My month of daily blogging is coming to an end! Only one day to go. It’s been a wonderful month for so many reasons, but having an ‘excuse’ to reflect daily has been such a blessing. As we move into the busy holiday season, I don’t feel ready to commit to continuing this pace of writing, but I’m so happy to have done it for the month. It’s been a great experience, not as hard as I expected, and I’m so excited to write more, going forward. This challenge also taught me a lot about myself and where I’m at, and I’m coming away with a lot more insight into myself and my life. Here’s what I’ve learned over the past month of daily writing!
Write to Think
This was the title of my first blog post in the series, and it carried me through the month. Whenever I’d feel blocked, I’d remember this mantra and it always delivered. The truth is that sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to say until I start saying it! The other big piece of this is that girl, I need to write. Having a place to flesh out my ideas and ponder big themes and wonder about my life was so helpful that it made me wonder why I don’t do it more often.
Note to self: Use the page as an extension of your brain.
Keep It Quiet
This is not a new idea to me (it’s been on my mind for much of this year), but my reflections this month reminded me just how important it is to stay in control of my technologies instead of letting them be in control of me. Dimming the noise, going off the grid, turning off notifications: these are some of the best tools I have to be more present, mindful and reflective.
Note to self: Put your phone in a different room. Turn on Do Not Disturb. Do not be disturbed.
Trust Yourself
Something that came through loud and clear for me this month was just how important it is that I trust my still, strong, inner voice over the loud, chaotic external voices of others and of society. I want to measure what matters to me, I want to do what’s right for me, I want to trust and value my own intuition. It is bafflingly easy to become attached to dreams that aren’t yours and goals that don’t match your life. It’s so easy to constantly monitor how you stack up against others in areas that aren’t even personally important to you. I have to remember to return, again and again and again, to what is authentically meaningful to me.
Note to self: Go for a long walk by yourself. By the end, you’ll have remembered what’s important to you. If you haven’t yet, keep walking.
The Simple Things are Everything
And on that note, this month of writing was a reaffirmation of an idea I already knew to be true: that to me, the small, everyday things are what matter to me, and what I want to put the bulk of my time and energy towards. Things like presence, conversation, kindness, love, community, joy, humility, groundedness. If I’m pointing my compass towards those life forces, I’m good. Everything’s good.
Note to self: Cook a meal, phone a loved one, read a book.
I’ll definitely be participating in NaBloPoMo next November! Would you ever try it?
