I have finally done it.
I have created a blog to catalog my thoughts on topics ranging across
the scope of knowledge. I just have one
question, and I have been asking myself it for a long time, WHY?
Why do I want to write a blog? I don’t know if I have anything particularly
original to say. I don’t know if I have
any ground breaking observations that will change people’s minds. I don’t know if I have amassed enough wisdom
that will help others become enlightened on their journey.
Why then am I doing this?
I have decided it is vanity. I
feel my thoughts are more compelling than those of others. Clearly, my intellect surpasses that of mere
mortal men. My vault of useless
knowledge is vast in obscureness.
Wait, that is not right.
To be honest, I don’t know. I
think one reason is I miss the intellectual discourse from my higher education
days. I’m hopeful that some of my posts
can be thought provoking and lead to discussion. The other reason I can think of is just to
practice writing. It is not something that
I have consistently done in a long time and I don’t want those skills to deteriorate. It may just be a mental exercise on my part,
to see what I’m capable of, to see how much I can develop as a writer, to
challenge myself to be something more; perhaps I will even learn something about
myself in the process.
I like the idea of one challenging themselves, whether it be
physical, intellectual, or emotional.
For me, it is a way to keep from becoming bored. There are so many things that I don’t know
how to do or don’t know about. By
challenging myself I’m able to grow as a person. I am a big believer that as one grows older
they should continue to learn new things.
In fact, one of my pet peeves is when someone says they won’t do something
because they don’t know how. If it is something
new, of course you don’t know how. That
is why it is called learning.
I’m sure there are some people that are content in their
world, never experiencing anything new or stepping outside their comfort
zones. I feel those people miss out on
so much in life. If you ever need proof
that learning and seeing new things is one of the best things in the world,
watch a little kid the first time they do anything. The joy and wonderment on their faces is unparalleled. First, there is that sense of wonderment,
then maybe even a little bit of fright.
But then, the best part, the unbridled excitement and happiness. Anyone can have that feeling. Maybe it is not
expressed outwardly as much as when one is a child, but that feeling can be
repeated. In fact, there is no limit to having that feeling over the course of life. Why? Because
there is always something new to see, new to do, new to experience.
It then becomes a choice between being the same and being
more. Are you content with the skills
you currently have? Is there something
you have always wanted to do or learn?
Can it be scary? Yes. Can it cause overthinking of the situation?
Yes. Can it cause frustration and
anxiety? Without a doubt. Remember though, all those negatives are
typically outweighed by what comes from the experiences. Will they all be positive? No, but as we all
should know, we learn just as much, if not more, from poor/bad experiences than
we do from the good ones. As you can
probably tell, I’m not content to always be the same. I want to be challenged. I want to try new things. I want to learn new ideas. I want to explore the vastness of the human
experience. I want to be open to others
and what they can offer to my world to make it a richer experience.
Where does that leave me?
Scared, overthinking, and anxious.
I don’t know how my experience on this lovely blogging portal sharing my
thoughts with the world will turn out. I
also know, that if I don’t challenge myself to do it, I never will find out. The challenge for me is that I’m an introvert. And although I have never been shy about
sharing my opinion, there is a distinct difference between a one liner on twitter
or facebook and crafting a 1000 words into anything coherent. I feel to do that, you have to open yourself
up more which means putting yourself out there more. There is inherent risk in that, especially on
the internet. My thoughts and feelings
have to be conveyed in a way that makes sense to others. They have to be structured. For someone like me, that is a challenge
because I’m not always the best at explaining the complexities behind my
thinking. I’m not used to sharing those,
so articulating them in any format can be difficult.
To that end, what will I cover? Anything I desire. That is one of the great things about not
being beholden to anyone with regards to writing a blog. I will write about things that are of
interest to me. This will include, but
not limited to, sports, tv shows, books, movies, my family, friends, life
experiences, and current events.
I hope to be witty, clever, smart, thoughtful, and
insightful. I would be thankful if I was
able to achieve one of those. I will
write as time permits, hopefully a few times a month, more if I really feel the
need to express something. If you are
reading this, I thank you all in advance. You have a front row seat to me challenging
myself to be something more.
As I start this endeavor of turning thoughts to words and
setting pen to paper, I ask you dear reader, what are you going to do to
challenge yourself? What are you going
to do to expand your horizons? What are
you going to do to magnify your experiences?
What are you going to do to be more? After all, I don't want to be the only one challenging themselves.
Raise you glasses, here is to the challenge!
