So here goes…
I have pretty much spent the best part my adult life reading. When I say that to most they smile at me with a nod of approval. I then tell them that this reading material is not from books or paperback novels or even from a kindle. My main source of reading has been short snippets of information from either blog posts, tweets, emails or articles. This is where the approval from people tends to disappear.
Now it may feel like I am going to build up to a point in this post where I will state that I shouldn't use these mediums as my source of reading and I should read more books and get away from technology. That is what most other advice says right?
However, this is not what I am going to say, nor is this the reason I have been inspired to write this post. The reason I am writing this is in fact, I don’t know where I would be today if it wasn’t for this way of absorbing information. I admit, some of the stuff I have read is complete garbage (reddit, I love you but you do waste my time), but there are some articles that I have read over and over and they have literally changed my life. So let me explain a little bit on how my constant thirst for snippets of “on demand” information has got me to where I am today.
I am currently 28, settled in a relationship and in month eight of a purchased house. I am the co-founder of a successful digital marketing agency and I am happy with the progress so far of my life. Sure it’s had its roller-coaster moments but it been pretty good so far. Yet, what I’ve realised is the majority of where and who I am today has been because of the “on demand” sources of reading I have ingested religiously every day. When I look back, it has helped me tremendously.
Over a decade ago, I was stuck trying to finish a Microsoft Access database build (yes… MS Access) for a college project. I sucked at databases. What helped get me though? The ability to Google specific issues I had to get the answers.
Seven years ago I launched my first company repairing games consoles. I spotted a ridiculous demand in repairs from the dreaded Xbox 360 red ring of death. How did I create a website? How did I learn to fix the consoles? How did I market the site to get business? I sat there for hours and hours reading other people’s experiences, following tutorials until I had the information I needed to start the company. The business was a success, I shelved it once consoles became a more competitive price and made the repair price not viable. However, it was a serious learning curve for me and it has been crucial to leading me to where I am today.
Three years ago I left my well paid role as a head of search to launch my own digital marketing agency. How did I learn the ropes of running a limited company? How did I pick up the steps needed to quickly hire people? I literally Googled my way through. Admittedly I did get a lot of help from some contacts I had but the main detail came from the web.
I am now in the midst of running the agency, but I still find myself looking for information. This time around I am searching for experience on how to scale a business, how to retain clients whilst growing and more importantly, how to balance work and life so I don’t go insane. Yet again my main sources for these is the web.
Whilst seeking advice for all this I have found a plethora of experience and some very inspiring characters on the web who are sharing their story bit by bit. There are many people who are indirectly helping me solve the problems I have, but there was one blogger in particular who caught my attention.
His name is @jonasellison and he discussed the importance of writing and how you should write a little bit every day. I thought I understood most of the benefits of writing. I am in an industry that is fuelled by providing advice so I should know. Admittedly I don’t write enough professionally and that is something I am fixing this year, but this guy made a strong point on one of his articles “How one year of daily blogging changed my life” that really hit home. He mentioned that blogging everyday forces you to notice the details of life. You’ll become hyper-aware of your day and the events within it. Once this sank in, I wondered how much I actually recall each day. Whilst I am very driven and focussed on my goals, my head is always in the future and I do what needs to be done to achieve that certain milestone. My head is never really in the present, except to achieve what is needed today to get closer to my goals.
This was made crystal when I think about the dinner conversations I have with my girlfriend about “how my day was”. I cherish those small talks, but when I think about it I always have relatively little to tell, simply because I have not really taken anything in. This made me realise that I do so much in a day to make sure I hit personal and professional goals yet I am not spending the time to appreciate the good things that are happening each day.
So, thank you Jonas for writing that post and inspiring me to take action. I am vowing to take time to recall what has happened each day and to document the points I deem worth noting. There may be serious points I cover; they may be trivial points that only matter to me, hell they may not even be written that well. All I know now is this is going to be the first of many posts that I am going to write to share my view to the world. One bit each day.
I am aware that this is being written for an audience of me, myself and I, but honestly I kind of like that. It’s a way of getting the events of the day off my chest. So these stories will be for me, but I really do hope someone else finds use and inspiration from it, as I did from others…
So here goes…