Have I said this before?

Umm, actually that’s kind of the point.

I used to think it was weird that people I followed online were always saying the same thing.

I’d read a post or watch a video and think ‘you’ve said that before’.

And they had. But then I gave it more thought and realised that it makes sense to say things you’ve said before. If you want to spread a message of course you won’t only say things once, some people have careers spent saying the same thing 101 times in cities across the globe.

How are you meant to get a strong message across if you only say something once?

A few months into this blog I realised I was writing about things I’d written about before but it’s not a bad thing.

My core message is still a work in progress but if you’ve been reading this blog regularly (even if it’s just one post a week) you’ll notice there are common threads.

I mostly write about the dream life, overcoming challenges, fear and getting to know yourself.

I guess I’m just like anyone sharing a message, whether it’s Gary Vee, Simon Sinek or Seth Godin.

Gary talks about kindness, leverage, etc…
Sinek talks about leadership and the golden circle etc.
And Seth talks about generosity, fear etc…

From them, I’v learnt that I need to have my own core themes and not be worried about saying something I’ve said before because in a lot of ways it’s actually a good thing.

You can’t bypass the brunt

I’ve learnt a lot by simply looking at my own behaviour and assessing what does and doesn’t work.

That’s a large part of what I write and something that begins as why do I always xyz turns into me learning about a psychological theory, brain stuff and people stuff.

Recently I’ve been learning through practical experience that when you have an issue you can’t bypass the main bit of it, the brunt of it.

It’s one of those things that I know but at times still try to ignore which results in un-ideal circumstances.

Which is just a reminder that what you resists persists, you can’t bypass the brunt.

Maybe writers should try painting

For about a decade I’ve written almost daily and in the past 7 months I don’t think a day has gone by that I haven’t written.

But I recently started to wonder if I should stop writing. Not altogether but to simply take a break. I’m not sure what the benefits would be but it would definitely be a challenge.

Writing is embedded in me, it’s part of who I am. It’s the thing I do when I’m bored, inspired, overwhelmed, thinking, planning or looking to capture a moment or feeling.

I suppose like with any creative thing it’s good to take breaks and refresh your mind. Or even try creating in a new medium, painting for example.

How strange it would feel to pick up a brush instead of pen. It would be like flexing a new muscle or an old one in a new way.

But perhaps in that space of strangeness, newness and unfamiliarity there’s something worth exploring.

In-flow

I’m experimenting with a different kind of way of writing. It’s less rigid and less forced yet still has a focus.

I’m writing In-flow, from a place where the words pour out simply and with ease. It makes daily blogging much easier and to be honest maybe it’s just a result of blogging daily for over 3 months.

It’s been over 200 days now, the writing habit is well and truly ingrained into my lifestyle.

But it feels good to be in a space where I don’t have to try so hard to come up with what to write. Every. Single. Day.

It might not be great for the environment but…

… I’m still going to do it.

I find it easier to write down my words by hand, perhaps because I write quicker than I can type. I can never manage to keep up with myself when I’m writing from my laptop.

The keyboard and screen of a phone, computer or laptop is no comparison to a Biro in hand scrawling away on a sheet of paper in a notebook.

At times the words are barely legible but that signifies the urgency to pour out all the words within.

That feeling is a beautiful thing, it’s one of the things I love most about writing, seeing my handwriting and the words I’ve written.

But I’m also aware of the very present environmental crisis on planet earth, so perhaps I should be more willing to go paperless.

It’s more than what it is

This blog is more than just a blog.

It’s a daily blog.

It’s a writing practice.

It’s a come as you are space where I feel free to write as I please.

It’s a habit.

It’s a commitment.

It’s a hobby.

I’ve been blogging for years and but I never considered how I would feel about having a daily blog where the sole focus was on words. Turns out I love it, I could happily stop writing my lifestyle blog that’s how much I enjoy this blog.

It’s so much more than what it is. After over 7 years of writing online I’ve finally given myself permission to share my words in my own way.

I like a mixture of serious and silly. I can write about feeling afraid, the inner monologue and the importance of exploring yourself. But I can also write about creating a dream life and make up analogies based on cars.

And then there’s references to Seth Godin, someone who has had a major influence on me alongside pieces that are about moments I’ve experienced.

It’s hard to summarise what this is but it’s definitely more than just a blog.

Day 183

When I started this blog 6 months ago I never really considered what I wanted it to be. I just knew that I wrote a lot and thought it would be nice to have somewhere to share it.

The months have flown by and knowing that I’m committed to finding a ‘gemm’ each day is something I look forward to.

Some days I think I’ve written a master piece and other days I think I’m clicking publish on some of my worst work. At times that can be a difficult thing to navigate but I find solace in knowing that I can share something new tomorrow.

I don’t pay much attention to views, followers, likes or comments in terms of keeping track and trying to make them go up because I know that it’ll take the fun out of things and I like that this place is so free.

It’s my ‘come as you are’ space. And each day I think about life and write what comes to me. It’s helped me to think differently because I don’t want to write posts complaining about how the cancelled meeting messed up my whole day or how a relationship has fallen apart.

Instead I try and focus on the lessons I’ve learnt and the growth points in the challenges I face.

Cheers to 6 months and cheers to 6 more!