Six Lessons from Six Months of Writing
So, this Saturday marks six months of thendraluthaman.com! SIX! I used to roll my eyes at people who celebrate monthiversaries, but after six months of running this website, you know what, I get it. I totally do. Monthiversaries are acceptable, and I will not scoff at them from here on. Anyway, here are the six things I have learned from six months of writing!
1. Goals can change
I initially planned for this space to evoke warm, cozy and happy feels. If you have been following me for the past six months, or even if you’re new here, you might know this is not particularly the case. Maybe the last two articles, but most are not. My initial goal for my website doesn’t particularly make sense anymore. I can’t and don't see myself doing such things. A change of direction in your goals and vision is more than okay. Just because you think something is right, doesn’t meant that’s what is right.
2. Fear, shmear
Before I started this website, I had a few ideas on what I could do. The only thing that held me back, and my biggest fear, was that once I have exhausted those ideas, I would have nothing else to talk about. Or do. That I'm not creative or imaginative to see beyond the ideas I had. And the person I have surprised the most on this, is myself. Sometimes, I go back and look at something and think how the hell did I come up with that? Creativity is not exhaustive. The more you use it, the more it gets activated, and the more creative you actually get.
3. Make the leap
Another sub fear in my fear of not having enough to say, was if I would be good enough. I felt like I didn’t have something particularly powerful to say, or a voice to see such things through. While I loved writing, I didn’t know if enough people would like my writing, or could resonate with what I said. If you doubt whether you are good enough at something, starting is the only way to figure out if you actually are. And starting is the only way you become better at what you do. It's how you find out if you have anything powerful to say, and if you have a voice to see it through.
4. Pursuing your passion is actually a very bumpy road
On some days, the fact that I’ve made next to nothing the past six months haunts me and I have a major existential crisis. I don't know what I'm doing, or if I've made the right decision at at all. It’s okay to have a breakdown when you’re pursuing your passion. In fact, I think you’re more likely to have breakdowns when you’re pursuing your passion because of how much you care. And that’s okay because right now, a DM from someone appreciating my article means so much more than the monthly salary I used to have. A correlation between money, fulfilment, busy and productivity isn’t necessary.
5. It’s okay to take the road less, or, the road never taken
Everyone goes through a different journey in life. Everyone requires a different journey in life. So why do what everyone else is doing? Or why do what you want to do, by imitating what everyone else is doing? Take a road that suits you, with obstacles that you can face, for results that you want. Success is not replicable. Somehow, money, fame and meeting celebrities has become success these days. Just because that’s Person A’s idea of success, it doesn’t have to be yours. If anything, the world needs a diverse range of success, with people accomplishing in different ways, and means. Because success doesn’t come in a singular form.
6. We can all succeed
I have never understood why we had to compete with everyone, but this realisation of "Oh my God, we can all succeed. We can all afford to succeed" only came to me recently. There really is space for everyone to succeed, especially with social media, and the boundaries it has broken. You are not going to lose anything just by supporting someone, or just because someone climbed a step higher in their dreams. Work on yourself.
And that’s it! I hope it sparked something, or meant something to you guys as well. If there's one takeaway message for you, it's that, what you think is an arbitrary choice, could actually turn out to be the best damn decision of your life.
The past six months has been a journey that’s confusing, challenging, arduous and most importantly, the most fun and most rewarding six months of my life. When I quit my previous job, I was looking for a job in writing. Most required a portfolio when applying, and that’s honestly why and how this website came to be. It was going to be a collection of work I could show people as proof as to why they should give me a shot at writing. Now, however, that’s the furthest thing from my mind. In a way, it still is a portfolio for my writing services. But the direction the website has taken, couldn’t be further from the direction I initially planned on. Which is why, and because of things from Point Number 1, this website will have a major revamp on 28 April 2018 – themes and categories on what I will be writing about will be shuffled around, there will be a new design, and … a new section!
Yes! From this Saturday, I will start a DIY and recipe section on this website! Beauty recipes will be something I have tried for a minimum of a month, and will include research to the ingredients. I will share a few (key being few) recipes here and there as well! And for this reason, this section will not be updated as regularly as my articles. Please bear in mind that I am no expert in either of these categories as well. I just value a good hack, and I believe in sharing knowledge (Also, in storing them in a permanent place). So, take them as nothing more than a suggestion! If you have ideas on what you would like to see, please feel free to leave them in the comments below!
I cannot thank you enough for all the love and support these past 6 months. Many of you believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself, so thank you for that. Watch this space, guys!
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