A Whole Year

365

I have officially blogged every day for 365 days, or a normal year today. I have written that many days worth of content, I have also learned over 365 new things.

As I look back on a year of blog posts I can’t neglect to remember what started this journey, even before the first day of daily posts came: I became a Praxian. I joined a unique educational organization in an effort to set myself apart from the crowd.

I joined an organization that was built for mold breakers and then I shattered any mold that could’ve put me in. I shattered my own mold, I wasn’t just a marketer anymore, I didn’t just make friends in my state, I wasn’t just another university grad. I am more, and God was, and is with me every step of the way.

I’ve made friends in states from North Carolina to California. I’ve gone to a conference in another state to meet other Praxians. I interviewed with over 50 companies ( I believe) on my path to find a role.

I was open to moving, from the beginning. Hesitant at first then gung ho, and then I didn’t end up moving out of state. That’s okay. I ended up at a place 30 minutes away from home, so I still need to move, but I’ll still be in the MSP area.

I anticipated this year of blogging from almost the beginning of my knowledge of Praxis. I saw my friend in the program publish posts for a month before I entered the program so when I joined I new it was gonna happen.

The month before the standard 30 day challenge started for blogging, I started writing down ideas, I wouldn’t publish anything until the first official day it was assigned, because I was scared of running out of ideas…lol. When I got to 30 days though it just kept happening, I had more to write so I thought, why not? I wanted to share more ideas and there wasn’t anything in the way to stop me.

My favorite part about blogging for a year? I think it’s the fact that I was so mindful about what I was learning and what I could write about it. From sermons, to seminars, to everyday conversations, and experiences, I was challenged to think more about what I was doing. I was challenged to figure out what I loved about the traditions I already loved and to try new things so that I could write about them.

What else happened this year? I had about 9 months of underemployment. I went to 3 new states. I volunteered at senior high youth group at my church. I became an official member of my church. I applied for a mortgage (and got approved!). I started a full-time job. I went to the State Fair by myself for the first time, a movie by myself, and I took a road trip by myself.

I learned a lot about myself, what I can get through, what I can accomplish, and what I’m more liable to mess up on. I learned that nothing is guaranteed except Salvation, Heaven, and God’s promises, but he will be with us through it all.

Today a year comes to a close, I’m working full time, I’m helping my Dad’s business with blogging, and I have a few other projects on the horizon and I’ve made it 365 days so I believe it’s a good time to stop – scratch that – slow down, my goal is to write about 4 times a month or weekly on the blog.

I’ve gotten a lot out of writing every day though, I started this hating writing and now I really like it. As I’ve written in other posts there’s never been a rubric or word count for these posts that goal has been to write something valuable to me and hopefully to others. So I challenge everyone to write for at least 30 days, about anything and everything and see where it takes you, your writing and your imagination, and your computer, because this thing came with me everyday so that I could easily download photos and post. I recommend a lightweight computer for future bloggers.

Lastly, thanks to everyone who has read this blog every day or even just once. Seeing even one reader a day was encouraging and made me think more critically about my writing. I know some days were longer and some shorter but every day’s post remains meaningful to me.

I’ve blogged a year of ideas and lessons, and no one can take that experience away from me.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Larson.