Hello Internet!
First of all I want to thank you for the best month so far in regard to the number of views the website got and the number of viewers. September was a huge month for the website and for me and it was made possible by you. So whether this is your first time on the website or you have been viewing my posts since we started in late January. Every view, like, comment, and share means the world to me. I hope going forward we can continue to have more and more views as well as visitors. I want to continue to grow this community and all the feedback I receive helps do that. Honestly all the views and new visitors really helps me keep on going on long days where writing is the farthest thing from my mind. Knowing that there are people all around the world reading my stuff and enjoying it really makes it worth it in the end. So I just want to thank everybody again. I know I might sound like a broken record, but I really do appreciate everyone who takes time out of their day to read my stuff. Second thing I wanted to say is a bit of housekeeping. This will be the only Weekly Blog posted today. I usually post Weekly Blogs every Sunday and I do this update Blogs on the 1st of every month. It just happens that October 1st fell on a Sunday so I decided to combine them together. You’re just going to get the October 1st update instead of the update and a regular Weekly Blog. Also there will not be a Weekly Blog next Sunday (October 8th). My Best Friends are getting married on October 7th (I’M SO EXCITED!!) and I am going to be completely wrapped up with that in the next week so I will not be able to publish a Weekly Blog on the 8th. I’m hoping to get out a new Pokemon Fanfiction chapter on Wednesday and New Writing Prompt Piece on Friday. I’m a little iffy about the Friday Writing Prompt Piece because of its proximity to the Wedding, but I think I should have enough time this week to get it written. So basically expect it to happen, but if it doesn’t, you’ll know the reason why.
Ok who is ready for a special October 1st update about my New Year’s Resolutions? I know I am! Quickly let me remind you that if you want to check out my original post about my New Year’s Resolutions, they can be found here. There are also updates for every month since then (seven in total) so if you want to read those, you can find them under the “Weekly Blog” tab at the top of the page. Real quick you can go back and check out the September 1st update here. That should be enough to get you caught up on my New Years Resolutions I have been working on in 2017, so let’s just jump into the October 1st update all about the month of September.
My first New Year’s Resolution is as to write more. Basically I have always been a person with a million ideas in my head about short stories, novels, and poems, but I never wrote them down. I decided that 2017 was going to be the year when I put my pen to paper (or used a computer) and wrote stuff down. That was the main reason that I started this Blog/Creative Writing Outlet. In late January I launched this website with the goal of producing five pieces a week; one blog post, two creative writing posts, and two political posts. I then narrowed my focus on the creative writing pieces and tried to produce a steady three pieces a week. Now there are some weeks where I struggle and some weeks where I produce five pieces a week. The average has remained steady at three though. In July we celebrated the 100th piece being uploaded to the website and in total there has been 126 pieces published on the website (including this Blog post). Like I said before, September was our biggest month in regard to the number of viewers and views the website received. It just amazes me that I have people around the world viewing the stuff I write on a regular basis and it feels me with confidence going forward. I just want to say thank you again to all the people out there who support me and continue to read my stuff. It means the world to me and I can’t say thank you enough. I’m hoping that we can continue to grow and grow going forward with record smashing months one after the other. Your support, through views, likes, comments, and shares, make that possible and I never forget that.
The second resolution I have for 2017, is that I want to be a more positive person and embrace my optimistic side when viewing the world. I know the world isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. I just want to focus on the positive in the world when the world is the bleakest as well as be a positive force for the people around me. There’s a lot of negativity in the world and on the internet, and I want to combat that a little by putting out positive vibes into the real world and onto the World Wide Web. So how’s this one going? Well I think it’s going pretty well. I’m not happy 100% of the time, but that would not be a realistic goal. No one can be happy all the time; however, we can all strive to be happier and look for the silver lining when bad situations arise. Of course I feel sadness, depression, anxiety, anger, and a multitude of other emotions. Regardless, at the end of the day, I try to focus on the positive stuff and pass on that positivity to others. When it comes to being a positive force to others, I can’t truly be the judge of that. I can assume that I’m doing a little good by having this website here and cultivating a positive space for others. In real life I try to do the same and I hope that the people around me can benefit from it.
