Wow… so this is what 100 feels like! Actually, it feels about the same as 52, 89, and 75. But it sure as heck feels a lot easier than 1-10. Since about October 2013, I’ve posted once every week, typically on Wednesday. Today, it’s second nature for me to write and share – takes about two hours per post including editing.
When I first started writing, I didn’t really have a clear-cut goal other than to start my path down “thought leadership”. I knew that I had already earned a lot of experience that I could put to use today, rather than wait several years when I was “older”. Although, the blog was under the moniker “Supply Chain Ninja”. I’ve rebranded to Entrepreneurial Ninja, so the earliest posts were about supply chain and consulting.
I saw the number of posts continue to climb, and it was only till I hit 90 where I really started to reflect on what I wanted to say on my 100th post. If you ask most people around me, this isn’t really a big deal to me. I mean… 100? Really? Over a couple years? That’s really not much considering there are several bloggers who publish three times a week and real stalwarts who published DAILY.
Alas, I’m celebrating the consistency, especially given the countless times I wanted to just say, “Nah, I’m done. I have nothing left to share.” But I’ve kept it going anyways.
So for my 100th post, I’m going to give you three things: what I’ve learned, posts that have garnered the most views, and then, my own favorites.
Lessons I’ve Learned Through 100 Posts
- I love writing. I didn’t care much for writing in school, but post-school when I absolutely do not have to write this or in other mediums, I love it. I’ve done my own mini-research papers about relationships and technology, I’ve written about personal goals and my way of thinking on another blog, etc. It’s fun. It’s therapeutic. It’s distinctly me.
- People love my writing. People like my writing. People hate my writing. People don’t care about my writing. All of this is OKAY. I obviously want more passionate, lovers of my work, but I’m comfortable with those who don’t care about it, too. Sometimes my message resonates with people, and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s okay.
- Even as a consistent writer, I still get shy. There are posts when I have no idea if what I’m writing truly adds value in the message I’m writing. However, I do it anyways because it needs to be like clockwork for me. And then, there are times I still feel shy about writing and sharing with the world. Even though I JUST said it’s okay for people to not care for my writing, I do have twinges of timidity.
- I love learning. When I write and write, I can run out of ideas. Luckily, there are sources of inspiration everywhere. Blogging has been a source of great ideas for me and great learning. I’ve read much more than I used to (again, in school, didn’t care for it). I meet so many more people now than ever. I like to ask questions, and I like to learn and share with the world.
- I write a lot. I’m going to change up my writing style soon (I’ll have a post about that, too), but I can write (and talk) A LOT. I’ve learned I’m very opinionated, but I’m open to others’ opinions and thoughts because then I learn. But I’m happy about being opinionated, too, because in my earlier years, I was shy and lacking of self-confidence. Now, I have confidence in my abilities and who I am.
- It’s about the message, not necessarily the details. As I click through my earlier posts, I smile at what I’ve written, but I also start editing little punctuation or grammatical mistakes. I’m like the guy on Match.com who will not date a chick with too many typos on her profile. In blogging, I can easily spin my wheels sweating the details of grammar, details, etc., but then I would be stressed and may never push out a post. What matters THE MOST is hitting that Publish button, and sharing the message with the world. As long as the main idea and key tenets are there, readers will appreciate it. As will I.
5 Posts with the Mosts… Views, comments, and more
- “At The End of My 2.5-Year Startup Roller Coaster: 21 Rough Lessons Learned from Failure”. This was a little hard to write, but also very easy. Over the course of Body Boss (before zombification), we learned so much, and we had been course-correcting almost since we started. 21 may sound like a lot, but really, it was a small slice to how much we really learned. Amazing experience, tough failure, much learned.
- “5 Entrepreneurship Lessons from My Run-In with a Ninja Cat”. This was one of those stories (and pictures) that make people’s jaws drop when you share it. It’s funny, though, because even though it was a bit comedic, there was so much that could learned from an entrepreneurial standpoint.
- “5 Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned from Coming Face-to-Face with an Intruder at 4AM”. May 2014 was a tough month starting with the Ninja Cat Attack (from above), and then ending with me waking up with an intruder in front of me at 4AM. Again, it’s funny to reflect how an event like that would trigger some entrepreneurial lessons.
- “Part 2: Mitigating Discrimination With Corporate Culture”. I spoke to a friend who was working in a male-dominated office in a female-dominated occupation – from part 1 “Is Your Culture Fostering or Mitigating Gender Harassment?” I took our conversation to heart, and researched ways how these negative practices occur, and what entrepreneurs/ business owners can do to mitigate those risks. Very interesting as I love the people side of business.
- “Wow! Your Free Trial Is TERRIBLE! (Did I say that out loud?)”. A bit of a lesson learned here from Body Boss and others where the hook of a free trial was… weak. There needed to be more to convert trialers to paid subscribers.
My Favorite Posts… the ones I enjoyed writing and sharing
- “Getting Through Dark Moments and the Most Vulnerable Story I’ve Ever Told Publicly”. I shared my most ignominious story with a friend recently citing how I had actually published it on the blog. It made me think how this was a true moment for me where I wanted to share and be vulnerable as well as aim to be “comfortable being uncomfortable”.
- “The Next Act for an Entrepreneur With Breadth, Not Depth – Am I A Product Manager?”. I’m not acutely specialized in startup functions like development, sales, marketing, and the like, but I am pretty dangerous at all of it. With my generalist approach and ability to project manage (thanks, years of consulting), I may be adept at Product Management.
- “Every Entrepreneur Should Be Weight Lifting”. Take a couple of my passions in entrepreneurship and weight lifting, and I found myself eagerly writing this post. It’s clear how both affect each other, and how they’re complementary.
- “The Mountain Biking Lesson That Gets Us Past What Stops Us”. I meet so many people in a state of paralysis when it comes to starting out entrepreneurship or pursuing any passion. So, it was enlightening to think about a mountain biking approach to get through the paralysis.
- “5 Steps to Overcome the CHASM Between You and Successful Habits and Passions”. I like to think I’m a catalyst for others to pursue opportunities or make leaps. However, I am also very aware of the initial jump vs. sustained motion. My chat with the former President of IRUNURUN helped me understand how to get over the CHASM for sustainable habits.
I’ve had a lot of fun writing both the goods and the bads (the challenges). Looking forward to hitting the next 100 posts, and maybe (MAYBE) up my frequency, too. Thanks for reading and following along!
What posts were your favorites? Any suggestions on writing style or topics to cover?