The 31 Day Blogging Challenge Changed My Life
This post is a celebration of the 31 Day Blogging Challenge I’ve taken on and how it’s changed my life. Or, at least, my blogging.
I’ve wanted to write a blog for quite a while – and be consistent. I’ve wanted to share what I know with people who could use it. I’ve wanted to get out there more.
I’ve been meaning to, intending to, trying to.
I’ve been avoiding it, forgetting it, or rejecting it.
I worried about not having anything worthwhile to say, being boring, being unclear and on and on… All the paralyzing stuff that stops us in our tracks.
And, underneath it all, I was afraid of being exposed, judged, or ignored…
Bottom line: vulnerable.
Brené Brown, thank you for reminding me that vulnerability is the source of strength! It’s easy to know that for my clients. It’s easy to value and honor it in them.
And breakthrough of breakthroughs, I’m allowing it for myself, now, thanks to Lesa Townsend and her 31 Day Blogging Challenge. And, thanks to myself for being ready and willing to dive in.
I can’t remember how I even stumbled upon Lesa. It was a fluke. That’s how these things can happen. Out of nowhere, the very thing you need to make the difference falls out of the sky. I may have seen a tweet or a facebook post. Can’t remember. But however she came into view, something in me, without hesitation, seized on the opportunity she offered.
I don’t usually dive into things without knowing something about them first. At least, I would read reviews, or background material, or have a recommendation.
But in this case, I didn’t have any of that. I just saw a few of her words floating in virtual space and they grabbed me. And I grabbed them back.
As it turned out, taking this challenge has made a huge shift for me.
I have gone from struggling to write one blog post in two months to writing a post every day for the last seven days. And this is day eight.
In taking on this challenge, I simultaneously let go of
- My need to do it perfectly (whatever that means)
- My dread of being unclear and therefore misunderstood
- My concern about being boring, trivial, deluded, or misguided
You name it! I had to let it all go.
The miracle is that the moment I saw Lesa’s challenge, I took it.
And the moment I took the challenge, I was all in.
Which means, I shifted 180° in an instant.
That split second commitment seemed like it happened out of nowhere, but really it didn’t. It was the culmination of many months of ‘back and forth’ and ‘yes and no’ and ‘I can and I can’t’ and ‘I will and I won’t’.
The moment I committed, I emerged from my stuckness just as the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis.
And out I popped ready to fly. How exhilarating!
I’m free to write. I’m free to write imperfectly. I’m free to have a thought and elaborate on it. I’m free to share with my clients the tools and ideas that I know can make a difference for them. I have my own permission to discover what I have to say. And yes, I feel like a bird released from her cage.
Flying floating writing. Yay!
And the irony of it is that I do this for my clients – this guidance to freedom, to ease, to fullness, to presence. It’s what I do. For them.
I’m so glad that I’m here now. Out of this cage. Wish me continued freedom, won’t you?
If you want to take on the 31 Day Blogging Challenge for yourself, you can check it out HERE.
Have you had a breakthrough that you’re willing to share? Some way in which you were released from your own cage to experience a freedom to do something that seemed undoable to you? To be a certain way that you hadn’t given yourself permission to be before? What event or action or experience opened the door for you?
© 2013 Naaz Hosseini. All Rights Reserved. Copying or resposting this content without written permission is strictly prohibited.
About the Author: Naaz Hosseini
Naaz Hosseini is a singer, dancer, psychotherapist, and voice empowerment coach. She developed Powerful Presence™ coaching to help corporate and entrepreneurial women step into their vocal power to command the attention and respect they deserve. As a NYS Licensed Psychoanalyst and Qualified Gestalt Therapist, she supervises and trains mental health counselors at Teachers College Columbia University and therapists at the Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training. She served as visiting faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero Summer Institute for ten years where Howard Gardner has said, "With enthusiasm, I recommend Naaz Hosseini, a pioneer in using the voice and the body for understanding." Comments (11)
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I had a lot of the same concerns when I did the 31 day challenge back in July, especially about people judging me and my writing. I signed up the night before and dived right in. This time around I am letting it all hang out and it feels really good to be open, honest and vulnerable. Ha, who knew that vulnerability can feel good. Keep up the good work and continue blogging. 🙂
Wishing you continued freedom!
Thank you, Chiquandra! I know you know how good it feels to let it flow. If you get a chance, click on the link to Brené Brown. If you haven’t heard her talk, I think you’ll appreciate what she has to say. Wishing you continued openness!
Naaz,
Your post brought tears to my eyes! Not only was what you shared very heart-felt and poignant, but you shared it in such a beautiful way.
I hope that your experience with the Challenge helps you to claim for yourself the title of “writer” so that you never again put this part of you inside a box. Just as my words touched you when you needed it, there are people out there waiting for the message that you have inside of you to make its way to them, where it will make a very real difference in their lives.
Kudos to you for saying YES to you and stepping out of your comfort zone!
Lesa,
Your response brought tears to MY eyes! Thank you for your challenge, encouragement and support. It’s interesting and ironic that, of all my posts so far, this is the post I almost held back. And it’s also the post I’ve gotten the most responses to (on and off the page), all heart-felt. Out of the comfort zone and into the realm of possibility!
Loved this post, Naaz! I had a very similar experience. The #31dbc just came to me and I went with it. Now I’m writing like crazy and letting it flow. Thank you for capturing my own experience so clearly! Have a wonderful week.
Thank you for your comment, Lori Jo! I’m so glad you saw yourself in my post. It’s an amazing freedom to let it rip, isn’t it? Have a great week!
I’ve definitely had to step outside my comfort zone to write and promote my new book. I’m published by a small press with no marketing budget, so it’s all up to me. I’ve always hated the hard sell, and hated “bragging” or calling attention to my own accomplishments. It’s still uncomfortable for me, but I’m doing to because I believe the book I wrote has merit and I want to share it with people. All the best experiences I’ve had in my life have come from pushing myself outside that comfort zone, including having kids! peace~
Lisa, thank you for your thoughts and congratulations on your book! What an accomplishment. I think you already know this, that when you focus on what drove you to write your book and why it matters to you, then that is what you’re getting out there so others can have it too. Then, it’s not about your accomplishment or “bragging”. It’s really about sharing the gold with the right people… the ones that are drawn to that particular sparkle. Your kids are fortunate to have you – an outside-the-comfort-zone “pusher” – as a model! Kudos!
Thank you so much for putting into words what I felt when I first participated in July. This time around I was super excited and then struggled because I am splitting my attention between blogging and business building. I feel that my posts are not always hugely informative and exciting reads….and I have been working to let it all go. Thank you for sharing! It was beautiful!
Namaste,
Lisa
Lisa, I can totally relate to the pull between blogging and building a business. In ways, the second side of the equation has slowed down for me, but in reality, the blogging keeps me clarifying my vision and my domain and, in the end, I believe, it’s focusing and helping to simplify my business efforts. Thank you for your kind words. Namaste, Naaz