I made it! Or something like that…

I’ve had this blog for almost three years now, but I’ve only reached the 100 post mark now. That works out to about 30 posts a year, which is a little more than one every fortnight. Nothing super special, but it’s taught me a lot.

The most important lesson is probably resilience. I haven’t always wanted to keep this blog, and I certainly haven’t always wanted to post. It’s only recently that I’ve returned with a new passion—mostly because I barely have time to work on my novels at the moment, and these blog posts satisfy the urge to keep writing and creating.

It’s also served as a way for me to see my progress as a thinker and writer. I’m a very private person, and I don’t like opening up to people at all. Publishing these posts feels very personal, even when the topics have little or nothing to do with me. Posting anyway has taken courage, and I’ve had to become more comfortable with this too. Unfortunately, it still isn’t easy but it is easier now than it was in the beginning.

Consistency. Listen, I know I just told you how inconsistent I have been at posting on here, but I’ve learned a lot about myself in this process. I’ve learned more about why I am not consistent (life, motivation, fears and doubts etc.), and I’ve begun to understand what consistency would require. Sadly, I’m not quite there yet, in terms of being able to do this, but I am working towards it! As always, the first step to fixing a problem is diagnosing the issue!

Most importantly, this blog has taught me the importance of riding the waves of success and failure. Some weeks I feel so inspired I can’t stop writing, other weeks I literally cannot think of a thing to say—or I just cannot put words on the page. Some weeks I get heaps of views and other weeks, its crickets. Rarely do people comment or ‘like’ the posts, and at this stage, I don’t get that many views at all.

But I enjoy it. I can honestly say that I really enjoy it. I like coming up with the ideas, doing the research and editing the posts (not too much though lol, I’m also experimenting with boldly posting anyway and stopping all the second-guessing). I like the challenge, and I like improving my work—from finding better things to write about to choosing better words to formatting my technical writing better.

To be honest, I’m still figuring out what the purpose of this is. Am I writing to discover who I am, to market my books, to connect with people? to sell something, to share my experiences?? I think there was a time when blogs were a sure fire way to make money and get your work out there, but now the competition is so wide ranging—not to mention the AI I’m also battling with now.

The world is changing, each day there seems to be something new. That’s why I like using my own blog and platform. Unlike Substack or Medium, which seem to go in and out of fashion hourly (I mean, are they dead or not? Make up your mind guys haha), having my own blog is a bit of a constant for me. This way, people always know that the content is going to be from me, and it’s going to be about whatever I’ve decided to discuss that day!

Which brings me to my last point: no AI! For better or for worse, I think AI is going to have its uses, but I don’t see the point of generative AI, especially not for something like this. I’d rather not post than make a machine spit out nothing-soup to keep a streak alive. If I’m going to put something out there, it’s going to be mine—good or bad.

There is no guarantee that anything will come of this blog, but the growth I’ve experienced is enough. For three years I’ve had a way to practise new skills and work on getting myself out there. Building those habits and the knowledge required to do that was necessary, as we all have to start somewhere. I mean, I was in university and working for most of that time, so finding mental space to think about this stuff was tricky too.

I’m excited to see where I go from here. I’ve already got some new ideas cooking up, and I want to experiment with new writing formats and topics.

Writing this blog is not always easy, but it is worth it. I’m grateful to all my readers, and all those who interact! You guys make it all worth it too!

Until next time!