I publish a new blog post every Monday and Thursday. Now that I'm on my 266th post, I'm not sure it still makes sense to do so.
After the 2016 election I was consumed by negativity, and after the inauguration, I decided the best way to combat it was with a big dose of twice-a-week positivity. That morphed to include productivity, another topic about which I'm passionate. And then I included posts about relationships and personal growth, with a few about parenting and leadership for good measure. Other than sharing 300-500 words, posting 2 days a week, and using simple titles starting with verbs, I didn't have any particular goals.
Through writing I've learned a lot about myself, and I've learned about other people. It's been fascinating to see which posts have really resonated (based on the likes, comments or shares they get on Facebook) and which ones have landed with a thud. Writing has brought me closer to some friends and family members, as they now have regular insight into what's going on with my life and talk to me about what they read. I've had to keep it from distancing me from others, as I've tried not to look too closely at who's engaged with a post or who's opened my newsletters so I don't develop a complex. It's given me a way to test new ideas and it's helped me articulate my really strongly held beliefs and personal philosophies.
I've written whole posts only to notice that what I've written is practically identical to something I wrote a month or two before. Sometimes I feel great about what I post, and sometimes I look back and wonder what I was thinking. Sometimes the words flow easily, but sometimes I stare at the blank screen afraid I have nothing to say. More and more I've been procrastinating about writing. Maybe I'm running out of ideas? Maybe it's time to change it up? Maybe it's time to let it go?
I'm going to take October off to reevaluate. Perhaps there's something in your life you need to reevaluate too. If so, these questions should help us both:
Why am I doing this?
What do I like about it?
What have I learned?
How can I improve?
What will I miss if I stop?
Is there a better use of my time?
I'm extraordinarily grateful to all of you who have liked, shared, and/or commented on my posts, who have subscribed to and forwarded my newsletters, who have told me about posts that were particularly meaningful or memorable to you. I hope to be able to find new ways to encourage you, challenge you and shift your perspective.
But for now, I'm going to take some time to reevaluate.
Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash
Comments