Day 366: Saying Goodbye
This is it. This is the end.
A year ago I made a huge decision. A year ago I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. A year ago I embarked on a journey that would inevitably lead me to this exact moment. A year ago I wrote a blog post titled "Day 1: This Is Me" and began my three hundred and sixty-six day blog post challenge.
It's extremely hard for me to even process the fact that I'm here at the end of the challenge. It doesn't seem real because it has been going on for such a long time. There hasn't been a day this entire year where I haven't thought about my blog and what to write. It has been part of me and coming to the end of that part of me is both sad and wonderful at the same time.
There have been so many struggles during this year. I've fallen behind far too many times to count, I managed to get quite a long ways into the challenge before that first slip up, but for most of the time during the last few months I've had at least one or two blog posts I had to catch up on. It was part of it, but it was the most frustrating part. Often I would put off the post until it was far too late or I would sit up at one or two a.m. trying to finish it.
I learned a whole lot about myself that I didn't know, and also confirmed a lot about myself that I suspected I knew. It has been one of the most enlightening years for me personally and in a way I'll miss exploring my mind each and every day in the form of the written word. However, I am so excited to enter into a time period without the pressure to write a blog post every single day.
This blog has transformed over the last three hundred and sixty-six days going from forty-two total blog posts to four hundred and fourteen total blog posts. It went from something I did every once and a while to something I did every single day and night. I loved it, I hated it, and I kept going no matter what. What a sense of accomplishment I feel from reaching this point and being able to say that I made it.
In the past year I have managed to write nearly 200,000 words which is longer than the average novel length and have far surpassed my expectations for this challenge. I truly did not think I would make it past a month. My gut told me I would eventually give up at some points and just not continue because I would get so far behind. Yet, every time I got behind I managed to catch up and every time I wanted to give up I kept going.
If there is any sort of message you can learn from me accomplishing this challenge it is that we can surprise ourselves. We never know what we'll be able to do when we put our minds to it and really focus in. I had not idea I would make it to this moment, but here I am and the same goes for you. You might not think you'll be able to do something, but I guarantee you that you will be able to accomplish anything and everything you set your heart on.
We are far stronger than we think and we have the ability to bounce back from greater depths than we thought. Our goals and our dreams are not as hard as we imagine them to be. They will be difficult at times and the last thing on earth we want to be doing at other times, but in the end we can reach them. I encourage you to go after what you've been putting aside recently.
You might not think you have the time, money, focus, or energy to chase after that thing. But if you make room, you will find everything you need to make it through till the end. This is your life, best be living it exactly how you want to be.
So what does all of this mean for my blog? I've come to the end of my challenge, I've written a post every day for a year, and I need a break. That doesn't mean I won't be posting, I definitely will be posting. I really enjoy sharing written words along with my new images and I found that doing an end of the month recap really helps me know what I need to work on in the coming months.
No need to worry about not seeing me on here, I'll be around, I just might be taking a break to get some of my inspirational juices flowing again. Never underestimate the power of a well placed rest, it rejuvenates the soul. But before I begin to rest, I have on more thing to do. . . It's time to celebrate!!
I reached 366 blog posts in a single year! What an accomplishment and thank you for following along with my journey, it has been a pleasure to have you along with me!
Until Next Time,
Lillian Merritt
