Blog #28: The End (Not)

Today is Feb 28. We’re not in a leap year, folks (which, fun fact, always coincide with presidential election years in the United States), which means that with this blog post, I am completing my Feb challenge of writing a post every single day. I did it!

Thank you to anyone who’s followed along regularly, and to anyone who just stopped by every now and then to read a post or two. I didn’t write these posts for you, but I’m glad you came along on my journey anyway.

Looking back, that’s the best way to describe this challenge— a journey. Beginning without any knowledge or experience of blogging, I was able to start with no expectations of myself, which was a liberating experience. I wrote each blog post for myself, as a means of reflection on my own experiences, interactions, feelings, changes, and more. In many ways, this blog challenge was a vehicle for personal growth, catalyzed by the self-reflection it necessitated on a daily basis.

Going in without any expectations for myself also allowed (or perhaps more accurately, forced) me, for one of the first times in my life, to be satisfied with my own mediocrity at times. I knew it would be impossible to write a life-changing blog post every single day, as that’s not an accurate reflection of real life, which required me to be content with what may be deemed as sub-par content. Even when my posts were short or not well thought-out, the fact that I still wrote one was enough. Simply doing it was enough. Now, at the end of a month, I’m proud to say that I did it.

I had two explicit goals that I wanted to accomplish with this challenge to myself. First of all, I just wanted a challenge! It was an intentional test to my discipline, and a means of proving something to myself. It is empowering to put yourself up to something difficult and hold yourself accountable to face that task, and seeing as my only explicit goal for my semester here in India has been to grow as a person, this was a very distinct way in which I felt I could manifest that change. (I’m naturally a pretty goals-oriented person. I want something I can measure, or something I can achieve, which is hard for a goal like personal growth. This blogging challenge was a way in which I could somehow measure my progress, which keeps me motivated.)

Secondly, I wanted a challenge that would help me to be more present during my time here in India, specifically through reflecting on myself and my day-to-day experiences. Even on days when I felt like nothing entirely significant happened, the necessity of writing a blog post led me to reflect on my day, and even if my post ended up being silly or seemingly insignificant, at least it was still an accurate representation of my day and my experiences. On the contrary, on days where I had important experiences or significant conversations that led to revelations, writing a blog post about it helped me to process my own thoughts and feelings, which has been an amazing experience that has also led to major personal growth. As I continued to write about these personal topics, I think that my blog also became more honest over the course of the month. Essentially, it has become my diary which anyone in the world can read. That’s intimidating, but it’s also liberating.

So… what now? Feb is over, and I successfully completed my initial challenge. I’m celebrating for myself! This was not always an easy thing to do, but I did it anyway. I am proud of myself, and I think rightfully so, but I am also ready for more. So… consider this my official announcement that I have extended this personal challenge for a year. Regardless of my location, my schedule, or whatever life throws at me, I am going to try to write a blog post every single day for a year straight. As of now I’m 28 days in… only 337 more days, 337 more blog posts, to go. I’m on my way.

Catch me looking like this for the next 337 days.