Why I write my blog each week
I have always loved (other peoples’) good writing. Growing up my favorite classes were those where we could read a good book and discuss it. We would sit in a circle in class and have these really interesting discussions. The place where I fell down every time was in writing the book reports. Not only did it take me forever to synthesize my findings (being concise is a life-long journey for me), but in the end my writing was mediocre at best. I just wanted to get through it. I also had friends in college and even when I was in consulting who are incredibly gifted writers. Not only can they write a beautifully descriptive story, but they can do it in another person’s voice.
What I believed. I came to believe about myself that I was an okay (not great) business writer, and stayed away from writing. This story I told myself is one that I have held on to and shared with everyone for more than 20 years. It was as factual to me as math. I would start a sentence with “as a mediocre writer, I....” and then proceed to describe what I was handing them. I would defer to others to take the lead on authoring something for work.
The first step. The rub for me was a small one at first. I was fully bought into this idea of who I am and what I’m (not) capable of —with humor and acceptance even— while needing to use writing as the way I best process my thoughts. It started when I was asked to do a public speaking gig, which I enjoyed. I thought about the audience I was trying to connect to and then imagined we were back in that book discussion circle from my college days. Then I had a blast writing out stories and examples for my talk. Later on I took some training and began to use a structure by Marshall Ganz which helped shape and frame other narratives I began to explore. This idea of the story of self, the story of us, and the story of now I found very inspiring.
From the stage to the page. The moment I started to push myself to get on a stage and connect with an audience, I needed to move past whatever label I placed on myself about my writing capability. I needed to write to prepare. And I found I enjoyed writing and editing and researching very much. Soon I came to realize that writing was something important in my life I was missing, because I had assumed it was only for those “talented” novelists and speech writers. I started slowly by authoring small pieces for work projects. And then at the beginning of 2018 I decided to take a leap. I decided that I would start a blog, with the only guard rails that I would try to post every week. This was extremely scary to me. For one thing it meant that I had to come up with material every single week. And I would have limited time to wordsmith. Not every topic would be something people were dying to read. (Ha ha!) I wasn’t going to focus on getting likes or shares. I was just going to try to sit down each week and write on topics which inspired me so the words flowed and I was enjoying it.
Nearly one year later. The place I landed was the act of writing about what interested me, on focusing on a topic where the words flowed, was what I would hold onto. I would forgive myself if I started every sentence with “So.....” I would use each piece as a way to think, processes and learn something. And most of all, I would make time to write. I no longer label myself as a non-writer of mediocre talents. The self-judgment has left me. I have written 50 articles this past year! This is just bananas to me! Some have been pieces I’m proud of. Others were triumphs because I wrote something even when I felt uncomfortable. The discipline of sitting down each week and working on a deadline has been helpful. I don’t even want to miss a week if I’m on vacation. It’s become a weekly ritual. I didn’t set out to proclaim “I will write over 50 posts this year.” Instead I decided to take it one step at a time. Breaking down a lofty goal into creating a habit or “taking it blog by blog” made what I would have thought impossible, possible.
What will be your weekly ritual next year? Is there a story you have about yourself that you suspect is ready to be disrupted? Let 2019 be the year that you try something seemingly small every week (or month or day). And please do reach out and share what you’re trying so I can cheer you on!
