My friends cringed when I first mentioned this blog. At the time we shared the opinion that my thoughts should be more taboo than drunken pictures of myself as a minor,"The internet is not a journal." I denied that I was journaling. I denied that I posted for myself.
This "totally-NOT-journaling-blog" was a thing for me before yoga. This blog was thing before I was a thing- when I laid in bed all day feeling sick and sorry. The practices that continue to make me healthier are just as rooted here as in asana and teaching.
Everyone knows writing has a lot to offer those looking to develop mindfulness, but what better way to develop self-acceptance than an exercise expressing yourself publically? A Blog is Better Than a Journal, not worse, because others can read it.
1. You must organize and accept your thoughts regularly.
Most blogs fail to get off the ground, not for lack of interesting material, but because their writers quit writing. A consistent posting schedule is a big deal. With this in mind, I have more stuff down this year online and on paper.
Overthinking or oversharing personal narratives can be just as irresponsible as neglecting self-reflection. Blogging is the time set aside for this sort of thing. I leave the ramblings to whoever is interested or curious, and that's where they stay.
With infinite viewers in mind, there is a level of personal censorship that is missing from a traditional journal. If proof reading your post reveals something you are not comfortable sharing, you have work to do. What reactions are you assigning others? It's important to take that stuff up with yourself sooner rather than later. It's usually less about revision than acceptance. Revision is easier.
2. No editors or talking points.
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| Entry to Anne Frank's Secret Annex |
Professional writing was frustrating. Direction and advice was appreciated most of the time, but it was difficult to share expressive identity with others. Bloggers can say whatever they want, however they want. This is both the glory and pitfall of blogging.
As a result, you WILL say something very ignorant, or worse--- boring and obvious. You will throw something completely raw out for the world to see, and an acquaintance will thank you; sometimes you can't even get Mom to like it on Facebook.
You get better, and you come to appreciate the power of correct grammar. If you expect readers to care enough about you to read between the lines, the least you can do is make those lines legible.
3. Farewell fear of judgment.
You learn very quickly how irrelevant criticism of your feelings(mostly imaginary) is to your life. Most of my blogs are some sort of intellectual exploration of what I consider God to be teaching me. "What do I know?" This phrase tries to escape in every post. I want nothing more than to smooth potential disagreements or just crappy writing over with apologies or phrases like, "This is only a personal belief..." but what good would that do? If you want to write--- If you feel that you have an idea worth sharing and preserving--- Do it, or don't. But if you do, Be Bold, Be Fearless. You have to believe that your readers need you more than erectile dysfunction medication.
4. Accountability.
The week following a post never fails to test everything I shared. With thousands of views this year, I have the slightest clue who is paying attention. Life's a work in progress, but blogging will unite your life with your words quicker than any therapy journal. Curiosity is impossible to underestimate, and so is the power of words. The unpredictable exposure and vulnerability to other's opinions challenges the writer more than the reader.
5. Our lives do not belong to us.
This is something every writer must believe. Our thoughts, feelings, and circumstances are less permanent than the letters we use to express them. If we didn't find that characteristic valuable, we would not bother.
The most common criticism of blogs is a sort of self-centered or even self-righteous slant, and before picking up my own hobby, I felt the same way. "Who cares?" But that's just it. Clicks are currency. Interest groups and advertisers openly buy, sell, and steal our information and use it to create the world that gets our attention. We continually complain about the emptiness and dishonesty of social media, then fail to develop unpopular insights or share them with other real-time everyday people that might promote them. In favor of what? MOSTLY PORN, cat photos, people falling down, and hateful information about famous strangers we know is made up.
Maybe you aren't the cutest, clearest, or most convenient to access, and maybe your truth isn't always optimistic or entertaining, but if you have ever considered consistently sharing your perspective on the internet, you should. Don't let your fear of other's opinions stop you. If we continue to tell those with power that we prefer to use the most powerful unifying entity ever as a mindless distraction or torture device, then I guarantee they will take us up on it.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, and who correctly handles the word of truth."
2 Timothy 2:15
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