New Determination and November Goals: A 30-Day Challenge

Happy November to the blogosphere!

I’ve missed another year of Halloween festivities and now its on to NaNoWriMo month. Although I’d secretly love to write a novel or have my own love story written down before I croak, it’s definitely not on my list of priorities 2015. Indeed there are lots of plans and ideas I have brewing for the future that will make their appearances throughout the next round of blog posts, but all of them have one thing in common – an active mind.

It’s been roughly 3 years since I updated this blog. Only seems like yesterday I was hunched over my laptop with worry crinkles on my forehead wondering what I should post next…alas! Suffices to say, I’ve been busy with a spectrum of emotions and milestones that make up my so-called life. So I’m not regretting letting my blogging duties slack. In my 3 hiatus, I’ve spent a major part of it as a graduate student at the University of Chicago for another Social Science MA (as mentioned in earlier posts here and here) which I struggled with from Day 1. In fact, I’m still struggling to finish up, and ended up returning home after trying my hand at working part-time out there in the big bad world. After that, I spent a considerable amount of time recovering from a cocktail of unhappiness, stress, and exhaustion, and spent months in Japan reacquainting myself with my childhood home while caring for an ailing grandparent.  I’ve managed to take up many new hobbies in this last six months, surprising even myself as I didn’t think I had a creative bone in my body, and even managed to squeeze in some time for self-discovery via a meditation retreat!

So now, with only a couple months before we ring in the new year, and using the excuse of NaNoWriMo to keep me motivated, I’ve decided to activate my charcoal-like mind to challenge myself to write at least a post a day for all of November 2015. I know you’re technically supposed to write blogs to help people and tell them what to do (or at least that’s what successful bloggers advise) but for me its more a mental exercise for me to stay on top of my game. Blogging, I find, involves a lot of time, effort, and hard work. It is a daily battle to come up with something that can pass as acceptable for viewage by thousands of unknown people out there… if you know what I mean!

So it’s my aim this month (November 1st – 30th 2015) to get back into writing, reading, and thinking creatively. What’s important here is that I do this alongside all the other responsibilities and goals I’ve got lined up already. A cousin’s wedding to attend at the end of November, planning where to go in December, continue to feed my Asian drama addiction, keeping my DIY artsy crafty projects going, and doing market research and gaining the skills and knowledge base to start my own business sometime early next year! And of course, last but definitely not least, I’m trying to be happy, stay connected, live healthy, exercise, and eat healthy.

All right… it’s time to get a’writing! Wish me luck on my 30-day challenge!!

~M