This is what I looked like at Jefferson Village School, circa 1980.
It was a few short weeks ago that MY COHORT and I embarked on the Jefferson Writing Project. We didn’t know where the winds would blow our thoughts but we knew that each day they would be published on our blogs.
My friend’s name is Hope and we talked at the beginning of February and she wanted to do more writing but had some writing blocks and motivational issues. I suggested a mutual writing project. She agreed and we made up some simple rules. I am not a big rules guy because who needs limits on our creativity.
I would make up writing prompts and we each would do a post that day involving the prompt. It was supposed to last for thirty days, but went a bit longer.
I went back and looked over our Facebook messages and it started on the 9th of February and ended today. Hope doesn’t like to write on Sunday! (I can blame her, but I like Sunday off too. 🙂
The only known photo of me playing ball at JVS. Thank God. We were styling!
Coming up with the prompts was not as easy as I thought in the beginning. I know Hope so I wanted to get some good easy to write about things. Then as I got going I would just make them up in three seconds.
Or if I was cheating, I would start a post on something and use that for the prompt, or make the prompt something I wanted to write about anyway. In fact what I found, no matter what the prompt was I just wrote whatever I wanted to anyway.
I found that I learned a lot just from reading Hope’s posts, when she was fired up she would get them done way before me. I found I could read and enjoy her thoughts and not let them affect what I was writing.
After about twenty writing assignments or so, we switched it up and Hope was responsible for the prompt. That was more fun because then I could bug her to tell me what it is, rather than the other way around. I still just wrote whatever I wanted to and included the prompt in some way. Other times the prompt was the story.
7th Grade Lookin” Good!
It was fun to have someone else “checking up” on your work and at first the only other person who knew why you were writing about the things you were.
It is just enough motivation to get you to give a little extra effort to make sure you got your post out that day. But most importantly it was fun. Hope is a bit different, (in a good way), I know her personally and used to coach her in basketball. That was awhile ago but I enjoy seeing the young lady she has grown to become.
So I encourage anyone who is hitting a snag in their creativity or motivation to partner up or even group up and start a writing project. It was a fun way to keep things interesting and to work on being creative.
It is called the Jefferson Writing Project because, Hope and I both lived in the town of Jefferson, Maine when we were growing up, and we both graduated from Jefferson Village School, and know that Jefferson is small, has a beach, and a cattle pound. I do not know what the cattle pound is for, but it exists. She likes to take pictures there. Thanks Hope for all the fun. I will always be reading and commenting on your blog because that is how I roll.
Have you ever seen the focus of your life change in thirty days? This is the experience that I have had over the last month as I have looked to improve my writing skill and myself, as a person as well.
This is an evaluation of my project to answer one question each day for thirty days, and to work on putting more of myself into my writing for the purpose of being more honest and open about the things I write about.
The beginning of this project
It began with a conversation with a collaborator who is a great writer and I was wishing that I was more honest in my writing; it was the conversation that led me to see this video on YouTube about this guy who undertook thirty day challenges to work on things he needs to work on. Almost immediately I came across a list of “30 Questions That Will Change the Way you think about the world.” The fact that there weren’t 35, 25 or 50
The beginning of any journey starts with one small step.
questions, led me to believe that this was the project for me.
The rules I developed on the fly, but stuck to them until the end of the project, because I need rules apparently.
Rule #1 – had to answer a question each day and it had to be at least 300 words. Many I could have answered in a sentence, but that wouldn’t have helped develop my thoughts.
Rule #2- I had to share my answers on Facebook, so that someone could read them if they wanted to. This really kept me more diligent and serious; I avoided some wise ass answers, because someone might read it.
Rule # 3- Much like fight club, I couldn’t talk about what I was doing. I posted each question on FB every day, mostly to get some ideas for the days when I was low on creativity. I was interested by the responses, and the different people they came from. I really appreciated the responses from everyone even if there was only one time; I read them all and appreciated it greatly.
I also published my answers on my website www.jonathanhilton.com and they are all there if you check the categories, Thirty Questions will bring them all up.
What Was the Goal of this project?
Answering from the heart was key
The goal of the project was more honesty and putting more of myself into my writing, which I thought was a weakness in my overall writing, it is difficult to put personal things out there, what you believe, what you think, but I think that if you never overcome this, you will be untrue to yourself the rest of your life, so that was the motivation. Most importantly I wanted to be able to write from a place that I didn’t care if someone liked it or not. That it was my answer and that would have to be good enough.
