currently reading the book, The Untethered Soul, by Michael Singer.  I just got to a section of the book where he talks about there really being only one question to ask yourself...do you want to be happy?

Don't qualify the answer.

The question is not if you want to be happy and what it will take to get there.

It's not about whether there are certain things in your life that will take away from you being happy.

It's simply do you want to be happy?

Icky crap is going to happen no matter what.  Ultimately, we still want to be happy, right?  Isn't that what it's all about?

That's what I want.  Can I do that no matter what is happening in my life?  I know I will experience moments of doubt...of grief...of sadness...of disappointment.  None of this needs to take away from my overall ability or desire to be happy.

Desire is where the energy goes...I desire to be happy...no matter what.

So what's it going to be for you?  Do you want to be happy?

Life Lesson 12: Love Your Life

To have a life you love, you must love the life you have.

I don't mean just the good stuff...I mean all of it. You must truly love it all.  I don't mean find the silver lining...I mean as is, messiness and all.

Pure love without conditions or judgements.

Can you find a space in which you can love that old car or the fact that you have to work at something you'd prefer not to work at or that you don't have the income you wish you had?

Can you find a space to love the peeling wallpaper or the stained sofa or the messiness of a painful divorce?

You must be able to love it all.  To honor it all.

Only then will you have a life you love.

What is it that you have been NOT loving in your life?  What can you do to eliminate it or bring it into a space of love?

Life Lesson 9: Life is Fucking Messy

Life is fucking messy.

It just is.
Quit complaining about it.
Quit whining about it.
Quit blaming others.
Quit making excuses.
And just deal.

[caption id="attachment_8419" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Centennial Park Bridge, Edina, MN[/caption]

Connect with who you really are inside.
Decide what's important to you.
Decide how you want to show up in the world.
And just get real.

Keep moving forward.
Enjoy the pleasures in your life.
Let the rest go.

The end.

Life Lesson 6: It's All In The Approach

I used to have an assessment tool on my site that I would have anyone who was looking for me to create a website use.  The assessment would allow me to see where they were in their process as well as be able to put together a quality quote for them.  Most filled it out without question and appreciated the opportunity to get clear right away about their project.

And then there was the one.

She contacted me about a website project.  She had a small budget compared to what she wanted done and, when I pointed her in the direction of the assessment tool, she refused to fill it out.  She told me doing anything like that would kill her creativity and that it was my job to pull the information out of her.  I kindly offered to do that at my consultant rates.  She thought that was ridiculous that she would need to pay me to gather all the information I needed to do her project rather than having her supply it for me.

It isn't just the ability to gather information that I gained from using that assessment tool; it was also that I could tell right away how someone would be to work with.  I am, in no way, saying her behavior was bad or wrong...only that her desired process was different than what works best for me. AND I knew, based on how she approached my initial guidance that we would not work well together.  Our styles didn't fit.  I knew I'd be in for an entire project of her telling me my systems didn't work for her and wanting me to do things differently.

Because how we approach anything is how we approach everything.

If I take shortcuts in one place, I'm probably taking them in other places in my life.

If I challenge authority in one place, I'm probably challenging it in another place.

My car...pretty much looks like my home, as far as how I care for it.

Because how we approach anything is how we approach everything.  Life is just one big metaphor.

Take a look at the small things in your life...for a day.  How do you approach the mundane tasks in your life?  With joy?  With frustration?  Can you begin there to bring more joy into your life?  Can you approach them with a renewed outlook?  How do you deal with conflict?  How do you interact with those around you?  Remember, the way you approach something will not only show up in one area.  If we can't see the joy in brushing our teeth, for example....the minty taste of the toothpaste, the cleanliness of our teeth and breath...how can we see the joy in other areas - even when it's right in front of our face?

Approach life with laughter...with joy...with a sense of freedom to be all you can be.

What will you do to ensure that you are approaching things in your life the way you want to approach all of your life experiences?

