Welcome to my blog!
For this first post, I want to talk about what I mean when I say "leaning into your own timeline."
Over the course of the last few years, I've developed a sense of complacency that I've only recently understood how to navigate. There's a bit of shame in admitting this but it's one of those sharp truths a person has to live up to.
After graduating in 2013, I kept looking for that same dreamer mentality toward personal development I'd gained from having a community of writers and intellectuals at my disposal. Moving back in with your parents with no job prospects and a considerable sum of owed money on your shoulders is an easy path toward feelings of deflation and lack of fulfillment. What's more dispiriting is applying to 100+ jobs in your field and getting nothing in return due to lack of experience and lack of knowledge in best practices on how to actually land a job. Tack on a string of tiring & unsatisfactory customer service positions so you can afford a modest roof and you're treading a track you never envisioned for yourself.
"...live as closely to the truth as one is able, even though truth is what will take your fingers." (Matthew Nienow)
The dangerous prospect of this path is that it readily gives in to a "woe is me" mentality. This attitude is neither productive nor healthy. Finding a job is a job. Finding happiness is a job. Some people realize this at 18 and some at 48. Different circumstances produce different timelines for every person. The important thing is not to dwell on when you started actively taking stock in your own self-improvement but that you're doing it at all.
Writing for me has always been an avenue to connect with people. When I stopped writing as frequently, the sense of connection and community went with it. The reason I've felt so unfulfilled and why I've been missing that sense of purpose is because I stalled my practice of writing and to a large degree, stopped taking steps toward advancing myself and my career. I'd been investing so much energy into things that gave little back and not enough on what really matters.
The last few years, I'll admit, have not been a total bust. The benefit of occupying a space of perceived defeat is that it provides more motivation to move forward. Despite the busy work week, I still carved out considerable time to write. I moved to a new city. I've dedicated more time for networking in order to land freelance gigs in the online marketing domain. I had the honor of being published in a highly esteemed poetry anthology, picked from a pool of about 4,000 poems. I've garnered valuable knowledge from the full-time jobs I've held. I teach creative writing classes at a local literary center and attend events regularly, which allow me to rub elbows with other wordsmiths in the area. Philanthropy has remained a vital component to my life. I've gained confidence, drive, and a stronger sense of self & place.
This blog is both a means toward holding myself accountable and toward reconnecting with people. So let's connect.