2020 Writing: 01 - challenge

I decided to challenge myself to write 1 blog post per month this year. It’s January 30th and I’ve been putting it off for weeks, saying I couldn’t think of anything to write about.

I used to write really consistently, spend a couple of days or so perfecting a post before I published it. It was a very introspective process — I did everything I could to write clearly and convey a certain point. Ultimately, I was really proud of each post I wrote. I’ve looked back and read each one and been encouraged by my past self.

But, I’ve grown in some pretty big ways in the last two or so years since I consistently wrote blog posts. My heart has changed. My mind has grown. I’ve taken myself less seriously as the years have come and honestly, it’s more fun.

Blog writing was an escape for me. It was a place where I went to feel validated by opinions I had that differed greatly from those around me. I was encouraged by several readers to keep going, to hold fast to my values and continue to write about my convictions. Somewhere along the way, those same convictions translated themselves into creating art. I’m thankful for all forms of expression I am able to take part in. Digital art and painting to name my favorites. But writing has always been a love of mine.

I self-published a poetry book last year and I am gearing up to re-release a second edition. My writing took its form in short, serious poems that took guts and vulnerability to share publicly. I opened my journal up and made it sounds pretty and rhyme. And while I have completely fallen in love with the art of poetry, there is a part of me that misses the un-contained, long form of blog writing.

So it’s a challenge for myself to show up once a month and write. I’m not saying it’s going to be pretty, because I’m sure it’s going to awkward and far too personal. But you know, the challenge isn’t to write something that’s going to get attention. The goal is simply to show up. To show up and prove to myself I can be consistent, even if it’s not exactly what I wished it looked or sounded like.

This year brings new motivation for so many people. If nothing but just for the fact that it is a new decade and the numbers “2020” look pretty up next to the word “goals” or “challenges.” And how cool is it that we are all bright eyed and excited to grow in this new year. There is no reason to hold back. There is no reason to wait to pursue dreams and success.

A quote from Francis of Assisi is something that I think about often when creating and executing goals: Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

So I challenge myself, along with you. Let’s move in to the decade with a realistic, yet wide-eyed approach to what we want to accomplish in life. And with the faith and perseverance to keep going, even when it’s not what we though it would be.

Til next month,