It's Been Awhile

Oh, man. It's been a minute since I've written a blog post. Well, not a minute. But you know what I mean... 

Who knew working 40+ hours a week while trying to do yoga and eat (somewhat) healthy and see friends and spend time with family and read and catch up on good shows and sleep and... phew, you get the idea. It's so hard for me to put time into writing here. I've tried to wake up early and (at least) put pen to paper but I either end up with very little on the page, or I hit that dreaded snooze button. 

It's also hard to go back to a computer when most of your day is spent in front one. For those who don't know— life update! I've been working at the University of New England as the Integrated Admissions Strategy Coordinator for quite some time now (since July 1st to be exact) and I'm really enjoying it. I still feel "new"— the admissions world is crazy, and there's so much to learn— but I feel really good about the work I've done and the work I continue to do. Each day varies, too, which I like and need— I work on different projects ranging from social media and marketing, to website content and email communications. I love that I get to be creative, work closely with a fabulously smart team of women and manage a small group of college students. It's ever-changing, exciting, and always keeps me on my toes. 

But, yes... the dreaded computer screen. It may be an excuse, but it's a good one. Most weekends I want to get as far away from a computer as I possibly can— get outside, explore "up and coming" Biddeford, hit a yoga class, or just relax. I know writing is one of those things that takes consistent effort and practice, but why is it so hard to just get there? 

One of the loveliest friends I met at HubSpot recently wrote about this on Facebook. She's in the midst of *trying* to start a blog of her own, but in this ever-so-familiar feeling of procrastination and distraction, she's done everything but that. Of course, it's easier to just step away from writing and, instead, clean your space, organize your computer files, brew the perfect cup of tea, watch a fun show on Netflix, or aimlessly scroll through Instagram. Sure, these tasks may bring joy— but they are mindless. Writing takes brain power and will power to follow through with. It's not mindless. 

Then, the other bad cycle starts (for me and many writers I know)— the self-doubt and self-sabotage. Why don't you follow through? Why don't you stick with things you start? You love writing (or so you say... maybe it's more of a love-hate), so why don't you do it more? These thoughts are not only unproductive, they're completely unnecessary. Wasted time, wasted energy.

For me, I think it's easier to write when I'm traveling. I'm constantly experiencing new and exciting things, foods, languages, people, places, experiences... the list goes on. When I'm back in my home state, I get stuck. I don't see my day-to-day life as "blog-worthy" as it is while I'm traveling. I've realized this mindset is just as toxic because there are exciting things to write about. I mean, I could write a million blog posts on the restaurants in Portland alone... 

I know no day will be perfect, but I will try to commit to writing more. Even if it's not right here, I know it's something I need to find time to do. And cut the self-bashing while I'm at it, too. :) 

Bottom line? I hope to share more. Experience more. Reflect more. While I do have a couple upcoming trips (hellooo Florida and Costa Rica!), I want to write more about a place and a life I love so much. 

Stay tuned!