Hello, everyone! If you’ve been here before, you might notice things look slightly different. There’s a pretty good reason for that, but I’ll get there shortly. It’s taken me a while to figure out what to say in this post, but I think I’ve finally figured it out. Today I want to talk about choices and the power we have over our own lives, specifically the power to choose when it’s time to start new.
Why It’s Time To Start New
Let’s jump back to the changes in appearance you might be noticing from Words Wit Wonder. To make a long story short, I lost the files for the blog due to a perfect storm of technical malfunctions. Everything that used to be here is gone. At first I was devastated. I lost years of work in just moments. I spent the next two days on calls with various support lines, but eventually, I had to come to terms with the fact I can’t get that work back.
While that’s been hard to accept, I think it’s actually a blessing in disguise. When I first started blogging it was to keep my relatives up to date with my life at university. After a few months I made the blog public to the world. At first I really enjoyed it. It was fun to share my work with people other than my grandparents. However, somewhere along the line I began comparing myself to other creators. I was so afraid of my work not being good enough that I stopped creating. Months would go in-between my posts, and when I did post I didn’t enjoy it. It felt like I was constantly experiencing burnout.
Now that I have no choice but to start over, I can reframe the way I create. I want to enjoy the things I write again. While I’ll still be posting some of the same content as before, I also plan to try out some new things. You can expect to see some of my creative writing and poetry thrown in the mix, as well as regular blog posts. More than that, however, I’m viewing my content through a new perspective. I am me, and I don’t need to compare myself to someone else.
Things I’ve Learned About Starting New
Through this frustrating process I’ve learned some pretty valuable lessons. Firstly, you have the power to choose something different for yourself. I’ve never been a fan of change, even when it’s good. This has led me to stay in situations that kept me from growing. I’ve felt paralyzed in many instances where I actually held power. Now I’ve come to terms with the fact I need to be an active participant in my own life. If I want a result, I have to pursue it. In other words, my choices matter. There are many things in life we can’t control, so it’s important to take charge of the things we can.
I’ve also learned change has a way of creeping in when you don’t expect it. Sometimes we change career paths unexpectedly, or move across country with very little planning. Other times we restart our blogs from the ground up due to freak technology issues. Regardless of the situation, change comes in ways we can never fully plan for. I’m learning not to view this as a bad thing. Some of the best parts of my life have come unexpectedly. You can’t always predict your blessings, but you can choose to enjoy them when they arrive.
Whether you’re new here or returning, I hope you’ll stick around to see the amazing things yet to come. I’m excited to create again, and I can’t wait to share the results.
Sincerely,
Elliot J. West (he/they)
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