I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy to write. Nothing in particular happened this week, but it’s an awesome feeling to be doing something you love and know that it’s making an impact.
Over the last couple weeks, I’ve read a bunch of supportive comments, tweets, Facebook messages, and emails about the direction that I’m heading with my writing and TRSJ in particular. I’d go as far as saying I’ve received more encouragement in the last 2 weeks than I’ve received in the last year. Compliments are nice, but people believing in what you’re doing is so much better.
A few months ago, I announced that a lane change was on the horizon. I told folks that if I was still known as just a relationship blogger come September 2012 that I’d consider it a failure. When I wrote that post, I had a lot going on in my head. I’d been sporadic in writing, tweeting, commenting, and replying to email. I was anxious about the future and juggling an assortment of possibilities and opportunities. Uncertainty was as common as breathing. Writing had become a gift and a curse. Anybody with a keen eye for the emotion behind the words could see that I was sick of writing relationship posts and desperately looking for an escape from the hole I’d pecked myself into.
But in just under three months, I’ve completed turned things around. I’m excited to sit down and write my posts each week — including the relationship ones. I don’t question whether an article will turn out well. I just know that whatever I write will reach exactly who I want it to. I’ve accepted that my message isn’t meant to be decoded by everybody. And all the people that I used to worry about are now just dots in the distance and getting smaller every day.
I’ve been released from a slavery I sold myself into. A slavery that held the rights to my creativity and effectiveness as a writer. And let me tell you, life has been great since I headed up north. But I didn’t do it alone. I had people along the way helping me get from stop to stop on the self-imposed undermine railroad. I couldn’t be more grateful for the meals and support than I am right now. I take that back. I’ll be more grateful every time I see the sun come up.
I know what city I’m heading to. I’ve still got a few miles to go, but I’m gonna enjoy the scenery along the way. There will be plenty of obstacles, but they just make the journey all the more worth it. So I’m going to enjoy it. Hopefully you will too. Have a great weekend.
Has anything positive happened to/for you over the last few weeks? Do share!
Feeling Good, Feeling Great, Feeling Free,
I’ve been working on a short story to send with my PhD program applications and I’ve gotten some great feedback on it. It felt amazing because for the first time I felt like my passion for writing was finally making it onto the page.
Honestly, this week has been rough but every stone has its gem (or some saying like that). I know exactly where I need to go. Even though the light at the end of the tunnel is really far away, at least I see it, which is better than just fumbling around in the dark. Sometimes we don’t realize how important clarifying the goal is, just having it isn’t enough.
I learnt the meaning of faith in God. That’s it’s not just in the hard stuff, but in what’s going right as well. A month ago I changed jobs to a new (great) job, the learning and training is amazing and I’m sufficiently challenged..I mean, I wake up knowing I want to get work done and it’s such a great opportunity. If I wrote about how that job came about it’d be a whole post of positivity and gratitude.
PS: I like the switch from Eff Em Friday. We have lots to be thankful for
Not sure if you have a site. But if you do, you should write it!
good switch over from eff em fridays. i think i like this better. nothing particular great has happened in my life lately but i’m completely blessed and favored. i think sometimes we get caught up in looking for one big blessing that we miss out on all the little ones that add up.
Yeah…so um…RIP Eff Em Friday.
*flips desk*
How could you Slim? How could you?! Even successful people like to eff things!!
Jokes. I’m glad you went motivational as I don’t see it very often online. It’s a refreshing change. Nothing exciting to report. I found a $20 bill in my jean’s pocket today. I’ll be doing my xmas shopping for my angel tree picks and a boy’s home here in ft. laud this weekend. I’m pretty happy about that and I’m sure I’ll be in tears when I drop everything off. It’s one of those feelings you can’t describe.
I mean…you can do some magical things with $20.lol. Clean, fun things of course.
Good to know that you’re feeling much better about what you’re doing, and are free from those self-imposed restraints. I wish you all the best as you forge this new path.
