On Evolution

Personal evolution. Growing out of your current shell of who you are, and becoming something different. My friend gave me a book called Essentialism by Greg McKeown. I’m partly through it, but it has me thinking about becoming something more than what I am.

I wrote a book in November, and I’m slowly working my way through editing my manuscript and preparing it for an eventual push for publishing. What I didn’t know going into the book writing process was that I would eventually change. Over the past few years I’ve been making slow continual changes to my thought process. In the past three months, these changes I’ve been applying to my life have accelerated. I’m changing faster. I’m cutting useless noise out of my life and focusing on my strengths. I’m reading more. A lot more. In the past three months, I’ve read more books than I have in the entire year (possibly two years) before. I’m devouring knowledge and I’m seeing a shift in my perspective of the world.

I got rid of almost all social media from my phone. Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, all gone. I keep messenger because it’s excellent for group chats for my school projects and basic communication in general, and Medium. I realized that I spent a large amount of my time browsing Facebook/Reddit looking at nothing. Browsing for the sake of browsing. I cut it out. I read a whole novella yesterday and I’m 20% through another book.

I’m growing my skills as a writer this year. It was a definite goal I set out at the beginning of the year, just three weeks ago. Since then, I’ve come up with dozens of ideas for short stories (obviously to be posted here when done), I’ve taken a position as a writer for a satirical news site - of which I’ve written three articles so far in my two weeks of work.

I honestly didn’t even know I wanted to be a writer, I stumbled upon it slowly one day when I saw a really interesting writing prompt and just ran with it. I spent a lot of my time focusing on making music last year. I released an album of my own and recorded one with my band. I still love it, but lately my passions have been directed towards writing. I’m in flux between writing and music I think. It’s not that I’ll leave it behind because I still managed to create a song so far this year for another musical project. I’m learning where my passions are, and I’m learning to focus on them.

I like spending more time alone. Going out with friends is great, but being social plays a smaller role in my life now that I’m realizing my passions. In a few years, what will matter more? How many bars I went to, or how much time I put into my art*?

*(Art is a catch-all term I’m using for writing, music, photography and other creative pursuits I entertain).