Last time that I wrote for you all, I discussed how taking actions without knowing how my wife thinks and acts was like running into a brick wall (at least, that was what I was implying in the title). It is only fitting that I continue the thought as a backdrop for explaining why I am choosing to stop writing the blog for the a not-yet-determined period of time.
Here is what led me to come to this conclusion. Over the last few months (or possibly longer), I began to develop a love-hate relationship for the writing the blog posts. When I know what I want to say and I am passionate about the topic, I love to write the posts. When I feel that I am writing out of obligation and I am uninspired, I hate writing the blog posts. Reflecting back over the past year, I realized that I had spent nearly the entirety of the time drawing from what I know or have experienced as a father and in working with fathers. The problem is, that well was running dry. I kept probing deeper into my mind looking for something fresh and meaningful to say, and it got harder and harder to produce results. I hit a wall and it has been hurting ever since. Along the way, I wasn’t gaining new insights, attending trainings or seminars related to my work with fathers, or connecting with other men who are doing what I do. I wasn’t “filling up my bucket.” I thought that slowing down and resting would help. It has not. I needed to come up with a new plan.
This year I want to focus in on soaking up new experiences, asking questions, researching, and drawing from the wisdom of others. I need to “fill up the bucket” before I believe that I will be able to begin writing again with the same passion I had when I first started the blog. I am looking forward to starting the new year with growth as the core theme. Think of this time as me taking short-term sabbatical. I want to get some true rest and recalibrate my thoughts. I desire to explore what else is out there and learn new things related to the work that I do. Then, as I am coming back inspired, I want to bring the information home to you. Along the way, I plan to share any interesting research articles that I find and possibly see if I can recruit some guest writers to share their perspective or insights into the world of fatherhood. I truly believe that this is the next best step for the blog, as well as for the work that I am doing through the Rock Solid Fatherhood program. I appreciate all of you that have stuck around as I have been pushing through the last few months.
What this means for you- I am still aiming to have something to share with you on a bi-weekly basis. This will either be a guest writer’s post, an interesting article/post that I think is worth a read, or possibly one of my own as I come back filled with new ideas. I appreciate any feedback from my readers about their thoughts on what I just discussed. Can we make this work? Would you still faithfully stick around? What would you like to see more of? What would you like to see less of? I care about your thoughts and opinions, so please share.
And as always, stay Rock Solid dads!
