Madison Sites

I’m writing this first post for a blog that is, currently, 95% Word Press stock photos and filler text. The remaining writing (in the “About” section) is, at best, a guess of where this is going and, at worst, really just something I’m soap boxing about these days.

If I waited until I felt that the design was perfect and I knew exactly what I wanted, well, it would be yet another three years before I maybe did something about it. That doesn’t mean it would be ready, I’m just saying that I would have done something. Sure, I would have eventually fixed it all up and maybe I would have even pre-written a lot of blog posts in advance to prepare and get a better focus on what the heck we’re doing here.

But, if that were the case, then I would have the same problem that I’ve been ranting about for what feels like years: things don’t magically happen overnight.

I so wish we had a picture of our house on the first day we moved into it, but it was far too crammed and messy for me to consider documenting such a state. If I had it, that photo would show that we didn’t just arrive to living well with only the things we love most in 300 sq ft together. We worked really hard get here. We still do.

If I had a photo of myself when I was too embarrassed to document my body at a size that was, in my opinion, less-than-desirable, I would have some encouragement for the days when I forget how far I’ve come. I still haven’t made it to where I want to be, but some perspective really helps to make the journey a happy one. When the road is fun, you’re a lot more likely to get to your destination.

If I had the stats from the first run I went on, I could prove that no matter how slow or how brief that original one is, you are still in a great place to become someone that manages – maybe even enjoys – running for 26.2 miles.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any of those historical trinkets, so I have to keep hoping that people just believe me. I can get pretty delusional at times, but I’m “with it” enough to know that people usually don’t believe me.

Maybe I’m just crazed or lucky. Maybe I’m underestimating them. Maybe all three?

But maybe I’m not.

I’m looking to challenge all of the misperceptions I’ve heard from people over the years. It’s exciting that for what seems like the first time in my life, I will be documenting the beginnings of something – even if I’m not sure what this something is just yet. Not just as argument points for my ranting, but encouragement for myself.

So, here I am with my imperfect blog and a matching first post.

Oh, and an explicit challenge if you aren’t feeling one already:

Start right here, right now, in this less-than-perfect place in your life. Move just an inch towards the person you want to be. You can’t give the world a marathon today, but don’t let that stop you from giving it just the first steps you can manage.

Stretch goal: Document this imperfect step of yours.

Bonus points: Share in the vulnerability and post it in the comments below.*

*For the record, reaching out to the vast internet for a response when it’s the most likely to just stare back at me with pity definitely counts as my “shared vulnerability”.