This post has been edited for numerous typos only! Sorry! š®āšØ
Well good afternoon poets!
After almost a year of writing this newsletter with a grand total of 28 subscribers and a little over 10 comments, Iāve decided to turn off all paid subscriptions and remove all paywalls.
Everything is now open and free for everyone!
After a few recent conversations about the newsletter with various people, Iāve realized that I can do more good in this world if I just gave it away for free (at the moment).
Was the monetary potential of operating a newsletter a nice bonus? Sure
However, that was never the goal of starting The Year I Became.
I started The Year I Became as way to spread the idea that we can experience a fuller (if not the full) breadth of our human experience if we stopped tryin to pigeon ourselves into only doing one thing our whole livesā¦
If we stopped lying to ourselves, or believing the lie, that we should only have one passion, one purpose, one hobby or interest.
Look at all the great figures of history, all the titans of industry, or masters of their arts and fieldsā¦ That line of thinking does not define them!
They were multifaceted individuals who tried their hands at numerous endeavors throughout their lifetimes, with some more notable than others.
Why then should we cut ourselves off from that same experiential opportunity?
One likely answer is that, itās hard.
And by hard I mean, daunting.
Living oneās life to the fullest requires an ongoing, conscious and courageous effort to try new things and push our personal boundaries, even - no, especially - in the face of āfailure.ā
Because letās face it, who wants to fail, right?
WRONG!
It is only through failure that we learn the true meaning of success!
Just as the absence of heat, informs us that itās cold, or the sun in the sky informs that itās daytime:
failure is nothing more than a signifier of future success.
Ifā¦
We study and evaluate what thoughts or actions that led to the failure in the first place; make the necessary and calculated corrections, and endeavoring not to make those missteps again in the future.
That is how we learn, grow wiser, improve, and progress.
Butā¦
This is not what the masses are taught.
Instead weāre led to believe that failure is ābadā and āshould be avoided at all cost.ā
Well let me ask you this?
How many failed attempts did it take for SpaceX to successfully launch and land one of their rockets?
How many failed attempts until your great-great grandma found just the right ingredients that would be become āThe Secret Family Recipeā thatās been passed down for generations?
How many failed test crashes did it take for the car you drive to pass its rigorous safety standards, finding its way into your heart and home?
The list goes on and on.
Are you starting to see the pattern?
Failure is not the enemy.
An aversion to facing and learning from that failure is the enemy.
Thereforeā¦
If we are willing and ready to take on the weight - and responsibility - of failure as a necessary step in the process toward our future success, we open ourselves up to the wealth spring of opportunity, and abundance that awaits us.
And remember thisā¦
If you are able to read all of this right now, understand that you are fortunate enough to do so!
There are millions, perhaps billions, who may never be able to reach their full potential simply because they cannot read.
Or, have little to no access to a wider education - and no, I donāt mean the institutionalized version.
With this in mindā¦
The Year I Became was designed to be an antidote to this misconception; a way to ābreak the mold.ā
Itās also the first step in a larger vision that I was blessed with around the age of 10-12.
If, on average, we have 80 years āto live,ā why waste it all only doing one thing when we āgrow up?ā
Only to be saddle with the burden of regret!
Instead, what if we (I at the time) devoted one year of our lives to learning something new - whether it be a skill or field of knowledge?
Instead of just one life, we could, in theory, live 65 lives (provided you started at 16 and include the life youāre living right now haha)!
How much more could we experience?
How much more could we accomplish?
Who might we become?
When you look back at the fullness of your life - of your human experience - do you want to say āI lived my life in fearā, or that āI dared to become the best of myself, by embracing all of myselfā?
I am of the belief that:
It is only in that moment - having chosen the latter - that we truly become who we always were.
And that is why Iāve chosen to remove all barriers to my content and education through this platform and publication.
I want as many to experience the fullness of life available to them, and part of that is sharing what Iāve learned and my experiences open and freely, as I showcase this lifestyle in realtime.
But I must go, the day job is calling.
For now, please enjoy unfettered access to ALL of my content and newsletters, and share it with someone who may find some value in it.
Until next time,
E. A. Bland
Stay Poetic!