My best blog post may never be read. And some would assume, it’s never been written.
See, a prompt I’d read that got me thinking.
“What are your top 5 reasons to be proud of yourself?
I was in a great headspace, pounding out a response for the ages - my life in a post. And I wrote this in a matter of minutes.
Then I clicked save.
And I went about my business, feeling quite satisfied and impressed with myself. I took care of business. Got it done. Made it happen.
Then, I realized, for whatever reason, it didn’t save. Panicking, I then spent all too much time searching for it. Then I tried to recreate it.
The post I wrote was gone.
It’s as if I never wrote it, let alone thought of the words to write.
I was (temporarily, at least) devastated. I thought, “That piece was the essence of my being. It represented the place where I am now, and I’ll be able to look back years from now and “remember when” I’d written it. It represented a moment of flow I’d struggle to replicate, trying to remember everything in the post.
Then, I stopped.
I took a breath.
Then I asked myself a question.
What advice would I give someone in this type of situation?
The tasks we set out to do, or actually accomplish (and sometimes fail at achieving) are often seen as “events”. Things to do, to cross off in a checklist.
Rather than look at life as a series of separate and disjointed moments, why not look at them as part of a process?
Life is not a grocery list.
I’ve set out to write, daily. I’ve told some friends and mentors about this, because I know the value of accountability partners in my life.
But hey, you know what?
Even if I don’t have the piece to show for one day’s work, one link in the chain, I know I’ve done it.
And I remember who I’m doing this for:
Myself.
So I haven’t failed.
I’ve experienced a setback.
And, I’ve learned.
It’s so much more than the importance of properly saving my work. I’ve learned to stay focused on progress, my why, and maybe more importantly in this case, my who.
I’m writing for me. I’m not perfect. Each day I’m becoming more like the person I’d like to be.
I haven’t failed. I’ve learned.
And that’s what’s most important. More important, in fact, than the five things that I now can no longer even recall.
Oh and by the way, as of this post, my daily writing streak continues.