Goal 2

I came to Cambridge with a lot of goals in mind.

It just so happens that my study abroad program falls at the start of the New Year, so some may call these resolutions, but I prefer to call them goals. Resolutions are driven by a desire for results; my goals are just ways to focus on getting the most out of my study-abroad experience. And if it so happens that fulfilling them also changes how I live post-Cambridge, then all the better.

So as with everything important in my life, I made a list of what I wanted to accomplish here:

1. become a better speaker
2. write for a public audience (blog!)
3. be healthy, eat well, and exercise
4. make new friends and gain new perspectives
5. do things that scare you (ballroom dancing, traveling alone, etc.)
6. figure out your future (grad school?, start a company?, design education?, etc.)

So here you have Goal 2. And why writing? Because I want people to understand how I think, and I've found that a lot more difficult than it sounds. Although I often write thoughts and opinions for myself, I don't know how to write those same things for others to read. The unfiltered journal writing that I do is quite different from the polished and well-phrased writings of Brain Pickings or the zany, interesting pieces of waitbutwhy. 

So I'm approaching this exactly the way I would approach improving any skill: practice. I'll be writing weekly posts about anything and everything: my travels, my goals progress, my experiences, my thoughts...And I'm tackling blogging as a design challenge. How do you write in a way that appeals to a diverse audience? How do you make your thoughts and experiences relatable? How can you inspire others to believe what you do? 

And at the end of this, I hope to (does that make these sub-goals?) become a better, more consistent writer and get at least one reader to think about something in a new way.

So here goes nothing: welcome to Goal 2.