Launching a blog and having the confidence to keep it going is hard. Today, my inbox delivered much-needed inspiration.
As I continue my journey into the land of #Woo, I’m studying how to expand my mind and improve health. I’m also studying my actions and reassessing the impact my consumption has on society and the earth.
For a long time, I dabbled with the idea of launching a blog on Conscious Closeting, exploring how to build a more sustainable, earth-friendly, lower-waste wardrobe. One of the people I immediately began following was minimalism expert Courtney Carver.
Courtney started down her path to minimalism in 2006 after she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Over time, she realized she didn’t have to be defined by M.S. She decided to “choose what foods I put in my body, what treatments I take, who I spent time with, who is on my medical team, and how I view my life and the world.”
She went on to launch the blog Be More With Less and wrote the book Soulful Simplicity.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Be More with Less, and today Courtney shared 10 lessons she has learned from a decade of blogging. I won’t repeat all 10 lessons — please read her entire blog. Below are the three lessons that stood out for me, and let me know I’m on the right path:
#1 Courtney’s Lesson: Consistency matters more than intensity.
I have to work on myself every day. Feeling calm and centered doesn’t come naturally. I over react when I want to under react. I hold on when I mean to let go. In between all the lovely parts are messy parts. Sometimes I think I’ve got it all together but unless I’m intentionally focused, I’m all over the place. …. Consistency matters more than intensity.
My take: Thank you, thank you, thank you for saying this! Some days I feel like an absolute mess, and I question why I think I’m qualified to write this blog. On other days, I get an idea that I’m so excited about I can’t wait to write. We all know success never comes in a straight line, and life is messy. I need to remind myself of this constantly — it’s the consistent little steps I take that will keep me moving forward.
#2 Courtney’s Lesson: You can get started before you know what you are doing.
Never wait until you think you know it all or until you think you have it all figured out because when you start, you usually discover that you really don’t know what you need to know and the only way to know is by starting, stumbling and discovering what really matters.
My take: I waited too long to start this blog because I didn’t think I knew what I was doing or had enough “expertise” in the area of #Woo. Honestly, I let fear hold me back from launching. I finally realized I just needed to do it — just publish that very first blog. It was the most amazing feeling to launch this blog and realize yes, I can do this. It is not perfect, but it “is.”
#3 Courtney’s Lesson: Working harder is not the answer.
Movement without stillness becomes burnout. Rest, recover and be kind to yourself as you find your way in work and in life. Leave the keeping up and catching up behind. Don’t be afraid to walk away and give things room to unfold as you remind yourself that everything will be ok even if it feels like things are falling apart. As Wallace Stevens said, “sometimes the truth depends on a walk around the lake.”
My take: This is why I love my 2020 New Year’s Resolution: Non-striving. When I work too hard and strive too much, the wheels fall off. My health gets worse; my mood suffers; my work deteriorates. That’s when I remind myself that this year is all about non-striving. I take some deep breaths, look at the sky, go for a walk, make some iced tea, or meditate. Only then does my energy start to return, and my stress begin to ease.
Thank you, Courtney, for your blog. It’s the inspiration I was seeking today, and the #Woo made sure to send your message my way.
P.S. And if an idea is really meant to live in the world, it will. Journalist Elizabeth L. Cline published the book The Conscious Closet in 2019 on how to build a more sustainable closet. I read it. You should, too.