New Beginnings.
I honestly don’t even know where to start when speaking upon this upcoming school year. I feel like a new school year is such a huge step in turning the page in the story of my life. Every year I encounter new people, tackle new goals, experience new heartbreak, and discover new things about myself. Last year my whole life took a turn as I explored new hobbies and friends, as I really worked on branching myself out. I am still planning to work on that next year, as well as for the rest of my life, but I really wanted to focus on some things more specifically this year as well; one of them being optimism. I know that the term “optimism” is incredibly vague, but it has so much important meaning to me. I have come to the conclusion that whenever I find myself having an open mind, branching out almost seems… easier. It allows for so many more doors to be wide open for everything I apply decision making to as well as more creative outlets. Last year, something that being optimistic really helped me with, was starting to take my writing seriously. As most of the people that I am close with know, I have been writing for almost my entire life. I adored the idea of keeping little lock-it journals when I was in elementary school. I would always find something to write about whether it was how my day went at school or even a fictional story I made up while I was dozing off in my fourth grade classroom. As I carried on to do this all the way through my freshman year, I never even thought about publicizing my writing or even showing anyone. To be completely honest, I felt embarrassed to show anyone my writing. Not until I reached my sophomore year did I realize that I really didn't care about what people thought of me. And this was also the year that I realized that my passion of writing could possibly turn into a career one day. And even if it didn't end up being my career, I realized that it was something that people viewed as art. And my writing being just appreciated means the world to me. Who could have known that what I had been journaling about, embarrassed about for years, could be considered something greater? And the fact that I hadn't taken this into consideration blew my mind, and this is where the optimism comes in. Being closed minded about where I could take myself with my writing shut all the doors that I am starting to open this year. Starting a writing blog is one of the things that being optimistic about, ended up being so good in the end. And yes, people tend to stray away from optimism, because most of the time it will end in taking a risk. But that is something else I am willing to work on this year. I feel as if we always view the word “risk” as having a negative connotation, when in reality, sometimes the good in taking a risk outweighs the bad, and we just don't notice it. Being open minded about taking these risks, and not just shoving them to the corner right away, could open so many more opportunities. I feel that I took a huge risk publicizing my writing, at least for me. When I started to even think about putting my writing out in the world, I had a lot to say about social status. And as much as I’d like to deny it, along with many other people, I really did care about what people thought of me and how I was viewed by people that I knew wouldn't even give me a second glance. In my mind, I thought if I put my writing out, I put at risk embarrassing myself and losing friends because of it, which, now that I look back at it, was ridiculous. Some risks are bigger than others and possibly won’t matter at the end of the day. Experiencing this last year, and realizing how much it has impacted me as a person, is really what motivated me to be optimistic for every decision I make. I am so incredibly ecstatic to be able to branch out even further with my blog this year and to be more open minded about the topics of my writing. I am also really looking forward to starting this new school year fresh by focusing on bettering myself, so I am able to live how I want in my near future. As far as it goes for all of you this year, I really do recommend going into this more open minded than ever before. Everyone out there has a passion, and I know for myself I thought I didn't have one, but taking a step back from my life and realizing my interests made it so simple. Trying new things is great, and I love pushing people to do so, but sometimes what we should be working on to include in our daily lives is right in front of us, and we don't even notice. Like I said with my writing, I didn't notice that it was something I could do anything with, but I knew it sparked something in me. Even when you think there isn't hope for pursuing something that will make you happy, there is always a way. Step back, and realize what you love. On a similar note, our generation has gotten so involved with doing things to survive rather than doing things to feed the soul, which is just as important. We are here for a purpose, and I believe that unhappiness is just a sign that we receive when we are doing something that we are not supposed to be doing. I know it is a confusing subject, but, for example, I played soccer for six years. I hated every moment of it, and I constantly wanted to quit, but I was told that I had to do it to stay in shape, which made sense to me, so I continued. After years of doing something I hated, I took a step back on my life and said , “wait a minute… there are so many different alternatives to staying in shape that I might actually like.” Fast forward to now, I am involved in a sport that keeps me in better shape, and I love doing it. As specific as that example is, I use it all the time in my life still today. My new journey with open-mindedness has brought me so much new to my life, and is really helping me with my new beginning. So, all in all, simply opening up my mind has allowed me to bring so much more into my life and has opened so many more doors for me, so I hope you lovely people do the same.
