What is Something You Want to Achieve This Year?

note: this is part of #bloganuary where each day in the month of January, there is a prompt that we can write on.

I am really excited for this month. It is during this exercise last year that I began to write and, with the encouragement of others here, continued throughout the year. As I looked at the prompts, day after day, reading the posts of other bloggers, wondering if my contribution would be accepted, I finally worked up the courage to create and post my first blog. If I remember correctly, it was maybe day 20 that I wrote for the first time. I was so happy when I hit the “publish” button last year. I also remember my wife, Dawn, saying, “so you are how many days behind”? Leave it to my best friend to call me out.

So this is it, I am looking forward to participating in #bloganuary, all 31 days, and creating content on the day that it is posted. Leaving space each day for this is going to be the challenge. Last year I discovered not only that I could write, but that I truly enjoyed it. I will also set this (writing, creating) aside for something “more important”.

I enjoy the challenge of each question and the creative journey that my brain goes on as my thoughts travel to my fingers to create words on this page. I have seen on several occasions that bloggers are encouraged to have a target message and audience. I do not have either, nor am I am spending time on this. I am still traveling, stopping at different locations, having a drink with the locals and then hitting the road in search of my next stop. If I have a target, I would perhaps miss something along the way. Dawn and I typically take the long way to our destination, looking for local coffee shops and stores on our adventures and we have had amazing experiences doing this. It is a ton of fun to know where you are going, being flexible to change course. The photo above is mine. A panoramic of an area that Dawn and I hiked last month. We went way off path and discovered some amazing beauty when we did. I am thinking that if I shoehorn myself into something that I like and am already comfortable with, I may miss the opportunity to discover and explore a different aspect of writing, a different view. If Dawn and I stuck to the path that others had traveled, we would have missed the opportunity to make the journey uniquely ours.

My webpage here at WordPress is focused on personal and leadership development. I am looking forward to the questions of the day and the opportunity to expand my focus and creativity outside of the specificities of my business. I am also looking forward to seeing how I can weave my response to each days question back to personal development. I have spent several years, and hundreds of hours improving my craft of speech writing and public speaking. I am excited to work on my craft of writing as I receive feedback from those of you that read my posts.

While on the surface, this appeared to be a pretty simple question. From the outset, this has been a challenge for me. My brain has taken this question in a number of different, more complicated directions. In the end, it is simple. I am participating in this #bloganuary exercise for fun, to create an intentional space, and to see where this will take my writing.

May you be happy, healthy, and safe,

tommy