When someone asked me what the questions were about, I told them, if they wanted to know my answer, I directed them to my website. Other than that I simply posted a question in the morning and then answered it on my website. I never looked at the next question until the current question was answered.
The first thing I learned was that my philosophy is developing and that I have a lot of consistency in what I believe in. What I have been working on personally has pervaded my thought and I believe that I have a great start.
Secondly when you ask one question and find an answer to that question, there are always going to be more questions that result from thought and that is ok. The questions were answered and there were always a bunch more that cropped up.
Third, that there are different answers to questions, everyone has a different perspective and opinion and that is ok. All you can do is be open minded, yet faithful to what has been proven to you.
There are a lot of good people in the world and many have been asking themselves questions as well. Others are going to look for their answers in other places and find different behaviors satisfy them and they will find what they need to find in their answers, they may not have the same answers as you.
What Surprised Me?
There have been several neat relationships that have developed through the process of asking questions. Some people that I hadn’t heard from in years were prompted to contact me and see what the heck I was doing. Even with people I see every day it gave me a chance to not only have an opinion but support it and fight for it. My understanding of people is definitely higher, and my understanding of myself really was a surprise.
The many responses I got from such a wide range of people, some serious and some extremely funny, some sad, some just plain old sincere.
Success, Success, Success
The most surprising thing was the freedom that came from just practicing the power of action into this thought process. Creating and producing something that was completely of my own, based on what I believe is liberating. Many people have opinions on everything, but never publish them or have to stand by them which allows for a waffling on the beliefs. I believe that through answering these questions, my thoughts are there to be agreed with disagreed with defended or adjusted as they should be. The biggest surprise was the power of the simple action on my own creativity and understanding of myself and others.
Was it a success?
I think by any measure the process was a success, the questions did actually change the way I looked at the world, and understood other people, so that awareness led to growth, and growing is a good thing. I encourage anyone who has something that they want to work on to adopt a thirty day challenge of your own. You will be surprised how it changes the way you look at the world, it definitely changed my perception of the world and those in it.
I definitely have written from the place inside me that does not care what anyone thinks about what I think or write, which is a major victory for my own self development. I think that if I can do that then everything else will be easy.
What is Next?
Well it is inevitable that one action is going to lead to another, so there are bound to be more of these 30 day challenges, in all areas of my life, in places that I feel I need personal work on. So branching this type of growth out into other aspects of my life is definitely going to be a goal for me. Taking more action to find what I am looking for.
It all started so innocently. I was looking for a way to improve my writing and to increase the original content on my website. I was also looking for a way to write more about what I feel without a filter and to express what is going on in my mind. A friend motivated me to do this, and that led me to watch this video about how this guy had done a string of personal thirty-day challenges to improve his life in some way.
This challenge resonated with me, and I started to think about what kind of project I could work on and improve my writing and expressing myself in thirty days. That was the day I saw it, thirty questions that will change your life. I didn’t check them out or read over them in advance, the whole project clicked in my mind, and I was committed. I would answer one question honestly for the next thirty days and publish them on my blog.
I have been right about only reading one question at a time, so I only deal with one a day. It has been a revelation personally. Many people say what they would do in a particular situation or are quick to share their opinion, but it takes quite a bit more to put it into writing and to place it out there for anyone to read. The key for me has been to write honestly from a place that is honest and true, that doesn’t care for approval or worry about disapproval because it is right exactly how it was answered.
Also, I posted only the question on Facebook to get some ideas, and have found some interesting things by doing this. I have gained some insights from some, and if they ever wonder why I am writing all of these questions, then they can read my answers and see what I am all about in life. If they aren’t interested, that is ok too.
Here is a list of the questions, you can click on the questions and read my answer if you would like.
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
2. – Which is worse, failing or never trying?
3. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
4. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
–Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
6. To what degree have you controlled the course your life has taken?
7. -Are you more worried about doing things right or doing the right things?
–If you could offer a newborn child, only one piece of advice, what would it be?
–Would you break the law to save a loved one?
–Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
-What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
–How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
What one thing have you not done that you want to do? What’s holding you back?
14. -Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you believe it makes the elevator faster?
–Why are you, you?
16. -Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
–Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones?
18. Is it possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
19. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
20. At what time in your recent past, have you felt most passionate and alive?
21. If not now, then when?
22. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
24. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
25. If you knew the world was ending tomorrow, who would you make sure you visited today?
26. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by ten years to become extremely attractive or famous?
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