Starting Again, Slowly

It’s so easy to stop writing a blog.

The last time I wrote about pop-ups, the season started… then ended… and suddenly it was a new year.

So—okay. Let’s start again.

Over the past couple of months, I started using Libby, the public library app. You can listen to audiobooks just like Audible, but for free. A friend told me about it, and now I listen to books while making jewelry. I was surprised by how many audiobooks are available—and how easy it is to borrow, return, and even place holds.

So far, most of what I’ve been listening to is about business and self-development.

Right now, I’m listening to Hidden Potential by Adam Grant, and one phrase really stuck with me:

People don’t procrastinate because of a lack of time, but because of discomfort.

That hit a little too close to home.

I didn’t stop writing because I didn’t have time. I stopped because it felt uncomfortable. I told myself I didn’t have topics, or that I didn’t know what to write, or that I had more important things to do. (Honestly… not really.)

There’s a quote from Ted Lasso that goes something like:“If you feel comfortable, you’re doing it wrong.”(Especially when you’re trying to improve—like learning a new language.)

I’ve been “learning” Spanish on Duolingo for five years, but I still can’t really speak it. Maybe that’s not learning—maybe that’s just playing. (No complaints about Duolingo, though.) I studied Italian in college and lived in Florence, and when I try to speak Spanish, Italian still comes out first. Experience matters more than comfort.

We hear “get out of your comfort zone” all the time. This year, I want to try that—just a little. Not as a New Year’s resolution, but as a quiet intention.

So this is me starting again.

Writing, even when it feels awkward.

Trying, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Let’s see where that leads.