Thanks Medium.
Medium has done a great deal for me. And I hope I’ve been able to give back to Medium to some extent, or at least provided some readers with some relatively interesting or entertaining content.
And so I confess — it is the stories that reveal those humans out there which keep me coming back.
Marketing strategies this, or software tech-thingy-majiggy that — I can read that any day of the week (admittedly I’m hardly a software geek or even involved in any Technological frontier, so those pieces obviously appeal to me less so naturally). What keeps me coming back are the humans.
You know, the things attached to the fingers typing away to produce essays on this site? Yeah, it’s those things you should really be paying attention to sometimes. Because they remind me that life is difficult for everyone at some point or another.
I’m not someone to get too beat up about things, but I’m human.
I am human, and in and of itself, I acknowledge my limitations and those errors which make me human. I acknowledge the pain and frustration that comes with anxiety and stress. I also acknowledge that I, like everyone, I’m trying to find my ‘way’ in the world.
And so I’ve been struggling. But to start, I’ve had an amazing year.
When I say amazing, I mean ‘overcome big obstacles and established a balanced, flourishing, positive mindset’. As I say all too frequently — it’s been ‘groovy’.
I hope many of you can empathize. That year where everything started going your way — do you know of it? I hope so anyway — anyone and everyone is capable of feeling ‘right’ in some way or another.
Anyway, I’ve had realizations. Those realizations that hit you, where you’ve faced challenges that seemed all too overwhelming, and come out the other side with a smile on your face, fresh perspectives and a bounce in your step — THEY’RE AMAZING RIGHT?
Well I remember that feeling. Or I try to. Because I’m honestly struggling. Through the ups and downs, those moments of clarity and balance and contentment and…well, the way I saw life.
‘Saw’. Not ‘see’, because I’ve lost the zest to be honest. Lost my groove.
For a long time, it felt like I’d found some kind of path. Like a holy grail. This sensation of feeling completely at ease with everything going on around me, without enduring stress from others, or losing track of what made me happy and what kept me confident and quirky…all I can say is it meant everything to me.
Well I’ve lost it.
I sit here, feeling like I’m typing some letter of complaint or ‘woe me’ diary entry, hopefully with some ensuing revelation swirling around in the recesses of my mind, waiting to split through my pre-frontal cortex.
But I won’t fret. I know from reading the countless stories of others out there that there’s no need to fret.
So whilst I sit here and ‘struggle away’, I peek at my inbox each morning in the vain hope that yet another troubled soul has poured their heart out into a 8 minute pieces of writing.
Because that stuff matters.
Like I said before, articles on strategizing or opinion or business aspirations— they’re all great, and I take the time to read a few.
But it’s the honest words of upset or hurting or sad or angry people which reveal the genuine identities that reside out there in the world.
That reveal struggle and anguish and desperation.
That reveal we all have questions as to why it’s so damn hard at times, and relay the stories of so many other curious folk.
Well I can tell you something. I want to read any and all of it.
Because like you, I’m human. I make errors. I have flaws. I even have one ear a little higher than the other — what a f*** up right?
I want to hear about how you overcame your problems. How you looked at the muddied, dirty waters of a glass half empty and managed to turn it into a half full cup of constructive deliciousness. I know I’ve managed to do it. And anyone can.
It’s those stories and tales which matter the most, because, as cliche as it sounds, its the tough times which show our true character. Our resilience. Brings out our ability to tackle that which makes us uneasy or scared, only to quash and rise above.
So. Thank you again to everyone on this platform, for sharing themselves with the world. All I can say is I’ll continue to try and do the same.