God has been watching over me as usual, and for all my random complaints, I’m in a much better place than a lot of my peers. I’m about to write six exams in a week’s span and can’t say that I’m particularly prepared, but He always sees me through, and I know the same will come to pass this time around.
Some news has been coming of kids committing suicide & people I actually know battling cancer, so it’s an additional reminder to be thankful for good health, stability, support systems, and to stop focusing on inconsequential things.
Thumbs up from me on the switch! This week was long, but yay Friday is here
I’ve been making myself go to church every Sunday for the past couple of months and it has made a HUGE difference in my life. And for the first time in a long time, the sermon from last Sunday really stayed with me this entire week…and will probably become a new way of thinking in my life: There is a season for sowing, a season for waiting and a season for reaping. Don’t try to rush into one without thoroughly finishing another. I’m clearly in a season of sowing and there is work to be done, which I’m excited for.
Other than that, I’m happy to see this blog moving in a new direction and happy to see where it goes in the future.
I like Free Write Friday. It sounds way better than grateful Friday.
Something positive that happened to me this week was unexpected money from two sources. One, my hubby got an unexpected bonus and two, my dad, which was really surprising. He normally tries to send just enough to get the kid something for his bday or Christmas but this time, I was blown away by the amount and actually called him to ask if there was a mistake. This makes me wonder if he’s trying to show me that he’s getting his sh!t together finally. I don’t really know, only time will tell but there is hope. Another positive, my son told me something that was troubling today which is actually a negative but the fact that he was able to share it with me made me feel like I’m doing something right. I scored some awesome shoes for my sister for Christmas at an even awesomer (lol) price. And last but not least, I got an unexpected compliment from my husband. He called me tough. That meant a lot to me. And one more thing, all of the posts this week were really awesome Slim. *daps*
I got engaged
I had a kick ass presentation in front of my Superintendent 
I like that you are following your own path. As bloggers I think we get caught up in our audience, rightfully so, and the brand of our blog, which can limit the craft. Do you! Be you and let your keyboard tell the stories you want to tell 
Congrats on the engagement and the kick ass presentation! *throws premium confetti*
And you’re right, we do get caught up in the audience. I have started thinking more about the brand though. I constantly find myself asking “will this reflect how I’d like to be perceived” before I write or respond to some stuff. First impressions are everything and you never know who’s reading.
I just had a mental picture of you running through a field of daisies smiling absurdly. I’m sorry. Lack of sleep. LOL
Positive things…I’m passing all my classes! Yay!
One semester down and one more to go! M.S.W. 2012! Whooo hoooo!
I think I like this better than Eff em fridays!
Nice to focus on the positives.
This is a nice switch. With this we can see the positivity in the lives of others. That’s motivation. preciate it.
A couple of weeks ago my coworker gave (free .99) me a 10 mo. old pit bull puppy, with all vaccines, microchipped, and crate trained. Since then, we’ve been just chillin hard. He’s literally, my roll dog. lol
I found a network of computer programmers in my city (Nashville)! Finally, people I can bounce ideas off of and learn new ways of doing things from. I was invited to a workshop as well. Met some really great people who are also great coders.
Someone looked an old sourceforge project I started back in ’05 and they were blown away. This whole time, I’ve considered that project “dead” and never really went anywhere will it. This guy acting all wow’ed by it made me realize that while I’m grinding to produce something “great” I’ve already done it, but I lost interest or got “too busy” to look at it. I learned that once the initial conceptual challenge of a project is gone, I get bored and leave it hanging. I’m ready to face that problem and do better than that. So a few weeks ago I compiled that bad boy, and felt I could compete with a well known company. Talking to that person and seeing hits on my old site gave me the motivation to include it on the product line I’m developing for my startup. I literally had a “WTF have I been doing?!?!” moment.
Hey MM,
Sounds like some real good things are happening. I think we’ve all been guilty of leaving a project (or 3) hanging. Sounds like this could turn into something great.
And that book is still on my list!