I’m so lucky to have found journaling, because it helps me understand myself better. When I was a kid, I loved to read and write, but then in school I would receive C’s for my work so I became discouraged. No matter how hard I worked on a paper or how interesting I found what I was writing about, my grade would not get any better. Our education system doesn’t care if you’re enjoying learning about something - they want you to learn it in the way they teach it. So, like so many other kids, I became discouraged and did the bare minimum to get by.
When I was stuck in a tent in Italy for three months, and thankfully I had a guitar and paper. Each day I would help out on the farm where I pitched my tent, and then I would play guitar and sing until my fingers ached and my voice was hoarse. And then I would write. I don’t know what encouraged the writing but it wanted to flow so I let it. Philosophy… Psychology… People… Family.... Growing into the hero I would want to be… These are the things I would write about. I was seeking answers about myself because I wanted to find a purpose…
I’m not sure I’ve discovered my true “purpose” yet but I have a focus and direction for now, and am confident that if I follow my flow I’ll be able to fulfill my destiny. My focus and direction for now is personal growth and doing everything I can to support other people’s growth. I’m doing it with my writing, and I’m doing it by building a bartering system called Smeezy. I believe that we have a lot of wealth in community and that if we put our resources together, we will be able to do a lot more for ourselves and our families - that’s the purpose of Smeezy - Reduce Consumerism + Build Community. And with the writing, I like to write back and forth with people to inspire personal growth and to help us work through any issues we might have with each other or elsewhere in our lives.
How I got to this form of writing:
While I was in Italy I met some cool people and they asked me what I was writing about, my response was “my personal growth.” And they told me all about themselves, their relationships, and the things they have held onto since childhood. And then they asked me to write with them. Straight up. Maybe it was because I wasn’t from there, or because I look so sophisticated, or just because I cared. And we wrote and we went deep. BOOM! Within a week of this, I felt the inspirational positive vibration. Everyone had the same worries and insecurities as me, regardless if they were a teacher or doctor. Halfway around the world, in Italy. These conversations lifted me so much because I felt so alone for so long. This is why I offer to do this for ANYONE now, because sometimes you just need to open up your heart.
I encourage people to write letters like this to their friends and loved ones, as it is a great way to get a message across in a loving way, without distractions or interruptions. I’ve written many letters by now but I think that this is a good example to show what I’m talking about, because it doesn’t go too deep into anyone’s personal life and might inspire you too ;) This person has already been working on their personal growth but is having troubles deciding what they want to do with their life. Like many other college students, she is going through school learning things without the thought of how she will apply them to her dream job. I did the same thing and got very little out of my education because of this. I hope for Isabel, you, and myself, that we can all gain something from this knowledge and become better, happier, wiser people.
Keep it Easy
Keep it Smeezy
Peace and Love,
William S.
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