The post I nearly didn't send

I re-read the article until I forgot why I wrote it in the first place.

Was I really going through with publishing this?

It was undoubtedly a bold view.

For the first time, my heart raced because of something I'd written.

I knew some people would read this and be angry.

I knew I'd likely attract troll comments.

I knew many would unfollow me. Nice people, too.

But, with a shaking finger, I pressed 'send'.

This moment marked the start of a seven-month run of writing daily, and often rather provocative, Twitter threads.

At the start of 2021, I had 200 Twitter followers.

By November, I had close to 95,000 - all thanks to this level of consistency combined with leaning into the danger zone.

That was the year I chose to live at my edges.

To say what I knew was true, but that I knew many would dislike.

That year was also a period of aliveness.

Not happiness.

Not malaise.

Not sadness.

Not comfort.

Aliveness.

I figured out a big secret to living purposefully.

And it wasn't to purposefully annoy people.

But to live with full integrity.

No longer was I at the mercy of those demon voices whispering, 'Play it safe.'

They could go to hell where they belonged.

I was going to show myself; my stance; my flavour.

And no one was going to stop me.

Living true to yourself and expressing that, whether through how you show up, your writing, your art, your leadership...

That, my friend, is ALIVENESS FUEL. It's what we're all looking for.

Most of us are flat, lifeless, bored.

We want escape.

We crave escape because we've become strangers to ourselves — muted, half-lived.

We're censoring.

We're playing nice.

It's a death sentence.

So, take one step today to live your life from your heart and soul.

Imagine a life where you said what you meant, and you went out to get what's yours boldly.

Some people won't like you. But many will love you.

This starts with being honest with yourself and others.

Decide on what you want and why.

Then, make a small step towards it.

Start on that dream project.

Experiment with expressing yourself a little more.

That's the journey. A journey of finding yourself again.

That's living with integrity.

If you'd like to explore bold and enlivening self-expression like this through regularly publishing your writing...

I recommend my writing companion course, Online Writing Alchemy.

Couple integrity with a clear path to writing that resonates, and you've got the recipe for an ALIVE, purpose-fuelled creative life.

Learn more about why hundreds choose the course here.

Alex