I keep getting this image of taking the first step to achieving something, and then taking the next one, and the next, and the next. The first step simply isn’t enough anymore.
A few years ago I decided it was time to get in shape. One of the things I did was to go for walks and runs on weekends. I started really slow, walking for 5 minutes, running for 30 seconds, and the running time increased after a while. It didn’t get great since I was only practicing on weekends, and my best run was 12 minutes non-stop at my pick. Life got side tracked by a relationship, and I stopped my weekend routine. After it ended, I didn’t feel like doing it again, and several months later, I slowly started walking as a means of commuting, and that made a huge difference. I lost so much weight (can’t pinpoint the exact reason, but walking, releasing old emotional wounds through meditation and energy work, and making better food choices helped), that people were asking me if I was sick. I wasn’t, but part of me felt worried, and I stopped exercising/walking/eating carefully. Needless to say, with time, I stopped fitting in some of my clothes again.
Early in February, I wrote in my journal “The words unsaid”. I had attended an all-day women’s workshop and was touched by the bravery of those willing to go on the “hot seat”. It turns out that we had more things in common than we could think or imagine. When we share, and don’t keep words unsaid, we learn that we are not alone, and we serve as an example and support for others. Your sharing may give someone else the permission they need to speak up, and to ask for support.
A few weeks ago I wrote an article inspired in part by a Creative Writing course I was taking, and the not so positive feedback I received on my first homework. Each week we got different assignments on non-fiction and fiction, and we were required to focus on the many aspects of creative writing. I could easily have decided not to come back, but I really wanted to go through it, especially since some of the writing exercises were outside my comfort zone.