I’ve been writing this blog for 12 months now, with my first post
published on October 7, 2019. So, happy one-year anniversary to my
blog! I’m proud to have maintained a regular posting schedule, with at
least one post per month, for all that time. I’m also glad to have been
able to share some of myself over the past year. How often do you let
people gain insights into what you find interesting, exciting, or even
troubling? In an age where many of us only communicate with each other
through clicking the like button on social media, I’ve been glad to have
the chance to be more open about what makes me who I am.
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| First anniversary cake. (Flickr/Joanne Wan) |
1) Its title still seems appropriate. I called my blog “A Collection of Thoughts and Ideas” in order to illustrate the eclectic nature of its subject matter. I didn’t want to be tied to a particular theme, and I’ve addressed diverse ideas throughout the past year. I’ve written about such topics as birding, poetry, autobiographies, travel, zoos, and many more. The only constant theme throughout the posts is that each one focuses on a subject that interests me. I hope you’ve found some of them interesting as well!
2) Its readership has waxed and waned over time. As with many endeavors, after a first flush of enthusiasm, my ability to sustain a steady readership has waxed and waned over time. This might have to do with the timing of my posts (I notice that when I post on weekends, I have fewer readers than when I post during the week). It might also have to do with my social media practices when it comes to promoting my blog. I notice that when I tag people who might be particularly interested in certain posts, my readership goes up, whereas when I omit the tags, my readership goes down. These observations may seem obvious, but I find it can be just as interesting to confirm the expected as to experience the unexpected. This aspect of my blog certainly confirms the expected!
3) Sometimes it’s enjoyable, but sometimes it’s a chore. One of my previous posts mentioned a particularly difficult time I had with writer’s block. I was glad I found some solutions for working around that challenge, but that doesn’t mean finding time to write and deciding what to write about is always easy. When it comes to work I’m paid to complete, I generally have little trouble with these issues, but when it comes to my personal blog, I find them more challenging. This probably comes from a tendency I have to put my responsibilities first and my self-care last. While this tendency to have a strong work ethic can be beneficial on the job, it can stand in the way of reaching my own personal development goals. Having this chance through my experience with blogging to reflect on this habit of mine is something I’m thankful for, as it’s contributing to my collection of skills gained through lifelong learning.
How many times have you started something new and stuck with it for a year? Although you may not have started a writing project, were your experiences with your new endeavor similar to mine? I’d love to hear your thoughts about your experiences!