Ah, the joy of starting something new. Wait a tick, Joy? What about excuses, when starting something new? These excuses, mind you, are rooted in anxiety, worry, doubt, unknown, etc. I'm going to refer to this with the "F" word. You know, the one... fear.
By no means am I a motivational speaker or life coach. I am just like you, relatable indeed. Fear as f'd me over, by my own allowance, my whole life. I promise not to lecture you about fear and allowing it to get in the way. I am doing my best to push through the fear right with you. This is where I have been over the better part of the last decade. I am not proud of this. I have come up with every excuse to not ‘start something new’. Keeping this in mind, we are not going to focus on fear. F that. We are focusing on another "F" word that comes along with fear. You know the word: freedom.
Freedom is a beautiful word and has different meanings for differing beings. The context for this letter is Freedom from yourself. Freedom from your own self-inflicted limitations. Freedom from the doubts that have chained you to the floor. I will warn you, Freedom is addicting. Once that sip hits your lips, you are all in. Stumbles will come, and then you remember that taste. Revive those taste buds and go get some more freedom, by leaving your old ways in the past, where they belong.
After all, we are discussing starting about something new. Something to push you further along the journey on this earth. I remember when I was younger, I was eager to find and start new things. Looking back, I was trying to find my way and my voice in my world. No regrets. I operate differently now since I have been here for 49 years. There have been times over the years when it wasn't possible to start something new. Roadblocks, valleys, storms, you know all the names. You may have your own names for these obstacles. I had to focus on steering the ship straight. Starting new things then would have ended badly. I allowed myself to stay in some of those dips for too long. Forgiveness granted. They do have lasting impact, if you allow them and can bring on complacency. Complacency steals. As I started to break out of the quicksand which held me down, inch by inch, I could see more paths to free myself. The goal these days is contentment, of which I have more.
Contentment brings freedom in boatloads. Don't confuse Contentment with Complacency. I'll save this conversation for another day. Contentment is intentional. It is a landing area that provides, margin, space, and noncommitted time. It may take a while to reach your contentment or your optimal cruising altitude, but I assure you with day-to-day intentionality you will reach it.
Within my contentment, there is still a hunger for something new. It's a great sensation. Figuring out what that nagging feeling, is where excitement comes as motivation. I've had had this burning for years. During both contentment and complacency. In complacency, I would let the burn breed anxiety. In contentment, I feed it. I feed it by removing non-essentials from my life. This does come from a decision to be intentional.
Things I have removed and continue removing:
By no means am I a motivational speaker or life coach. I am just like you, relatable indeed. Fear as f'd me over, by my own allowance, my whole life. I promise not to lecture you about fear and allowing it to get in the way. I am doing my best to push through the fear right with you. This is where I have been over the better part of the last decade. I am not proud of this. I have come up with every excuse to not ‘start something new’. Keeping this in mind, we are not going to focus on fear. F that. We are focusing on another "F" word that comes along with fear. You know the word: freedom.
Freedom is a beautiful word and has different meanings for differing beings. The context for this letter is Freedom from yourself. Freedom from your own self-inflicted limitations. Freedom from the doubts that have chained you to the floor. I will warn you, Freedom is addicting. Once that sip hits your lips, you are all in. Stumbles will come, and then you remember that taste. Revive those taste buds and go get some more freedom, by leaving your old ways in the past, where they belong.
After all, we are discussing starting about something new. Something to push you further along the journey on this earth. I remember when I was younger, I was eager to find and start new things. Looking back, I was trying to find my way and my voice in my world. No regrets. I operate differently now since I have been here for 49 years. There have been times over the years when it wasn't possible to start something new. Roadblocks, valleys, storms, you know all the names. You may have your own names for these obstacles. I had to focus on steering the ship straight. Starting new things then would have ended badly. I allowed myself to stay in some of those dips for too long. Forgiveness granted. They do have lasting impact, if you allow them and can bring on complacency. Complacency steals. As I started to break out of the quicksand which held me down, inch by inch, I could see more paths to free myself. The goal these days is contentment, of which I have more.
Contentment brings freedom in boatloads. Don't confuse Contentment with Complacency. I'll save this conversation for another day. Contentment is intentional. It is a landing area that provides, margin, space, and noncommitted time. It may take a while to reach your contentment or your optimal cruising altitude, but I assure you with day-to-day intentionality you will reach it.
Within my contentment, there is still a hunger for something new. It's a great sensation. Figuring out what that nagging feeling, is where excitement comes as motivation. I've had had this burning for years. During both contentment and complacency. In complacency, I would let the burn breed anxiety. In contentment, I feed it. I feed it by removing non-essentials from my life. This does come from a decision to be intentional.
Things I have removed and continue removing:
- Mindless Scrolling
- Alcohol
- 24/7 News Cycle
- Debt
- Old Hobbies
- Donate/Trash/Sell items
- Clutter
Removing, first, helps me. The noise keeps me in a twister. I keep going in circles and not finding an out. As the physical clutter clears, mental/spirital/physical clarity begins to fill.
What is the new I am starting? This. Writing. I am writing for myself with the hopes it could help one other person. I have always enjoyed writing, but have not made the time for it. I didn't make the time, because writing takes time. Much time! Once all the non-essential noise was lowered to an audible level, I started to see what was missing in my life. A creative outlet. I have had many throughout my life, mainly photography, but that does not provide me the creative satisfaction it once was (a convo for the future). I have been writing each morning and am continuing to do so. The Starting Something New factor is: I am now sharing it out into the world. Yay me. Yay you.
If you are on the fence about starting something new, maybe this helps you see some noise you must quiet. Try it. F fear. Go do some cleaning and get started, like me. This is something I could get on board with as "We're in this together", genuinely!
Cheers!
DB