Make It So

I've not been very good at keeping regular blog posts as of late.  Or, to be more accurate, since Facebook became popular and my blog, which had previously been a long-form means of providing status updates on my life, was forced to morph into something with more substance.  It turns out it's more difficult to write 'blogs of substance' on a regular basis than it is to provide weekly updates of how life is going. Facebook provided a double-whammy assault on my blogging, though, in so much as it forced me to redefine the content of my posts, it also lured me away from the blank white page staring back at me, with its promises of instant entertainment and connection with people near and far. I wouldn't say I've become a Facebook addict by any means, but I'm certainly a regular user and occasional abuser of the social networking site.  Of course the finger cannot be pointed solely at Facebook, my reasons for blogging abandonment are many and varied.

All of the above is to say that I regret having let my blogging wane.  Actually, to get right to the heart of the matter, I regret having neglected the writer within me for the past few years.  I love writing and have loved it since I was a young child, yet I've always found it a challenge to move words from my head onto a page.  Every day I am writing narratives in my head, creating characters or devising plots, yet when I sit down to type out what seemed crystal clear in my head, nothing comes out.   The writer within me was saved over the years, strangely enough, by the demands of school teachers and professors.  Being a rather serious student, I flung myself full throttle into every writing assignment I was given.   Going into university, I feared my chosen degree in business administration would leave my creative self starved, so I signed up for every creative writing elective that was offered.  And then I left formal education behind and with it, the deadlines and required writing assignments.  I've dabbled in creative writing since then, most notably when I read Julia Cameron's book 'The Artist's Way' and completed the 13 week self-directed 'course' within the book that is intended to help one's self discover and recover their creative self.  But the truth is that, by and large, I've been neglecting the writer within me.  Blogging has been the only saving grace over the years, although it's rarely been a medium for my creative writing and, as noted above, even my blogging has seen a decline in the last few years.

Well, then, thank goodness for new days and the unwritten future, which make regret an unnecessary emotion.  Now I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but I do find the time off of work  between Christmas and New Year's allows for one to take stock of what they want to achieve in the coming months and years.  This year I took full advantage of my holiday time, even purchasing two journals to record my vision and goals for the coming year(s).  I identified four main areas that I want to focus my energies on in the coming year: my livelihood, relationships, wellness, and self-discover/personal development.  Given that writing is a passion which I want to incorporate into my livelihood, provides me with a means of reflecting upon my relationship with myself, with others and with the world, serves as an outlet for my stresses, and provides me with a sense of fulfillment, I reckon it actually fits into each of the four arenas I want to focus on and I must therefore make it a major priority.

I've identified specific goals I want to achieve in each of the four identified areas. One of my goals is to start earning some income via my writing skills.  More notable to those that may read this blog, I've also committed to writing a blog post at least once per week during the year. I suppose this post will count as my first. Ideally, I'd like to be blogging twice a week, but we will see what the year brings.  I am also exploring other ways of satisfying my creative self.  A shout out to Mr. Wonderful for encouraging these efforts by conceiving of and committing to weekly 'creativity dates'.

I'm pretty excited about the adventures that 2013 will offer up and look forward to sharing some of what I learn and experience via this blog.