commitment - the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or activity
Much like other words that call to mind one's intent in pushing forward with a particular action, a commitment is something that often evokes a strong sense of intention and focus. When the calendar flipped over from 2014 to this year, I made the commitment to write a blog post a day ... for the entire year. On January 1st, it seemed like a lofty goal, something that would keep my focus and help me remember that my craft should be at the forefront of every day. Now that the year is winding down, I'm beginning to reexamine my commitment with particular respect to intent.
I don't know that I exactly intended for this blog to end up being a sort of online, progressive journal. When I reread the entries from this year, I realize just how much of myself I've tapped out - every single day. This has not only brought me a greater understanding of myself, but it has also shown me what I'm willing to share and what I'm not. There has been so much that has happened this year that I haven't shared on these pages, namely because I am a cagey kind of broad, and I don't share things easily. Or at least, that's what I used to think. Now, it seems that there's a certain and decided level of sharing that I'm willing to offer.
Not only has this exercise in staying committed to writing a post a day helped me understand more about myself, but it's also reinforced the idea that when I set my mind to something, I can get it done. Sure, there were a few days (weeks, months) where this blog was the very last thing on my to-do list ... and plenty of days when I wanted to just call it and not write at all. I ended up missing a few over the course of the year, but it's been less than 7! So that means I've been writing with dedication and focus for 48 weeks this year. Not too shabby considering I've also finished a thesis, written a novel, finalized a chapbook and done a bunch of other stuff too. I'm not sure what this blog is going to look like for 2016, but I know that I've grown both as a writer and a human from this experience. If a commitment is typically accompanied by a statement of purpose or a plan of action, then I think I've succeeded in meeting my goal for these posts.
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