Hello, hello, hello!!

Do you know what day is it today? 

It’s nothing in the calendar, nothing in the news… but it is a significant day for me…

Today is the 52nd week since I decided to start sending out weekly newsletters and writing a weekly blog…

Yep, 52 weeks have passed already, YES, a whole year!!!! 

When I decided that I’d start writing on a weekly basis, I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to do it. 

Have this ever happened to you? Have you been in a similar situation, where you wanted to start something new but you didn't know for sure if you were going to be able to do it or even like it? 

That’s what happened to me. 

I had doubts about my writing skills, I thought I would run out of things to write about, I had doubts about finding inspiration and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make the time to get the newsletter out on time every week. 

But, you know what? As I started doing it, I started discovering a few things about me. 

I found out that I actually enjoy the writing process. I’ve never been a big writer, yes, I did well in school writing essays and papers, but I never did it consistently and publicly, and now I enjoy it and I like how freeing it can be when you sit in front of a blank page and you start typing away. 

I noticed that writing is therapeutic for me. Since I started with this weekly commitment, I observed that one of the things that help me most to clear my mind is to sit and write down whatever is going through my mind. The simple act of letting myself jot down my thoughts helps me releasing doubts, anxiety, worry and negative thinking loops. Whenever I have something that doesn't want to leave my mind, I get it down in paper and once it’s done, I feel so much better… I suggest you try this if you haven’t done it! It’s like your own therapy session…

I learned how I get inspired best. I’m always looking for ideas for my next newsletter or blog, so I started paying attention to what makes me feel most inspired. And I discovered that for me, walking alone outside gets my ideas going. I also get really inspired in the shower, which I know it sounds like a cliché but it’s sooo true for me…

By the way, this is something that I believe everyone should know about themselves. If you don't know what works best for you to get your creativity going and to feel inspired, you should start paying attention to your days and see how you generate your ideas. Be aware of your activities and what makes you feel connected and inspired, because once you discover what works for you, then you can add those activities to your daily life in order to tap into your creativity more often. 

Another thing I discovered was that I could make the time. I made the time to sit and write. I prioritized it over other things. Mostly, Sundays are the days for me to get my writing done, but if for whatever reason I can’t get it done on Sundays, I know that I’ll have to get it done before Wednesday and so I get it done…which takes me to the last point… 

I realized that the commitment I had with my tiny audience was stronger than whatever other things I had to do. That even if I had to stay late, I would send the newsletter on time, every Wednesday at 10 am.

Like clock work. Every week. No excuses.  

Now, I missed posting a blog three weeks for the whole year, one week I was in Spain while my dad had surgery and the two weeks during Christmas when my family was with me and I wasn't able to get the blogs done in advance. I tried, I planned to get them done before my family’s arrival, but I couldn't and once my family was with me, my first priority was to share time with them and then ensure that as a minimum I would send the newsletter weekly. That was a non negotiable for me. The newsletter was a must. And it went out weekly. I remember that on New Year’s I was sitting in bed, at 3 in the morning typing away the newsletter so it would get sent out 7 hours later…and I don't like to work so late, and I don't like to leave things to the last minute…but when I did and it was time to get the email out, I knew I had to do it, no matter what. 

This was very interesting for me. I realized that I wanted to bring value and that I wanted to keep my commitment. And this helped me making the time. I couldn’t let myself fail in front of “my people”.

I got inspired knowing that if I could reach one person, that if I made just one person feel better that would be enough and that alone kept me on track.

Having the community that keeps you accountable is huge. Even if the community doesn't even know that they are keeping you accountable, like in my case, it still gives you a sense of responsibility towards them and that makes you stick to your goals because you don't want to let them down. So, if you really want to push yourself to do something, look for someone that will make you feel responsible and not want to fail them.  Look for someone that you don't want to let down and share your goals with that person. 

As you see, and as the wonderful Marie Forleo says, “clarity comes from engagement”!

It wasn't until I committed and started writing that I started learning more about myself, I developed new skills and discovered that I loved the process.

So, if you are thinking on starting something but you aren’t sure if you’ll do well, or if you’ll like it, just START!

Take the first step, make the commitment and keep moving forward. Start before you are ready!

As you go along, you’ll start learning new skills and developing new strengths, discovering things about the process and things about yourself that you didn't know before… 

Now, tell me, have you ever found yourself wanting to start something but you couldn't get to commit for a long term?  What is it that you want to start and haven’t done it yet? How can you commit to give the first step? Can you find someone that will keep you accountable?  

Please share below, I’d love to hear from you!!

xoxo,

Sofia