These past few weeks, I’ve wondered a lot about what my hope is for this blog. What I want you, dear reader, and me to take away from it. The blog space has grown astronomically over the past decade and as an avid reader, I’m overjoyed, but also overwhelmed. Therefore, as a contributor to this vast space, I want to make sure I’m not just replicating what already exists, but also being honest and choosing to write about the things that inspire me.

What inspires me most is the opportunity to tell a story, to write and express ideas that connect me with readers and other writers.

Very recently, I was tutoring english and had my students read speeches by famous women. One of the profound messages the authors of each speech expressed, was the need for each of us to tell our own story. It doesn’t matter whether you do so through painting, through photography, or maybe even through mentoring others. Simply, they showed the importance of sharing a piece of ourselves with the world in a way that inspires others to believe in themselves and keep striving toward their goals. Many of us think that expression has to be perfect, that unless we are experts, we are not worth speaking or being heard. Yet, the truth is, that each of us is an expert in our own lives and stories — in how to overcome personal hardships, in how to strengthen our relationships, in how to make each day enjoyable. And that little bit of expertise that we’ve lived and choose to share can make the world brighter.

That is all to say, my goal for this space is not to tell you to listen to my advice, or live how I’m living, or read what I’m reading. I am not here as a professional expert, but rather to share with you what I love in life and what I’m learning from great people along the way. That to me is the importance of telling your story.