08/29/2025: That 20/20 Point of View
After an unforgettable birthday weekend and day, I almost forgot that there’s one more thing to celebrate: the first birthday of my very own blog site. I bought the domain last March after struggling with another domain service that wasn’t me-friendly, and I never looked back.
Five months later, I launched my site on my twenty-ninth birthday, and just like that I’ve been doing this thing for a year. Time really does fly, and I’ve learned so much on this amazing journey. Even though I know I’m far from the world knowing who I am, I’m so happy that I get to pursue this endeavor for the sake of myself, even if that’s all it ever ends up being for.
Before this time in my life, I wouldn’t have been willing to risk anything by putting myself out there for the world to see, so if anything, this experience has made me more confident and able to do what I love without hesitation. And as a result, I feel even more comfortable in my own skin, and I feel like I’m able to be a better version of myself for the people around me.
I’ve accomplished so much over the last few years, and when I actually take a moment to stop and acknowledge that fact, I’m honestly taken aback. I’ve been working hard on myself–more specifically, my personal growth and overall well being–and I have been slowly but surely coming into my own in my creative pursuits with each passing day.
It’s amazing how many details you miss in first person, how many things that can go unappreciated when you can’t see the bigger picture. But it’s also amazing how, in retrospect, we can see ourselves so clearly. Suddenly we see ourselves in the aftermath of the long and harrowing hours, and with a fresh outlook, we can actually see the countless triumphs that came from them, too. That’s why it’s so important to stop and observe things from that 20/20 point of view; it can be pretty incredible and it just might surprise you. All of a sudden, those individual moments of success and failure amount to something pretty unbelievable, something we built all on our own when we weren’t even looking–or when we were too busy taking it all for granted.
And as I sit here now, picturing myself on day one of this journey, I know how hard I have worked to reach this very moment, and I am grateful for every twist and turn that made me who I am today. Sure, I’ll have horrible days and I’ll always lose perspective when things get hard. But I’ll also stop and admire the beauty in the struggles when I have a mind to slow down and to reevaluate how I see myself and the world now and then.
And I know at the end of the day, I’ll always find my way back to me.