So, I’m Starting a Blog…

Here goes nothing! I’ve thought of starting a blog many times over the years and for many different reasons am just now sitting down to write this first post. Distractions from this effort abound – in fact, as I type, I am listening to Ellis argue with Eric about getting a bath. I’ve been busy raising little humans and working on my marriage, I’ve been busy growing my career, I’ve been busy trying to become the best version of myself, and – quite frankly – I’ve been busy being scared. I’ve feared not knowing what to say, saying the wrong thing, or being judged for my openness with words. Today I am pushing that fear aside and making this idea a reality.

I have a few goals for this blog:

• First and foremost, I hope it will be an outlet for me – a way to work through some of my own thoughts and feelings. I’ve never been one for journaling, but I do write for a living – so I am hoping I can use this platform to articulate some of my personal thoughts and ideas in a similar way that I do my professional ones. I’ve struggled with my mental health over the years and I think that getting things out instead of keeping them in may prove cathartic
• I do also hope that this blog will impact and maybe even inspire people. I think all too often we feel a pressure to look/act/feel a certain way and it inhibits us from sharing as honestly and authentically as we all should. I’ve found that when people I look up to are open and honest, I feel seen in a powerful way and perhaps some of my sharing can do that for others
• I feel with all that’s going on in the world today, it’s time to break silence. I am no #influencer and I do not strive to be. I don’t have a major platform or a huge following, but I do have a voice – and I feel it’s my obligation to use it 
• Finally, I hope that if ever my children want to learn more about who their mama was, they can look back at these vulnerable moments and better understand who I am, who I was, and who I become

What’s in a Name?

For this blog to accomplish my goals, I knew I couldn’t focus in on just one area of my life (spoiler alert: this won’t be the next Scary Mommy). Sure, I’ll write about motherhood and marriage – but there’s much more to me than those things and I want a space to discuss it all. 

Thus, I landed on the name “Adventures in Self-Actualization.” I loved this description of self-actualization that I found on InteractionDesign.Org:

“In Motivation and Personality (1954), Abraham Maslow states, “What a man can be, he must be”. Maslow’s quote refers to self-actualization, which is the highest level or stage in his model of human motivation: the ‘Hierarchy of Needs’. According to the hierarchy of needs, self-actualization represents the highest-order motivations, which drive us to realize our true potential and achieve our ‘ideal self’. Self-actualization needs are also referred to as our ‘being’ needs; these include personal and creative self-growth, which are achieved through the fulfilment of our full potential.” 

I think it’s perfect! Sharing the adventures along the way of working to reach my true potential and be my best self. Thank you for being along for the ride. 😊