As far back as I can recollect in my memory banks, I cannot
(for the life of me) remember a time where I haven’t preferred to be a student
of human behavior; an observer. Sure, to most of the outside world, I appear a
confident, outspoken extrovert. I am not. In fact, I am likely one of the most
introverted people you will ever meet. I am the wallflower; the corner sitter;
the quiet one who spends time at events sizing up each situation, evaluating
body language and behavior patterns. It is, after all, in my nature. It is,
after all, what makes me a writer. For most writers, you see, are not merely
one person. They are a consortium of people who come together into one whole,
but each piece has been carefully crafted; learned and observed over time and
great struggle. For we writers, we artists, we crafters of prose and merchants
of the written word find far more value in the introspective than we ever will
in the actual participation of things. Such is our blessing; such is our curse.
Changes
Last year, I embarked on a challenge that I told no one
about. It was a one word 365-day challenge. The gist of this embargo was that I
was to choose one word and craft my entire year around it. I did so. And, that
word was change. Little did I know that when I chose that word, how
transformative, how powerful and how incredibly profound its impact would be.
That word was one, simple little thing; a single syllable: change. And my, oh my,
what a year’s difference can bring.
What I learned is what I am now a student of observation on,
watching change. It’s a hard thing for most people. We all have such a strong tendency
to swim against the current of whatever the future is trying to usher in by
clinging on to the past with an iron clad grip. We desperately fight against
the grain of where we are supposed to go and vehemently attempt carving a path
backward into the simple sea of sequential mediocrity. We oppose moving
forward, and we work so hard on stepping back into what (or who) we know, what
is comfortable, what is familiar.
Stop.
Let me tell you what I learned this last year. Instead of
fighting against this current, going with the flow of change, letting go of
things, habits and even people who are not supposed to be on your path right
now is exactly what you are supposed to do. Fall in trust and know that your
destiny will catch you. Look forward into the darkness, and strike the match of
your own inner spark to traverse forward. It’s here you will find peace.
Beginnings
Today, this year, is rife with opportunities for us all.
Take a chance to create a new beginning. To stop doing the same old things and
visiting the same old places that you always have with the same crew. Stop
having the same conversations. Stretch. Become more. Challenge yourself.
Me? Well, I made a promise to myself that every day I would
learn something new technologically and philosophically. So far, so good. You see,
my plan for myself is vast, and I fully intend to move forward in step, but I
never will if I keep doing the same things in precisely the same way I always
have. And…neither will you.
Balance
I had a conversation with a great friend of mine the other
day. His journey is parallel to mine, but opposite in just about every way. He
is learning to open himself up to other people, while me…well, I am learning
how (for the first time in my life) to set healthy boundaries. I have become
more private, I keep more to myself, I share less, and I do so because – as a
student of life – I have learned that most times introspection leads to self-awareness
which leads to balance. We live in a narcissistic time, where our own opinions
are so highly valued in our own minds that we leave little room for anyone to
question them (I mean, how dare they?), when instead, we should probably take
more time to examine how and why we are feeling and reacting a certain way.
Why? Because if you can’t control your emotions, who is? With anger probably
being at the top of the list for me, and, I imagine, the top of the list for
most of you.
So, this year, my “one word challenge” is simple. It’s a
two-syllable reminder of what I need to attain in order to get to the next
level. And it is simply this: balance. And this year, my blogs will be a
telling of how I go about finding it. With the goal, as always, the same. I write,
not because I like to hear my own voice, but rather, because I sincerely
believe there are people out there who feel exactly the same way I do, but who
just don’t know how to put a voice to it. If you are one of them, I hope you
follow along this year, and, when you’re ready, I hope you share your voice
with me, or if you are up for it, the world…because others are waiting, who are just
like you too.
All my best,
Miss Adventures
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