During my ten years of daily posting, I’ve received a lot of well-intentioned but unsolicited blogging advice. And from running ads, to allowing comments, to writing headlines that were SEO-strategic, almost all of it ignored the reason I was blogging in the first place: I’ve enjoyed doing it.
Lesson #11 of my final 31 posts: Be clear with yourself about why you’re doing what you choose to do.
One of the reasons I’ve been able to keep blogging for so long is that I don’t measure it. I have thousands of loyal readers, but I’ve never paid regular attention to the number or tried any contorted plan to increase it. I don’t try to make money with it. I don’t have to check with anyone before I post. I don’t have to convince people to show up or to stay here. I realized early in the ten-year streak that I love writing this blog for the people who enjoy reading it. That’s why I do it. And anything that impedes my pursuit of that “why” isn’t worth embracing.
The cliché is true: there really are only so many hours in a day. And for any regular practice that takes your time and energy, it’s worth getting really clear about why you’re doing it. Maybe it’s because you have to, or you enjoy the comradery it brings, or you find the pursuit of getting better to be a thrilling practice. Maybe it’s just flat-out fun. Whatever the reason, finding your personal “why” for the things that you do can help you keep doing—or stop doing—it for the right reasons.