At first, my writing might look like self-righteous navel-gazing. I can see why, but that term has never sat quite right with me.
"Navel-gazing" describes being overly self-absorbed, self-indulgent, and perhaps a bit out of touch. It comes from the idea of staring at your own belly button.
I didn't start publishing my writing to puff myself up. Writing helps me feel more grounded. Journaling offers a way to process my thoughts—to sort the puzzle pieces and create clarity. But what I choose to publish is for others. It's about what I've learned and how they can use it.
I don’t write to make things about me. When I share about myself, it's an attempt to make something relatable. Those are meant to be olive branches. If they land awkwardly, it’s only because I’m still learning how to share after years of self-repression. And I'm working on it.
A lot of what I write about stems from social norms that don't make sense to me. Or, at least, didn't until I'd figured out what felt off about them... It often comes down to the gap between what people say and what they do. Plenty of stuff gets mislabeled in that messy middle. And untangling is what I do.
I learned it out of self preservation, but my writing is an attempt to gift clarity to those who seek it. Since everyone's different, the best I can do is try to nudge in ways that create a new way of seeing things. Any clarity gained on their part is because they connected their own dots.
That's why I hit publish.
Our Daily MAP Year Prompt
14/365
Think about something you say you want—do your actions back it up? If your best friend said the same thing—but wasn't taking steps toward making it possible—what would you tell them?
onward.
-dmac