Editor’s Note: I’m proud to celebrate 300 posts this week, but I’m also finalizing the edits on my new book. I was at a loss about how to recognize the occasion, so I researched some of my old posts. When I reached the 10-year anniversary of my mindfulness practice, I wrote this post with a letter from my future self. It made me proud to read it and I decided to write another. This letter is written to myself back in December 2020 when I launched the blog. Please enjoy and if you are thinking of starting writing and need a pep talk please reach out to me!
Dear Claire,
This is you from the future again. I know I wrote you a few years ago. I found that letter again recently and liked it so much that I decided to write a new one. Sorry if this is annoying. I promise I won’t start texting you or messaging you on LinkedIn.
Instead, I’ll keep my messages restricted to milestone moments. You have another one this week. You hit 300 posts on this blog! Can you believe it?
How Did 300 Blog Posts Happen?
I bet you can’t. I know when you started this blog in 2020 you weren’t sure what would happen. You didn’t know much about blogging. You just liked writing and and mindfulness and needed a a place to put your words.
Remember how you used to worry that you were making a big mistake by starting a blog? You were always so worried that you would run out of time or ideas.
Way back when, even before the blog, do you remember how you worried about whether you could write one blog post a month? For the last six years, you have been writing almost 1 post every week. And you have written and edited books along the way too?
You Managed the Blog Week by Week
It’s pretty amazing what can happen when we let it. Isn’t it?
I hope that I’m not making your head spin by talking about 300 blog posts. I know you are new to this whole blogging thing and taking it week by week. Claire, I want you to know that is exactly how you should take it.
Your schedule, like the schedules of other lawyers, is irregular. It can change on a dime. It will change wildly as you go through two job changes, raise kids, and become a popular speaker.
The blog may seem hard to manage now at the beginning, but just wait until you have even more things to manage. But don’t be scared. I’m not trying to warn you here. Instead, I’m saying that you will grow.
Writing Became a Calling
Writing isn’t a chore for you. It’s not a job. It’s something that is a part of you. Or at least eventually it will become that way. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and use an arguably cheesy term here. Writing for you is a calling.
For many years, Claire, you refused that call. You doubted yourself, and told yourself you were too busy. You believed the lie that, as a lawyer, you were only allowed to bill hours. Or you fell prey to the related lie that any free time should be devoted exclusively to your children.
But somehow, you pushed through all that crap. Somehow you saw the truth that those lies swirling in your head were just doubt. They were the same doubts you’d had your whole life.
Blogging Became an Essential Practice
I won’t lie to you. This blog does not make those doubts go away. I actually just wrote a post about doubt last week. It’s still alive and well. But you know what? You have learned that writing a blog post is a great way to work through big emotions.
In addition, Claire, you should know that the doubt arose because you are editing your first novel. Yes, you wrote a novel or at least a fable about mindfulness. This means that doubt keeps arising because you continue to take risks and try new things.
How were you able to try writing fiction, which was very new to you? You were able to do that because you haven’t just been training the skill of writing all these years. Instead, you have been training discipline, self-confidence, and listening to your inner voice.
Just Keep Writing, Even When It’s Hard
I know that this blog is still new to you, Claire. I know you aren’t sure where it’s headed. I’m writing to tell you it’s headed in a good direction. You just have to keep writing.
Will it be easy? Absolutely not. You will write many – if not most – of the posts last minute. You will lack motivation and inspiration some weeks and sometimes feel like you are just going through the motions. Some weeks, you will skip writing a post because you just can’t deal with it. Sometimes it will feel pretty lonely.
But of course, you know that’s okay. You have already learned how to get off track and came back, over and over again, with your meditation practice. So don’t stress when that happens. Don’t worry that the magic you found in writing will somehow leave you.
Instead, you’ll take breaks. You’ll live life for a while. And the ideas will come back when you are ready. And you will have so much fun.
Blog Posts Can Lead to Good Things
You’ll also meet people through your writing. People will find you on the internet and reach out to chat. You will make friends by showing up as yourself in your posts. You will also discover the writing will make networking and marketing your law practice so much easier.
Claire, let’s be honest, I can’t tell you that the blog will make you famous. I can’t say it will make you rich. I don’t promise that it will always be fun and you’ll never wonder if it’s too much work.
But I can say one thing with absolute confidence. People don’t do something 300 times because they get nothing out of it. They do a thing 300 times for a reason. You kept writing post after post because it was good for you. You kept writing because it brought you joy.
I know you probably feel unsure now at the beginning. It’s okay to feel unsure. It’s no big deal if you don’t have a clear plan. Just keep writing.
Thank you for trusting yourself and the rest of the world for starting this blog. Thanks for taking the time to build something new. It’s been a fun ride over these years. I can’t wait to see how many more we get!
With gratitude, Your Future Self
Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, How to Be a Badass Lawyer, for a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.
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