Life Lesson 5: Just Be Before Acting

It's always better to sit with something before making a decision.  I used to want/feel like I needed to make decisions quickly.  It was very stressful because I often felt like I didn't have all the information to really make a good decision.  Sometimes, I would work myself into a mess, mentally, trying to figure out the best thing to do and then I'd throw out an answer only to find, sometimes moments later, that it was not a good decision to make.  The pressure...the anxiety...the lack of "just sitting with it" didn't allow me to make a decision that would serve me well.

Sitting with a decision is not the same as processing in my head over and over and over again.  It's about just allowing it to be there...in my heart...to see how it feels to me.

• What feels like the right decision to make?


• What will honor everyone involved?


• How can best communicate this?

My decisions are much more solid when I've allowed at least 24 hours to go by without giving it a lot of thought but rather just being with it before moving forward.   When I allow the sun to set and see how it all feels in the new day.  Being present, not just with the decision, but with the world around me.

[caption id="attachment_8412" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Egrets along the highway. I had to go up to the next exit, turn around so I could pull over to capture a few shots. Love these beautiful, graceful birds.[/caption]

When do you find you make the best decisions?

Life Lesson 4: It's Really Only About Perspective

People can have the exact same experiences and, yet, they experience them differently.  This is because we are all operating out of our own agendas, beliefs, past experiences, state of mind, etc. It truly is ONLY about perspective and we can choose to look at something in any way we decide.

A while back, I participated in a photo ecourse where we were to pick a topic and take photos of that topic over the next the 30 days.  I chose to take photos off my balcony from exactly the same spot so I could watch the space transform with the changing of seasons (we were moving into spring).  Truth be told, I didn't finish the course.  I had high hopes but they fell flat as other things crept into my life during that time frame.  In the past, I would have seen it as a failure.

BUT I didn't view it as a failure.

I was just shifting my direction towards something that needed it more at that time.

I found this new perspective early on in the course when I missed a day.  I was so mad at myself.  I did feel like I failed - at that time.  And then it hit me...it's all perspective.  Maybe I can just shift my focus a little.

And so I did.

I moved to a new place on the deck and took a different photo...a different angle. And that was that.  Just perspective.

Photography as given me a lot of healthy perspective over the last year and a half, not just in the photos I take but in life.  I carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go and am blessed to have people who support this quirk in my life.  I see a subject with my eyes...I look at it through the lens and sometimes I see something completely different.  I look for points of interest...interesting to me.

And then it starts all over when I get home...I bring those images up on my computer and look closely to see what I see...did I miss anything?  Does it tell a story?  How do I feel inside when I look at it?

Photography has allowed me to begin to see things in a new light...a way I hadn't seen them before.  A simple shift in perspective that has changed my life.

Here's a few of my recent favorites photos.

[caption id="attachment_8405" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Off the Deck[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8406" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Minneapolis Skyline + the Lake[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8407" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Photo Shoot at the Arboretum. This caught my eye in the distance as I was leaving.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8408" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Photo Shoot at the Arboretum.
I've never done anything like this before. We had 4 models for about 12 people and took photos on the grounds of them in sundresses and lingerie. Way out of my box and very fun.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8409" align="aligncenter" width="685"] Another Image from the Arboretum Photo Shoot[/caption]

Edited 8/19

I had to add this photo because it seemed to be such a perfect example of perspective.  The photo below was actually a "mistake."  My camera didn't focus the way I wanted it to and I didn't capture the intended subject but what came out (which I almost deleted as I breezed through the images the first time) I really love.

Life Lesson 3: Life is 50 Shades of Gray

It's not what you think.

If you know me at all, you will know I am a very black and white thinker.

Or at least I have been.

I'm working on it.

I have discovered many opportunities I may have missed in my life because of my black and white thinking.  I have made many decisions based on thinking something like this...

"Well, if I don't want that; surely this is what I want."

