Well, here it is. The introductory post. This is where I tell you, friends, why I started this blog and what I hope its purpose will be. So here goes. (And yes, this is technically the second post on this blog--I had originally started this blog on Wordpress and forgot to import the posts in the correct order!)
I have always had a passion to be doing something important. I remember when I was a kid, I would annoy my younger sister by complaining to her how bored I was, and with every suggestion she offered, I would tell her that I wanted to do something “interesting and important.” I hate wasting time; I want to do something that matters; I want to leave an impact on the world and the people around me. I love to create. And yet, the more I look at the way I spend my time, the more I realize that I do much more consuming than I do creating. Like most of us, I can spend hours on the internet, surfing Facebook and Pinterest, laughing at memes and pictures of cats, and watching movies on Netflix.
Now, I don’t think there is anything wrong with any of those activities. I don’t plan on giving them up, and I’m certainly not advocating that you do, either. What bothers me about this is not the actual content of these activities, but the way that I use them. I can read dozens of news headlines on my RSS feed, but that doesn’t mean that I care about the people involved in the stories. I can pin projects and recipes on my Pinterest boards, but that doesn’t mean I have actually made them. I can read all about my friends’ daily lives on Facebook, but if I scroll right past without interacting with them, I haven’t strengthened my friendships in the slightest.
I spend a lot of time reading other people’s words, listening to other people’s music, and looking at other people’s art. It’s inspiring, yes, to see the work of others, but what good is inspiration if it doesn’t lead to creation? That is the question I’ve been struggling with. And that’s the question I want to help you struggle with through this blog. I’m going to share my own thoughts and adventures in learning to consume less and create more, and I hope you will share your thoughts with me as well. I want to make my life count for something. I have something to say, something to contribute to the world, and so do you. Let’s share it.
