Mihaela Claudia P

Blogging has become a popular activity in our increasingly digital world. No matter our age, it seems we all want to blog, and it’s clear that we all do it for different reasons. Some might blog hoping to make money, others to get attention, some to practice their writing, and others to express themselves in a more discreet way, much like Shakespeare did. Some might have more than one reason for doing it.

For me, it all started when I read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear a couple of months ago. That book is life-changing in many ways. I read it chapter by chapter, and then I filmed myself reacting to it. I’m not sure if I’ll ever publish that material. I did the same with other books, which helped me remember them on a much deeper level than if I had just read them and moved on.

In Atomic Habits, James mentioned how he started by writing a new article every ‘Monday and Thursday, focusing on topics like health, habits, and human potential’. He kind of started by trying a bit of everything he was interested in. He had no expectations, as he wasn’t a professional writer; he was an athlete. Maybe that’s why he did so well—because he was genuine about it. He just wanted to share with readers what he was learning while he was working on himself. He was living in a reality that required him to be disciplined or fail, so he decided to do what it takes to get where he wanted to get.

Everyone mentions all the time this famous ‘journaling.’ Well, I guess that at the beginning, James did it more as public journaling if you like. Instead of writing in his private journal, he wrote on a blog. Eventually, he discovered his area of expertise. Well, rather, it slowly became his area of expertise, and he stuck with that. More and more people were subscribing to his blog, and eventually, he received the offer to write the book Atomic Habits!

I really loved the chapter in the book where he talked about his journey with blogging, which was so connected to his personal journey; they were complementary. I felt so inspired, I had a eureka moment then. I have so many things to share, so much knowledge and life experience; it would be such a shame not to share it with others. I mean, I do make videos on YouTube in which I sometimes express some of my ideas, but I always felt that wasn’t enough. I needed to try something else as well. I needed to do more in order to achieve what Maslow calls ‘Self-Actualization’ or the ability to reach your full potential in life.

Well, I admit that I am a bit obsessed with this term ‘self-actualization’; reaching this level is the biggest goal of my life at the moment. I have many ambitions, but I realized that nothing beats the hunger for self-actualization. Writing a blog will take me a step closer to it. I will finally be able to educate others while educating myself, just as James did. Of course, I love words, and I love to read, and that helps because it gives me the tools to do this in a more successful way. Even if it won’t be successful, for someone who looks to self-actualize, the main thing is to try. People in my category are not afraid to fail; we are afraid if we do not try.

I always think about the many people who have made history but failed hundreds of times before succeeding, and some probably never succeeded but died in peace thinking that they did everything they could for their dreams. And that’s what I want also—to die in peace thinking that I did everything I thought was right to achieve my true potential, or to self-actualize myself.

Blogging fits well with how and who I am, with my current projects. It’s the cherry on the cake, so I will give it a try. But even if blogging is something completely strange to someone’s way of life, I would still advise them to go for it, as, just like in James’s case, you never know where that journey will take you. There’s really nothing to lose, as trying to do something in which you believe is never a waste of time; it can only enrich you, even if you fail.

I guess I am trying many things because I was never afraid of failing as I trust myself enough to know that I will come back no matter what life throws at me, and second, I do not really care about being judged by others. At the end of the day, I respect myself for trying while those judging me more likely never had the guts to try anything, staying at the same level for years and years with their frustration always growing. No, I do not want that for myself; I want to live my life on my own terms, even if that means being the odd one, the one that doesn’t match very well the expectations of society.

With that in mind, here I am starting a blog because this blog will take me closer to my dying in peace. Thanks for reaching the end of blog number 1!