• “Give vulnerability a shot. Give discomfort its due. Because I think he or she who is willing to be the most uncomfortable is not only the bravest, but rises the fastest.” – Brené Brown

After wanting to create a blog for so long, I finally sat down, put my fear in a corner and made it stay there while I made this.

Fear? Let me explain.

Throughout my 4 years in High School, I have been doing Lincoln-Douglas debate. This format uses a philosophical basis to argue points, such as Resolved: Public colleges and universities in the United States ought not restrict any constitutionally protected speech or  Resolved: The United States ought to promote democracy in the Middle East.

I have spent countless hours trying to make cases, do research, prepare rebuttals, present arguments only to lose competitions. Over and over, no matter what I tried to do,  I failed over and over. I was the captain of the debate team, and while I had a strong understanding of the sport and the skills required, I couldn’t prove to myself that I was worthy of the position. Pulling up a computer and opening a Google Doc caused my muscles to tense up, my heart beat faster and faster, sweat formed on my forehead.

So what did I do? I ran away from it. I wrote as little as I could and I couldn’t confront this failure head-on.

It’s been awhile since my debate season has ended and I’ve graduated from high school. Yes, I learned public speaking and research skills, alongside leading a team to create more successful debaters. However, that idea of struggling to write has always been stuck in my head. And even more, I somehow still had the respect of all my peers despite not having the best records in debate. Why? How?

I think answer is writing more. Putting words on paper (er…a screen) to understand my brain and learn from all of that. I’m done running. I want to attack my failures now and see how far I can go.

I’m going to be terrified. I’m going to struggle. I’m going to fail. I’m going to be vulnerable. That’s the point.

Les go.