Today I was asked why do you blog? And I said it’s a way to express myself …., etc along those lines. Then I was further asked why share it? Because I’ve learnt and still learn from other people’s journey and so I hope mine could help someone… and the conversation was cut short as she had to take a work call. But it did get me thinking beyond what I’ve come to tell myself – why do I share it. This was the first question I asked myself when I started blogging, because with sharing comes exposure to the world to pick at you in the quiet of their life (that’s what my dramatic mind conjures).

So why do I blog and why do I share? Its entirely selfish I have to say. I haven’t been consistent with blogging every week as I would love to (life with a kid is so not your own). But every time I do, I have to take the time to reflect, being mindful of every second of the moment I’m trying to describe or the thought or emotion I’m trying to convey. It makes me see things form a new vantage point which makes me act differently next time or make me appreciate what I have and my journey – most times I get a lightbulb moment! 

This process has also helped me open up in ways I never would before (not there yet, I have way too many mind blockers to work through). But venerability has never been my strongest attribute. I never understood why people would share their failures or struggles – go figure it out and move on, I would say to myself. So to an extent writing has made a tiny shift in getting me to the point where I feel it’s okay to struggle but it’s even better to overcome and going through that process and coming out at the other end is equally important. 

A TEDx talk by Ijeoma on Dismantling the Culture of Silence – touched on how we like to glorify survival but not the process of surviving. Nowadays, you also hear leaders talk about the process and not just the outcome, because we’ve come to realise the importance of sharing the story about the process and the power it can give to others as they navigate through life. The process of blogging challenges my ideas of failure and weakness even as I debate on what to share and what not to. I have to confess I’m just starting on this journey and being my biggest critic I’m constantly battling on how much to give that doesn’t feel like too much.

Obviously, discretion comes into play as I truly believe that what doesn’t edify shouldn’t have a place. And certain journey you are on needs to be kept to self till the right time to share. But the beauty of the world we live in now is the the opportunity it provides us to connect beyond your immediate sphere of influence. Justsayingmum recently blogged about being You and finding your voice and of being comfortable in your own story (paraphrased) which I found really helpful in thinking about why blog?
At the end of it all, my life journey is a tapestry of beauty, love, pain, growth, Grace, fun, joy and and mercy. And it will keep weaving to create its own perfect masterpiece and hopefully as I write it does add its own little value.