I promise I’m going to explain this headline in a minute, but first…
I wasn’t ready for how quickly Christmas passed this year.
I worked a good chunk of Christmas Eve and hadn’t wrapped my brain around the holidays. Before I knew it, I was wrapping presents, making sure they were set around the tree, going to bed, and waking up Christmas morning.
It felt like whiplash, and just like that, the day was over.
Since then, I’ve been resisting in my own pointless way. My wife and I have been watching Christmas movies as recently as last night. Honestly, I’ll probably continue this holiday movie marathon until we’re forced to take down the tree.
In the meantime, though, I’d like to be ready for the New Year. Hence, the revival of this blog and its re-inaugural post.
Truth be told, I don’t feel like I’ve been ready for the New Year in quite a long time. After the pandemic, I began shutting down in a way I never imagined, and the effects lingered long after the world opened up again. In fact, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve been inside a grocery store this year.
So, while I’m watching Christmas movies, hanging on to the holidays as tightly as possible, I’m also thinking about this New Year and what I’d like it to be.
Albert Einstein said that in order to have a happy life, you have to tie it to goals instead of people or things. I can’t remember the last goal I made for myself, and the farther from any goals I get, the less and less meaning I feel like I have in my life.
Which brings me here.
Writing is a way for me to process the world, to understand what I’m thinking, and to fulfill an intrinsic goal that is fundamentally a part of who I am. If I’m not writing, I’m thinking about how I’m not writing.
But it’s not just about writing, it’s about controlling a little corner of my world. Here, in this little corner, I’ve exercised my authority. I’ve overcome apathy. I’ve cared and curated and expressed in this place where AI isn’t welcome.
It’s just me and my brain and HTML/CSS.
I’ve been dialing back on the social media lately. I was losing giant globs of time in reels, doomscrolling and brain rot. However, once in a while, I’ve come across some really good information, which leads us to our headline.
In an interview with some self-help influencer (I forget whom), Sharran Srivastaa (whom I’ve never heard of before or since) said the following.
“It’s okay to suck, but it’s not okay to skip. I go to the gym. I only do five minutes of elliptical. I’m out. I sucked, but I’m not skipping. So I’m reading a book and saying I’m going to read 10 pages a night. Maybe I’ll read one page that night. It’s okay to suck, but it’s not okay to skip. Because when you start skipping, it’s really easy to fall off. “
In my estimation, I haven’t spent enough time making sure this post doesn’t suck. But I didn’t skip. I’d like to make that a habit — not because I want to be an influencer or make this place into a moneymaker, but just because it’s good for my soul.
It means I’m being intentional. It means I’m pursuing a goal. It means — even in a small way — I’m living on purpose.
Merry Freakin’ Christmas to those who continue to celebrate.
Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash
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