This has been a huge struggle. You know the struggle I’m talking about: the incessant moan from within to do something for once. That guy. Fuck that guy. We also love this guy.

Motivation, lately, has come from this internal dialogue. I’ve found that I’m not the only one floating along in this dumb-ass boat. A lot of those close to me are in here with me, rocking through whatever waves are thrown towards us– or whatever waves we create for ourselves.

It’s the wave I’ve created for myself that keeps me here. Maybe it’s a season of change for me, or maybe it’s all my experiences finally settling and processing. I think I brought myself here to zoom in on the change in attempt to embrace and learn it.

There isn’t much you need to know about me right now because I plan to spill my guts here, little-by-little. I guess I’d like you to read my words and take them with seriousness. I guess I’d like my words to evoke empathy and inspire vulnerability. Right now, empathy seems lost and foreign to the human condition. It’s hard to find and it’s hard to employ. Maybe if we allow ourselves small doses of vulnerability, we will learn to find it again. Everyone has a wave and an inner, self-deprecating voice of anxiety. Here’s my attempt at leaning into it all.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.