Accountability Through Authenticity

Bet you didn't see this coming

A lot has happened in the 8 years since I posted about poorly made chocolate chip cookies.

• I dropped out of engineering
• I got a bachelors degree in Human Resources Management
• I've been through several different jobs 
• I've gotten engaged to my best friend, Mairin
• I moved to Vancouver BC
• I wear glasses now, glasses are cool
• I have upgraded from the bag of holding, to the wildly different backpack of holding
• I have been diagnosed with Celiac disease (making baking cookies slightly more complicated)
• I have made friends, lost friends, and gone on many adventures
• I have been through emotional hardships, and have always come out a better person

There are more details to go into then I am willing to commit to now, and the longer I try to make these posts the less likely I am to post them, so let's jump to the point.

Why revive the husk of a forgotten blog?

Authenticity

I have a lot of questions that I need to think through, and a lot of goals I want to achieve. For a couple of years now I have been learning to value myself more, improving my self-esteem, and trying to fill my life with more purpose. Most importantly, I have been trying to learn to be more authentic with myself and others. 

When I returned to this blog one of the first things I saw was a draft that had gone un-posted titled "You want to go home and rethink your life," (a reference to Star Wars Episode 2). In this post was an honest look at why I would never blogged about my classes, and how I was afraid and confused that engineering wasn't for me and that I was on the wrong path. I discuss how I opened up to my parents that I wasn't doing okay, and how they were understanding and helped me find a way to move forward. Even with this support, I was still afraid to post about it, still afraid to be honest and open with the people I care about, afraid to be authentic and say "I'm not okay."

I'm okay now. I've had my fair share of other trials and tribble-ations tribulations, but I'm doing a lot better now, and it was with the help of my parents, my friends, and Mairin, who helped me keep moving forward. 

Rather than let my thoughts sit idly in the drafts folder, I'm trying to be more authentic about who I am and how I am doing, and sharing that journey with those willing to a read it is a great way to practice.

Accountability

I have several thoughts and goals I would like to work through, and doing it in front of an audience is a good way to maintain some measure of accountability. The positivity and support that I feel from the people who are interested in reading this blog will encourage me to keep writing, and I find that I think best while I'm writing. Like that entire bit I just did on authenticity got a lot deeper than I thought it would, but writing it out helped me get to the root of what was on my mind. 

Also I just like writing and I never do it enough. I considered just starting an anonymous blog to type my thoughts out into, but I realized that this would be far more meaningful to me. 

So where do we go from here?

Some topics that I want to get into include:

• Thinking about the outcomes of some super rad career coaching that I have recently completed
• Analysing future career goals
• Exploring my interests and promoting accountability by displaying my progress
• Improving my communication and reconnecting with the people I care about (That's you)
• Pro-actively practising personal positivity
• Practising viewing my past self with compassion
• Probably getting too excited about science fiction (Denis Villeneuve is making a Dune movie AND I'M PUMPED)
• Other wholesome things

I respect that some of the people following this blog I haven't spoken to in years. If you do not want to follow this anymore, I will honestly not be offended. Alternatively, you can take this as an inspiration to shoot me an email. I would love to hear how people are doing :)