Day 29: 30-Day Gratitude Challenge

Reflecting on a Journey This Far

Today, I'm grateful for where I am, and all the twists and turns that took me here.

It's the penultimate post, coming to you a day later than promised. At 10 pm last night, I switched off the computer, ready to crawl into bed with a cup of tea and biscuits when it dawned on me that I hadn't written the gratitude post. 

For the first time since embarking on the Gratitude Challenge, I groaned. It's not because I didn't want to write; I was still feeling a bit under the weather. Any other day, I would have switched the computer back on, but with me fighting a cold that kept my son off school for three days, I decided to proceed with my initial plan. Go to bed. Read. Enjoy a cuppa. Relax. See what tomorrow brings. 

Essentialism and Growth 

Here I am, welcoming you all to Day 29 of the 30-Day Gratitude Challenge. I am thankful that I could take a break, listen to my body, and take the necessary action which involved prioritising how I felt. As it turns out, I recently ordered a book called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. After reading a few pages, I was so excited about what I discovered, and so I spread the word amongst friends. I ended up giving it to someone else. Well, it felt like a good idea at the time, ha-ha! However, another friend of mine also bought a copy, and when we spoke on the phone a few days ago, they referred to nuggets taken from the book, and I felt that I was missing out. So, I went back to Amazon and ordered another copy. Couldn't wait to read it again last night.

The timing could never have been more perfect because I did find myself grappling over two choices: write because I promised, or be kind to myself and rest. It makes you realise how conditioned we are to stretching ourselves to the limit and struggling to excel where it matters most because we often exert our energy in too many different activities. The old me would have crawled back to the screen, and write something for the sake of it. I'm glad I could say no. According to Greg McKeown, when we say yes to everything, we end up with, "the unfulfilling experience of making a millimetre of progress in a million directions." (p.7).  

I am grateful that I'm now relatively in a position where I can switch off to either create something or rest and recover. Many people feel that you have to hustle all the time to make an impact. From the bottom of my heart, I'm thankful that I can weigh options before making a decision. It wasn't always like that; I can tell you that. This website is as a result of making tough choices, and not merely going with the flow. By the time I came up with a domain name, I knew what I wanted to do, even if it had meant making trade-offs. I've made quite a few. I've resisted the pressure that comes with being broke when you pursue a dream. 

I also chose to focus on evergreen content, which stays relevant for years to come, not merely concentrate on what's trending for page views. Decided on quality posts, even if it means taking a little more time to research, write, and present a finished article.  It's such a beautiful feeling when you find yourself staying up late, trying to make sense of SEO, coding and many other visual aspects to create a finished product and still have no regrets.  

I'd be lying if I said I'm doing everything by myself, for there has been immense support from people who saw the possibilities when all I had was an idea. My daughter initially designed our logo and welcome video, she was 14 at the time! Subscribed to Adobe (full package) and started learning, from Illustrator to Premiere. That's how determined I was. My daughter did what she could, bless her heart. 

With background music courtesy of a kind soul, images, words, and an understanding of how transitioning works, we produced something decent. However, it wasn't decent enough. Never knew that I'd come across another beautiful soul who would make the logo and videos professional while preserving what we had, without breaking the bank. I am grateful for their patience, and encouragement to keep going. I've learnt so much and enjoyed every moment, even though it's meant going without so I could take my dreams into fruition. I'm now ready to implement other projects. However, had I not been making deliberate moves, I would have easily been compromising most of the time. 

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​The Long Walk to Freedom

I'm also grateful that all the experience I've had is all coming together to create something more significant and meaningful — another reason why you should never despise small beginnings. Wherever you are right now as you read this, I hope you will be encouraged to look into your day to day existence, and ask yourself if what you spend most of your time pursuing is what you want. It's not too late to go after your dreams. There will be tears, challenges, trade-offs, but the feeling you get when you're living according to your purpose is priceless.

Today, I'm grateful for where I am, and all the twists and turns that took me to this point. We normally refer to Point A and Point B when we talk about transitioning to where we want to be. A few years ago, someone once drew a diagram for me that explained how I was going to get to where I wanted to be. It wasn't a straight line at all. There were many turns, frustrations, delays and detours along the way. I'm glad that it's beginning to make sense; this I say from a good vantage point, as I look at how far I've come to get here. 

I'm taking a leaf from one of Nelson Mandela's magnificent reflections: 
"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended."

Conclusion

I hope you'll take a moment to reflect on your journey so far and still be grateful. Don't be afraid to make changes. Whatever you do, know for sure that it can be lonely sometimes. However, one thing remains, you will undoubtedly cross paths with many others who are also journeying towards their destinies and will embrace, encourage and support you. May I leave you with these words to ponder, "If you don't prioritise your life, someone else will." (Greg McKeown).

Have a lovely Saturday!

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last day! 30-DAY GRATITUDE CHALLENGE