Starting epically: Day 1/30 and what it’s going to be about

I’m not the most diligent person in the world. As a matter of fact, I’m not within shouting distance of diligent. I have blogged before, but only in the “dear diary, nothing interesting happened today, had soup for lunch” style — I mean, there’s nothing bad about that, but it’s not significant. If there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to be — apart from brilliantly smart and strikingly sexy, of course — it’s significant. At the same time, I’m not really sure how to define it, but I know it involves doing stuff that evokes a reaction in people — anything from mild interest to febrile delight.

I read plenty of blogs, many of them truly inspirational. Blogs about language — as I’m a hopeless language geek — and about how to go through life while kicking ass and being awesome. But as I admire the bloggers, I cannot help but see them as a “special” kind of people, even though I know this is not the impression they want to make. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that positive attitude and determination in working toward personal goals is something that “happens to others,” kinda like STDs. But on the other hand — what do those people have that I don’t? Theoretically, nothing; practically, why not try and find out?

Today, one of the people whose blogs I’ve been reading for quite a while, Karol Gajda, wrote that starting his blog was a single step towards drastically improving his life. Mind you, this is not the first time I’ve come across this idea; a few months ago, I read a similar inspirational and memorable post by Benny the Irish polyglot, who in turn mentions a couple other successful bloggers sharing their dreams and goals with the world.

If so many people are doing this, I thought, it might be worth trying.

Thus, this blog.

So, what is it going to be about?

• I will write about what interests me — mostly languages and linguistics, but also literature, trying to live a meaningful life, youtube kitty videos and summer walks around the town.
• In the first 30 days, I will write and post something every day (then I’ll adjust my schedule based on my experience). It seems like a lot, but, first of all, I do have the time, and, secondly, it will motivate me to actually find things to write about. I’m pretty sure there’s enough going on in my life to provide me with plenty of blogging material. I just have to make an effort. After all, I learn something new every day, so I can as well share it with others. Besides, writing often will help me achieve what is perhaps my most important goal:
• I want to find my voice. Now, I don’t consider myself a particularly bad writer, but I know how hard it is to make the words flow, to feel that they really belong to me, to make sure they really convey what I have in mind. This isn’t made easier by the fact that I seldom know what I exactly have in mind, but this is certainly something I can work on.

Starting with a 30-day trial might not be the wisest thing, taking into account what I just said about not being the most diligent person around. Actually, it’s kinda scary — but also pretty amazing. And epic. I like epic. Even if I fail, it will be an epic fail, so it won’t be entirely bad ;)