This past New Years Eve I made a resolution to write something every day. It didn’t have to be long or deep…because who wants that right?… right??? But something. Every day.

Read about it here…and as a bonus, see my 20 favorite photos of 2017. Those alone are worth the paltry price of admission!

Roughly a month ago, with renewed vigor to start anew, I began. That failed resolution often weighed heavy in the back of my mind, but no more.

No editorial calendar. No list of topics. This writing was to be just what comes to the surface each day and, magically, through the power of the interwebs gets shared with the world…whether that be one person, or one hundred thousand. 

Today will mark my 29th consecutive day of writing. While rewarding in and of itself, what has been most inspiring is the feedback I’ve received. For the most part it has been very positive. Complete strangers have felt a strong enough connection with these musings to have take a moment and share their feelings. Be it via comment or email, it really means the world to me to receive notes like this one:

MAYBE IT REACHES JUST ONE

Take, for instance, our most widely read post of all time: Sunday Night Blues: 3 Steps to Help Avoid the Anxiety Treadmill 

People from almost 20 countries read this. Many reached out to share empathy, encouragement or their own tips for battling the Sunday blues.

This is a REAL thing. Did you know that most suicides are committed on Sunday evenings? That calls to suicide prevention lines are at their peak Sunday night between 10pm and 2am?

This article on suicide from the publication Independent states, “Sunday’s unique position – on the cusp between the playtime of the weekend and the start of the working week – is the cause of its high rate of callers. Sixteen per cent of calls are made on Sunday and 32 per cent of them are taken between 10pm and 2am.”

Sunday scaries indeed.

IT’S WORTH IT

Speaking with a friend about some of my recent writing I said, “If a post helps one person… just one…someone I may or may not ever know, it’s worth it. It’s worth putting myself out there and being vulnerable. Showing the world that its not all fancy Facebook feeds and vacations, that we are all scared sometimes…we are all working through something at any given moment…we all make mistakes. That if the meditation tips or checklist advice helps just one person make it through a camping trip or through another Sunday…another week…or a whole life… then it was worth putting myself out there.”

It’s worth it.

There are those that say, “you shouldn’t share so much with the public.” Social media and blog posts included. “You should be more private”, they say. They criticize the frequency of my interaction with the world.

I disagree. 

For the most part, Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and Blogs, they have all been very positive influences on my life. For example, some of the best trips I’ve taken were initially spawned from a single post or tweet. Connecting friends from across the country and across the world. Seeing others success, and failure, has only provided continued inspiration to be a better human being. Sharing ideas across platforms and cultures has been one of the greatest joys of my life – both in the giving and receiving.

Sure, there are the political posts, the “woe is me” themed meme that a certain friend seems to post week in and week out, the better-left-at-home rants about a lover or a client. But, on the whole, haven’t you found social media to be a positive presence in your life?

ITS COOL FOR THE KARDASHIANS – JUST NOT YOU

What I find most thought provoking however, is that the same people who seem to criticize “over sharing” the most, are the quickest to flip the channel to The Kardashians, Real Housewives or the 24 hour news cycle. They are the same ones stalking peoples social media feeds without ever commenting. Always lurking there in the dark – creeper style. 

The truth is they feed off the over sharing they are so quick to condemn.

At some point, if you choose not to “die with your music still in you” as my great mentor Wayne Dyer would say, you have to put yourself…and at least part of your life…out there.

At what point does sharing, or otherwise having a topic to ponder publicly, change from being an egocentric activity to being something that is celebrated? We all know every last detail about Oprah’s life don’t we? At nine years old she was raped by her nineteen year old cousin who was serving as her babysitter. Why do we know that? Because she put herself out there – to the world – willing to accept judgement.

In no way am I comparing my little ‘ole life to Oprah’s. But there no doubt was a tipping point where her story, through the power of sharing, became an inspiration to others. The difference today is that, in our information driven society, we all have the ability to inspire each other. We no longer need a publishing company to reach someone across the globe. We need only press the publish button.

Isn’t there something inherently magical about that? Shouldn’t we take advantage of this gift?

Maybe a million people will someday read this post. Maybe not. But, if something I say touches one person, in any positive way, it was worth it.

Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll be here. I promise.

See you on the journey.