And I couldn't have been further than the truth.

Here's an example.

There were things I believed were missing in my marriage.  I wanted a partner who I shared specific interests with...being creative was one.  My ex has this aspect inside but rarely uses it.  He and I played Pictionary once many years ago and I still tell people he's the one you want for a partner, if you're going to play that game because everything will look exactly like it's supposed to.  He used to take photos but doesn't really any more.  I'm not sure why.

Another one was a sense of adventure.  I wanted someone who wanted to try new things and wanted to get out and about rather than sitting home all the time.  He was a bit of a homebody and rarely wanted to try something new.

There were other things as well...a desire to talk about and explore spirituality...alternative ways to view illness and disease and a desire to heal our pain...a desire to grow as a person.  In my mind, he didn't possess these qualities so the relationship was broken.

Recently, I went on a date with someone.  The sparks were there in all our conversations prior to the actual date.  He had many of the qualities and interests I felt I wanted in a partner.  Within minutes on our date, I knew I had been thinking about this all wrong.  Every quality...every interest shows up in varying degrees...shades of gray.  We can have too much or too little of anything.  For example, this man was really into play and being creative and I was really excited about that.

Until he made the comment that he'd managed to avoid being responsible for much in life for all of his 50 years.

Yep, someone who plays too much may not be a good thing.

I also realized that some things are really personal to me and, while I thought I desired someone to talk to about them (i.e. spirituality), I actually don't.  The level of conversation I have with people in my life currently is plenty good.  Much of what I view as spiritual, I can't always even put words to.  Why I believed I needed more here is a mystery to me and might be something I never fully understand and that's okay.  The important thing is I understand today that, if something isn't working, it doesn't mean I need/desire the opposite...

because life is 50 shades of gray (or maybe even more)!

Life Lesson 2: The Only Way to Life is Love

Much of my life has spent in fear.  I've done many things purely from this space. And it's not good.  Fear will never get us to the space where we can fully enjoy life...where we can fully love life.  It just can't get us there.

I do my best to ask myself every time there is a decision to be made, "Am I making this decision out of love or fear?"  Just asking myself this seems to have a grounding effect and allows me to find the space to make the best decision, one made out of love, rather than fear.

Life Lesson 1: Beliefs are Bullshit

Beliefs are bullshit.   This has been a huge one for me and I will share some of those beliefs throughout these lessons.  I cannot believe how many decisions in life I have made based on beliefs I held that weren't true.  Beliefs change based on our experiences, our perspective and all the information we take in from all the places information is available in the world.  They are not meant to be held tightly at all costs.  They are meant to shift...to transform, as more information becomes available...as we grow and come into who we really are rather than who we thought we needed to be or who we were told we were.

[caption id="attachment_8247" align="aligncenter" width="1021"] Dragonfly photo taken along the Cuyuna Trail
July 2013[/caption]

Most of our beliefs are acquired before we are 7 years old.  We are like a little sponge through that age, soaking up whatever anyone tells us.  We accept these beliefs as our own and, often, never question them.  I like to question.  I like to explore.  I like to know that what I believe has a healthy purpose (at this point in my life - that wasn't always the case) and serves me well.  I don't want to make decisions based on beliefs that hold me back, keep me safe and don't allow me to grow as a person. I recently went through a bit of a hard time when I realized how many of my beliefs about relationships, specifically, were bullshit and how I had spent my entire life building relationships based on the bullshit.  I missed out on a lot.  I made a lot of mistakes.  It was in this space that I discovered the true importance of asking myself...

• Where did this belief come from?


• Is it even mine?


• Do I have new information that might shift this belief?


• Does it allow me to live in the moment?


• Is it for my greatest good?

Right after I wrote this, I took a quick break and headed on over to Facebook to see what was going on there.  I came across a short video with Byron Katie and thought you might enjoy it.

What beliefs would you like to let go of today?