A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
This quote is often erroneously attributed to Confucius, but it is actually by the Chinese philosopher Laozi and in Chinese it should look like this: 千里之行，始於足下 (or at least according to Wikipedia).
What it means is actually that even the longest and most difficult ventures have a starting point. Well, let this article be the starting point, the first step of my writing journey.
I have known for quite a while that one day I would like to write a book. I have made various attempts and I have so many ideas, interests and insights I would like to write about but I somehow cannot manage to connect the dots yet and make a concise and coherent story out of them.
We often make things look big and complex. We all have these big fancy dreams that inspire us on the one hand but at the same time scare us to death. We don’t dare acting upon them because they are too vague to understand, too difficult to accomplish, too risky or just too good to be true.
So, instead of giving up or procrastinating my dream until some uncertain time in the future I have decided to start a blog.
Why not splitting this big and scary dream into smaller chunks on which I can work regularly?
I hope that by doing this I will gain the necessary experience and the valuable feedback from you, my readers, to finally write that book and make my dream come true!
But first let’s take a step at a time and let me start with telling you a little bit about myself and what you can expect from me.
My life has changed fundamentally during the last four years. I thought I had a plan and a pretty good idea of how my life will evolve but as it often happens with plans, they might remain just that, plans.
I said my life has changed but for the people who know me well enough it might not be that obvious. I mean it’s not that I quit my job, left the country and became a nun, so people around me might not necessarily see a big difference from the outside. It’s the way I feel that has changed as well as my perception of the world around me.
While I was working so hard to follow the plan I had in my mind and to achieve everything I thought I was dreaming of, I had forgotten who I really was and what was truly important to me. I was rushing through life without a clear idea what I was actually hoping to achieve.
So, after pushing the gas pedal too hard and my limits too far for too long, life faced me with the greatest challenge I had ever been faced with: to find a way to live with all the questions and insecurities that have arisen within me and to learn to be silent, patient and accepting.
I believe that sooner or later every single one of us is faced with existential questions like:
“Who am I?
Why am I doing what I am doing?
What is the meaning of my life?”
My dream to write a book is a result from my struggles with these questions and the way I have found peace with them. I hope that by sharing my story, my dreams and hopes but also my personal fears, struggles and vulnerability, I can show you that we are not that different from each other and that sometimes all it takes to change our lives for the better is just a little change of perspective and small but consistent steps in the right direction.
I believe our world has seen enough of the big heroes who are successful, acknowledged, rich and famous but too little of the real struggles people experience every single day. I want to show the inconsistency of our inner worlds and the constant battles we have with ourselves while we are living our ordinary lives.
I promise you that I will be open and honest and that I will share my personal struggles and experience. I hope that by reading about how I am striving to overcome my blockades and to move in the direction of my dreams, you will get the courage to do it, too.
So, my journey of a thousand miles begins with this first step. How about yours?
What is it that you are dreaming of and what is the first step that you can take today to start your own journey?
Please Note:
My stories are not scientific.
If you expect to see how what I am saying is backed up by a lot of facts and figures, you might remain disappointed. What I am writing about is personal and my goal is to share my thoughts and experiences on certain topics. I might not be right and you might not always agree with me. That is perfectly fine. As long as what I am saying triggers you to think about how you feel and what is important to you, my goal has been reached.
My writing is not perfect.
I am not a native English speaker and I have not followed any writing courses in my life. I am not trying to impress you with my perfectly polished way of writing and expressing my thoughts. What I am simply offering to you is a window to the soul of another human being who is trying to make sense of the world around her.
Just keep an open mind and give it chance. You might be surprised.
Enjoy reading!
