Often when we start new projects, we overwhelm ourselves with ideas and choices about where or how we want the project to go. New projects are full of promises and unknowns that either excite us or scare the “you know what” out of us. Then we can’t stop thinking about all the things we can and will do with that new project — either way.

I know that is how I am, and there is a lot of both kinds of thinking going on in my head right now. 

There are many emotions that go along with stepping up to starting a new project that will take you out of your comfort zone. However, if you don’t take the chances presented to you at the time, when you look back will you do so with regret? That is the question that I started to answer at the start of 2022, and as I look back, I know that this project is worth the time and effort I have taken to overcome the challenges and questions that have come up. 

Over the past six weeks, I have been working on changing the focus and purpose of “Harold being Harold” into something that is more than a diary of my running. There are so many possibilities and ideas that I have had to process that it was rather overwhelming at times.

There have been many frank conversations with myself, looking at things from where I am, and most importantly, not fantasizing about what I am doing or could do. This time I have kept focusing on what I can actually do and what I am interested in writing about, not what is popular, easy, or gets clicks. If things go as planned it will be a niche that I fit into naturally and one that is broad enough to have fun writing about, without having to get into the weeds all the time.

The last few weeks have been exciting, but busy and yes, a bit scary at times. I have done multiple things to improve the way that I capture, process, and then be able to retrieve those ideas so I put them into words to share with you. That was a process that I will be writing about more later on. Along with changing the technology silo that I will be using for my writing going forward, which has been more work than I bargained for (although the hardware remains the same). There will be more on that when I start publishing posts regularly again too.

Even so, figuring out the different ideas, tools, or routines that I will use, then working through more than a few frustrating things that have cropped up, has been good for me. 

Why?

This new project has had its challenges, learning curves and I foresee that it won’t always be an easy journey, but I do know it is necessary, and doing this project has forced me out of the comfort zone that I had created around my writing and blogging. Which in turn caused me to look closely at how or what I was doing, versus the easy way of continuing to do what I have always done.