Essay 55: One year blog anniversary

I am celebrating the one year anniversary of my blog.
I have published one new essay every week for a year. No small feat.
In some ways, writing has become easier and yet it’s still hard.

It is a weekly exercise in manifesting a personal yearning, overcoming procrastination and defeating perfectionism.
It is is a weekly struggle against the negative voices in my head, who do not tire of letting me know why I shouldn’t bother.
“What’s the point?“, they ask.
“I don’t know” is all the answer I’ve got for them.
For years, I had wanted to write and now I do. That’s the only point really.

It takes courage to acknowledge that my aspirations need not be earth shattering to matter and be worthwhile. I expect neither fame nor fortune from my prose. (But I would welcome both).

Every week, it only matters that I use the time I’ve allotted to write. Some weeks, I am inspired. Some weeks, I struggle. Regardless, when I place the final punctuation mark, I have won one more battle. Me against myself. Me against my doubts. Me against my fears. Me against the damned voices in my head.

To write is to undertake a journey with no destination; each piece, a road that only leads back to me.
To write is to attempt to turn down the volume on the chatter inside my brain and listen to that which speaks the truth within me.
To write is to throw a line into the vast ocean of my own thoughts hoping to catch the right one.
To write is to patiently reach for the refuge of words, to make sense of my-self, the world I inhabit and the people I inhabit it with.
To write is to enjoy the blissful peace that comes when actions align with purpose.

I write as an admission to a flawed self.
I write as an aspiration for an ideal self.
I write as a meditation on my real self.
To reflect on who I was, to record who I am and to reveal who I could become.

I aim for my words to be a truthful echo of our shared humanity.
By speaking my own truth, I want to encourage you to embrace yours.

We all deserve to proudly be who we are.
We can seek improvement, yet delight in our imperfections.
We can be grateful for what is, yet hopeful for what still may be.

We can give ourselves permission to pursue what brings us fulfillment even when it appears pointless.

If we take the time to pursue our own happiness, we make the world a happier place.
If we carve out a space for introspection and growth, we change ourselves AND we change the world.
It doesn’t need to be grand. It doesn’t need to be spectacular. It only needs to be our own: our struggle, our contribution, our victory.

That’s what writing does for me. That’s why I’ll be here again next week, and the week after.

Knowing that you are here motivates me, encourages me and blesses me. Thank you so much for accompanying me on this adventure.

Thank you for reading. If you have a moment, I would love for you to introduce yourself. Where do you live? How did you find this blog? Which one of my essays has resonated the most with you? What is YOUR calling?