Just Start

Sitting in a coffee shop trying to figure out how to begin. I'm reminded of something I heard recently, no idea where, "when you don't know what to do, just start". Sometimes if takes a while to figure out what you want to say. So I just gotta start.

As we begin to get to know each other you'll see that "starting" is one of the most difficult things in the world for me. I'm so scared I'll mess up or even fail, so I just never start. Once I get started, it is easier.  That's when consistency comes in to play, but that is a whole other thing. For today, I'm starting.

I've thought about, dreamed about writing for years. I used to journal daily, but that was so different. My journal was for me, and just for me. Every now and again, I might share something with a close friend or my counselor. Those were super rare occasions and only when there was something specific I wanted to share.

Last year, in February, I had the idea to start a blog. I was working with a life coach, and realized it would be great way for me to communicate with people about my new business. I did some research, asked Google lots of questions, and then watched the recommended YouTube videos. I knew getting started would be challenging, but my life coach helped me so much by holding me accountable for doing the things I said I would do. Since I was new to blogging and my business, I chose this platform, Blogger. It was simple to use for a beginner, I already had a Google account and it's FREE. A huge selling point to someone starting a new business.

I brainstormed names for this blog; going as far as to enlist my husband because he is really pretty clever. As I was in the brainstorming process, my coach pointed out that I would need  a name for the website as well as the blog. I'll admit, it took me a few days for me to realize  that the blog title and website name did not have to be the same. #smh Deciding on the name for the website was way easier than figuring out the name for my blog. I simply used my email address. You see, I am a K-State University football fan. Have been for over 30 years (WHOA! that's a long, long time). When you think about it, it just makes sense for me to use "ksufbfan" as my website name.

At this point, I was still working on a title for the blog. I had my husband and a couple of close friends helping me brainstorm. Nothing really clicked for me. The ideas were clever and/or funny, but none of them felt like me and the me I am working to become. One Saturday night sitting in church, the pastor said something that struck a chord with me. He was talking about taking the time to remember the moments in life. I was reminded those little special moments are really all any of us have. I loved it. From that night on I knew "Remember the Moments" was going to be the name of this blog.

Part of what made me identify with the phrase "remember the moments" was the timing of the message. It was shortly after Christmas and I had spent the holiday with my parents and brother. It was the first time in nearly 20 years it was just the four of us. It was a special time for us to just be us. I will treasure that Christmas for the rest of my life. Knowing, at the same time, I can't live in the past. Connecting to the future is an extremely important concept for me, however, I can always "remember the moments".

The "remember the moments" phrase also reminds me to connect with life; all of life, the feelings, thoughts, memories, activities, just all of it. I got tired of trying to figure everything out and constantly looking for the next "thing" that would bring me happiness or fulfillment. What I realized is that this moment, today, in this noisy coffee shop, it's all I'm guaranteed.  So, despite the noise and chaos of this busy coffee shop, I choose to put my headphones in, turn up some classical music (because music with words distracts me), and start writing to you.

Even though starting this blog officially happened over a year ago, I feel like I'm starting over. In a lot of ways, I am. My life is incredibly different than it was in February 2018 and I'm changed. I'm ready to start.

I invite you to connect with me, and yourself, as we start this journey called life.