A 31-day blog challenge?
Now? As busy as you are, as much as you’re traveling, with all that’s going on? All good questions, along with the appended good, if rhetorical, one: Are you nuts?
A friend once said, in response to me asking this question at an earlier time in my life: “Well, yes, you are kinda nuts. But I don’t see any reason to be judgmental about it.” Apt, I thought then, and still.
So here’s the story: About two months ago I set myself a challenge; spend the next 90 days clearing areas of accumulated clutter in my life, and set a vision for “next.” My 90-day theme I wrote as “Clarity and Vision,” words to encapsulate what I intended to have in my life by the end.
I have 31 days left, having decided arbitrarily that I like round numbers and wanted to end on December 31, so that I can set a new 90-day challenge at the first of the year. Along came this challenge from friend Cheryl Sledbodo, and there were cool people whom I like signing on, and something in me said yes. Not just “yes,” mind you. Hell yes! Fuck yes!
I tried to talk myself out of it, really I did.
The thing is, the first 60 days of this 90-day challenge has been pretty successful. I’ve cleared three big beds in the front yard – not as many as I planned but it’s a start. I’ve done a little work inside the house starting to clear out old crap – okay, not that much, but I’ve thought about it a lot and done a little. Okay, a really little. The word “iota” comes to mind.
On the plus side of the scale, I’ve gone from 14,000+ emails (nope, not a typo) in my inbox to zero (also not a typo), and I have a system in place to help me keep it that way. My task lists are almost entirely organized, and I have a system in place to help me manage my days and keep track of what I’m doing, and I’m actually being more productive instead of fighting myself. I’m learning that, when I get overwhelmed and terrified, if I do just one thing it starts me going again.
Well, okay, that last I’m relearning and will forget again, but I’m better at it.
The thing that’s still missing is a clear vision for “next.” I know a bunch of things it isn’t, but I don’t know enough about what it is. I’m good with that, truthfully, and maybe the lesson is that I don’t have to have it clear in order to move that way. I don’t know – but I’m sure it’s time to focus on answering those questions.
So that’s the theme for this 31-day blogging challenge: finding voice. Mine, yours, anyone’s. That makes it fair game to talk about pretty much anything that’s on my mind – or yours if you’ve a mind to challenge me to a post – so you can expect posts about:
- Politics
- Social issues of the day
- Cool shit I’ve read
- Useful tools for organizing and getting more productive
- Other resources for finding voice
- Stories about finding voice
- Navel-gazing, though I promise to keep that down. Maybe.
By the end of this, I intend to have a better sense of my own voice and what’s next, and I hope you do, too. I should say, though I’d hope it goes without saying, that I’d love for you to comment on your own journeys and voice, as you are moved to do so.
So, do you have your voice? What’s it saying to you right this minute?
Dr Les Kertay
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By the by, there are lots of people doing this challenge (just because both BadAssQuilersSociety (Maddie) and I Plead Quilty (Flaun) are doing it too, they aren’t the only cool people!), and a few, like friend Erika Napoletano, who are doing their own. You can find the rest here on Cheryl Sleboda’s blog.
