As I near my 100th article, I found myself asking, "what actually makes a milestone?"
In a sense, milestones are very artificial. People seem to love certain whole numbers, such as a TV series reaching its 100th episode, but why is that number any better than 98? Or why is it celebrated more than when the same show reaches episode number 136?
This thought led me down a rabbit hole of looking at why I started this blog and why am I continuing to pump out articles. And, then, the big question of why am I enjoying the writing process so much?
After writing down some answers to those questions (which I plan to share in my 100th published article), I figured out that "what actually makes a milestone" is the wrong question to ask.
Take Notice Of Your Personal Wins
I tweeted out the following message just the other day:
Don't get me wrong. Chronically upbeat people can be exhausting.
It's easy to think, "Have you seen the news?? How can they be happy and celebrate with all this going on in the world?"
But, if you feel yourself falling down this "hater life" path, stop yourself and ask, "In a healthy way, what kind of things can I start doing today to enjoy my present life more?"
The Right Question
As I said, asking what actually makes a milestone was the wrong question.
The right question is, "What can I be proud of or thankful for today?"
There is nothing wrong with celebrating in a healthy way when you lose that 36th pound when your goal is ultimately 45 lbs.
Life is hard, maybe even brutal at times.
However, life is still filled with many wins, so there is no point in spending too much brain power focusing on your losses.
Yes, acknowledge and learn from your losses, but pursue a life where you are quickly able to move on from those perceived failures and look at how many wins you will achieve over the immediate future.
My 100th Article
With all this said, I will feel good once I reach the 100-article mark. But, I will also aim to purposefully feel good when I publish articles #101, 102, 126, 189, and so on.
The Lesson
I am not ignorant of how privileged this article may sound. I realize how good I have it, and there are many less fortunate ones who don't even have shelter, food, or running water.
Because of this realization, I even more so want to acknowledge my day-to-day wins and how fortunate me and my family are.
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