My third resolution is that I want to be more adventurous. This resolution comes in two parts: Going on more adventures and have a more adventurous attitude towards opportunities. I’ve always wanted to travel the world and see everything that I can. I have major FOMO (fear of missing out) when it comes to experiences happening all around the world. I want to see everything and do everything. Of course I’m a poor college graduate so traveling the world is a little out of my price range, but I try to go on local adventures whenever possible. You never know what kind of places might be hiding in your backyard and what memories you can make by exploring local. Unfortunately for me, most of my time is taken up with work, writing, or sleeping. I haven’t really had the chance to go on too many adventures lately and that really bums me out. The other part of this resolution is that I want to be more open to new experiences and have a more adventurous attitude. Again I have bad news on this front. I haven’t been able to really move on to new life experiences. I’m kind of stuck in a rut when it comes to my life and it really brings me down. I’ve been working at the same job for 10 months now and even though it’s a pretty good job with good pay and good hours, it’s just not my passion. I really want to get into government, but I have been unable to find a job yet. This month I sent out emails to every State Representative and State Senator asking for a job. All of them basically told me that there weren’t any employment opportunities but would pass my resume onto the hiring department. So I guess that’s a plus, but I was hoping for more. The more and more I’m stuck in this rut, the less and less likely it looks like I am going to escape it. I have hope, but it’s running thin. I’m trying to stay positive (see Resolution #2), but this resolution has really put a damper on my positive attitude towards life.
My fourth and final resolution for 2017 is that I want to be healthier. This resolution is focused around my physical and mental health. If you have had a chance to read my other updates (or the original update), you’ll know that I have given up drinking pop entirely. This has been going on for over two and a half years. I drink way more water now than I did before giving up pop and I feel amazing for it. While I’m at work, the only thing I drink is water. There are still times where I’ll get a lemonade at a restaurant or drink a Gatorade at home, but for the most part water is the only thing I’ll drink on a regular basis. When it comes to diet, I’ve tried to add more vegetables and leafy greens to my diet. I will say that some months I eat a lot more salad than others. The month of September was lacking a little in the salad department, but I continued to watch what I ate and tried to have more fruits and vegetables instead of sugary desserts. I do have a major sweet tooth, so I haven’t cut out sugar and chocolate completely. I just try to be more conscious or alternatives before I decided to eat it or not. I also eat a lot of leaner meats like pork and chicken when I’m at work as well as a lot of pasta. When it comes to my level of exercise, this can vary widely. Some days at work I am running all over the place and I’m as busy as could be. Other days I am just sitting behind a computer all day and don’t take that many steps. Outside of work, I have definitely been lacking on the amount of exercise I should get. There are some days where I get out and enjoy nature, and others when I’m inside writing or watching YouTube videos all day. Still no headway with getting a gym membership and it looks unlikely going forward based on how much money I have and how busy I am with other things.
In total, that is a summary of my New Year’s Resolutions and how well I have been doing in the month of September. I think I’m doing a pretty good job overall, but I know that there are definitely room for improvement going forward. The key is to set small, achievable goals for yourself while also challenging yourself to do better. If you improve a little day by day, you will be amazed when you look back after a year or even a month. There will be days where you falter or be setback on your resolution, but you shouldn’t give up. Those stumbles are a part of improving your life and becoming a better person. Take it from a person who has many, many setbacks. If you can overcome those hurdles, you will be a stronger person for it. Also remember to set goals for yourself and use your progress to determine how well you are doing. Don’t focus on others and try to make yourself into them. Be yourself. You are an unique person with a ton of positive traits. You don’t need to become someone else. You just need to focus on making you a better version of yourself. I hope that makes sense. Last thing I want to say is that you do not need to wait until January 1st, 2018 to make some resolutions and start on them. A lot of people start resolutions in January and stop by the time March rolls around. Just take a moment to think of something you want to improve about yourself or something in your life and then make a goal to fix it. You can start today. Right now. Just make sure you set goals that challenge you a little, but not too much. You want your goals to be achievable while also setting yourself on a path of self-improvement. I think I’ve done a pretty good job setting realistic goals for myself, but sometimes I overestimate myself or how much I time I have in a day. Just be mindful that you have limitations and don’t push yourself too hard.
That’s all for my October 1st update on my New Year’s Resolutions. I hope you enjoyed that piece. Just a reminder that there will not be another Weekly Blog post today and there will not be a Weekly Blog post next Sunday because I will be busy at a Wedding. If you did enjoy this update or Blogging in general, there are plenty of Weekly Blogs under the Weekly Blog tab at the top of the page. If Weekly Blogs are not your thing, feel free to check out my other Creative Writing Pieces on the website. I’m sure you’ll be able to find something you’ll enjoy reading. If you find something you like, feel free to give it a Like or leave a comment. All your support really means the world to me!
Thank you agian and I hope you have a wonderful week!
-Allen_The_Writer
Header Photo Credit to The Odyssey’s Article about Why October is the Best Month
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/7-reasons-why-october-the-best-month
Allen The Writer 