Courage to Attend Conferences

I saw my daughter, 8, do something really great on the playground last week. My typically introverted and quiet little girl, content to build sandcastles solo, stood up straight, pushed her shoulders back, lifted her head confidently, smiled, and walked right up to the group of kids – kids she didn’t know – that were playing sand volleyball.

She has always wanted someone her age and size to play sand volleyball with, and here was her chance. I sat on the other side of the playground and I didn’t take my eyes off of her. You couldn’t tell it by the looks of her that that wasn’t easy, but I know it took every ounce of courage in her sweet little self to do what she did. She was brave.

She jumped right in the game, introduced herself, made new friends, and had a blast playing the game she’s longed to play. She was beaming. Beautiful.

Watching her got me thinking about situations where I have to be brave, and step out of my comfort zone a little bit, so I can get to that place of making new friends and having a blast being myself. The first situation I thought of? Conferences.

It’s really interesting to note that most bloggers, writers, and online influencers are introverts. I am perfectly content doing my thing in solitude. Conferences and workshops seem like events for extroverts. The classes, the parties, the meals, the meet-ups…all the things! All the people! All the talking! It can be overwhelming and exhausting for introverts and extroverts alike.

But my heart is truly to connect with other writers and influencers like me. I want to know women who are going through the same processes that I am going through, who share my struggles, who understand my dreams. I’d love to learn more and grow my skill sets. It would be amazing to meet and glean from other Christian creatives. Conferences are where that happens. Growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones. Networking doesn’t happen in isolation. At some point I realized that in order to make the connections and grow in this industry, I needed to attend a conference. I needed to be brave.

Is this you, too? Do you feel intimidated by the idea of going to a conference? In a room with hundreds of women like you, are you afraid you’ll feel alone? Left out? Less than? Yet, do you long to know more women in the world of Christian communicators? More writers, podcasters, bloggers, influencers sharing their faith on their platforms? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to learn what others are doing? To be part of a community of like-minded and like-hearted women?

Maybe it’s time to be brave. Maybe it’s time to muster the courage to attend a conference.

Here are 4 tips for being BRAVE:

• Smile. Imagine every person you see is one of your readers, listeners, or social media followers. When you smile, you look approachable and less intimidating. Go with the mindset of making new friends. Your face might hurt by the end of the conference, but you’ll have had a really great time and met a lot of new people.
• Pretend to be an extrovert. Get a little bit comfortable with being a little bit uncomfortable. Say hello and introduce yourself to the woman behind you in line at a book signing or lunch buffet. At meals, find a table where someone is sitting alone and join her. Pretend you’re the extrovert. Your brave could inspire the brave in someone else.
• Stay at the conference. I know, believe me I know, it is so tempting to escape to your hotel room in between sessions for some solitude. But don’t. Fight the urge and stay. Be present, available, and open to the idea of possibly meeting new friends in your down time. Some very special conversations could happen in those moments. Engage and be open to expanding your capacity temporarily.
• Pray. Pray before, during, and after the conference. Ask God for confidence, peace, comfort, divine appointments, joy, and strength. Lift up the speakers, sponsors, hosts, venue, other attendees, and attendees’ families. Pray that God’s will be done at the conference and in your life. He will bless you in your willingness to bravely step out!

All in all, you got this, girl. So go ahead and buy your conference ticket. Stand up straight, pull our shoulders back, lift our chins, smile, and go. You are brave.

“Be brave and strong! Don’t be afraid of the nations on the other side of the Jordan. The Lord your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.” -Deuteronomy 31:8

This article was originally published by Declare in 2013. Edited and republished 2020.