Life Lately & Looking Ahead

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4 How was your first quarter of 2018? What are your plans for the coming months?

We’re already done with the first quarter of the year. And, yes, I’m still letting the fact sink in. I’ve tried to steer clear of writing personal posts on this blog but have found it difficult to commit to. Most of the posts you’ll see here are — I hope — helpful, in one way or another. Which brings me to my first point in this recap of some sort of the past few months.

On writing and dreams

I’ve always believed that the best kind of writing is honest writing. So I’ll practice that here. And in all honesty, I don’t know why I still keep this blog. I still enjoy writing; I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it no matter how often I say I’m shifting to a different career. But this space, I don’t know what to do with. And I think it’s mostly because I don’t believe I can make something out of this anymore. I have set aside my dreams of self-publishing for things that actually help put food on our table. It’s sad, and I’m hoping this is just a phase. But that’s my reality right now. I still have a lot of stories to tell, but I just can’t seem to find my groove — and confidence.

On pursuits and passions

We’ve all heard of those cliches before. Never quit your daydream. Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. Yaddah yaddah yaddah. And I get that. A tiny part of me still believes that, but more often than not, I feel like those who say those things have been dealt with outstanding cards to begin with. It’s just too hard to believe the many “self-made” stories circulating on the internet, because nobody is truly self-made in the same way that no man is an island. Somehow, in some way, someone will help you achieve your goals whether financially or emotionally.

What people often forget to say when they talk about pursuing passions is it takes time and a lot of patience because things don’t miraculously turn out right overnight. It takes a lot of work.

On plans (not dreams)

They say the difference between goals and dreams is the former are actionable. You need structure and movement for dreams to be tangible. I think I’ve done a lot of the dreaming already, so it’s time to start putting in the work. Here are some of the things on my to-do list.

No matter what, no matter how busy I am, put time and effort into growing Dida. So far, I’ve laid out my marketing goals for April and have plotted our social media content strategy. I truly enjoy doing it, and I really wish I can focus more on it but… patience.
I haven’t been doing well on the mindfulness front. So far, the only thing I’ve been quite successful with is my attempt at becoming more eco-conscious through committing to owning a thrifted-only wardrobe.
Starting this month, I’ll try to be more mindful of what I eat. I’ve been yoyo-ing from shunning sugar to eating some of it to letting my emotions take precedence over everything. But I’m gonna try to just be well and eat well and really start getting fit.
Spend more time creating stuff. I’ve been meaning to shoot videos again, but I get caught up in thinking about what everything is for that I run out of time to actually go and shoot. One of my biggest goals this year is to finally write a book, but the first quarter has already passed and not one word of this would-be book has been typed out or scribbled. Blog more? I’ll think more about it.
Talk to people more. I’ve been thinking really hard about how I’ve lost the skill to talk to people. I used to be good at it, but now I just clam up at events. So the plan is to try to connect more and genuinely learn more about other people.
Assert myself. It’s a tough thing to overcome, this lack of confidence, but I’m gonna try. Wish me luck!

How was your first quarter of 2018? What are your plans for the coming months?

Jorj

Jorj is an editor by profession, a b/vlogger on weekends, and a wife to Yop and mom to Cadence always. She's powered by curiosity and is in the process of becoming her best self.