Falling off the wagon — or how I joined a writer’s group

I fell off the wagon!

Not with alcohol 😜, but with writing every day and hitting publish every week.

And so my views are down.

Starting a new habit of writing is exciting, but it is certainly challenging.

This is especially true for me as the demands of family, life and work kicked back in. Especially now the New Year has well and truly come and gone. It feels even doubly challenging when I’ve not really been a consistent content creator.

I could be really annoyed and hard on myself, but I choose to be patient and kind instead.

The truth is that many of the things that life has thrown at me in the past couple of weeks were out of my control. The Stoic in me keeps reminding me not to worry about them then.

I keep reminding myself that it’s crucial to keep in mind that working towards any long-term goal requires having a farmer’s mindset.

Expect the unexpected and don’t judge your progress by what happens in a week. A farmer plants seeds, knowing that it may take a long time (perhaps years) for the fruit to bear.

Stay committed, even when progress feels slow, and keep pushing forward even when setbacks occur. Which they inevitably will. Damn entropy.

So I choose to celebrate the small wins.

In fact, part of the reason things got busy was the success I had in other areas.

Talking to funds about a potential investment, working with the university on graduate placements, applying for seed funding (and making it so far to the 2nd set of interviews!! 🌱 🤘) and even taking my girls to our first-ever K-Pop concert!

I even sent out a number of cold email campaigns to fellow startups and managed to book nine discovery and introductory calls in just 2 weeks!

I’ll take that as a sign that at Userlot, we must be on to something 🚀.

While these may seem like small victories, they’re incredibly meaningful in the grand scheme of things. It’s these small wins that add up and help propel us forward towards our larger goals.

But I do want to make something from writing and build a more intimate, personal brand.

I want to feel that stress and discomfort when I know I haven’t hit publish.

That’s when I know I’m attaching myself to the process of writing, not the analytics of the views!

So I continue to iterate on new ideas to help build this new habit.

There are a few initiatives I’m looking at that scratch that itch.

• Joining a writers club
• Publishing my Origin Story
• Starting a #buildinpublic podcast

Always open to what other people think though too, so leave me a comment please 🙏🏼 .

So why a writers club? Learning from others more accomplished than me in the writing field is the main reason. After all, I’ve always been a believer in trying to be the worst player in the band. And of course, a small level of accountability never goes astray.

In fact, the very existence of this piece is because it’s 4:18 pm and I’m due to show up at the club at 6 with a piece of content 🤣.

No better motivator than a deadline. But I know that can’t be the main motivator.

And anyway, motivation is crap. Discipline wins in the end.

Discipline and choosing the right bite-size piece of action that you can take, every day, to keep a sense of momentum.

As for an ‘Origin Story’. This is straight out of the playbook from Teddy Mitrosilis and his excellent Newsletter.

I know that real success will come from creating a sense of connection with others through shared experiences.

I’m nearing my mid 40’s and looking back I can see many of the events and circumstances that have shaped me to be who I am. And not just who I am, but why I have chosen the paths I have.

At the end of the day, I’m just another boring human. But that’s what makes my experience special for others.

I’m just like them.

I hope that will grow a sense of connection between myself and the readers (that’s you).

I hope I can help others deal with the challenges I’m working through now and in the years to come.

The third itch is one I’ve tried to get going before but takes real effort as well as a really good partner to attempt it with.

And that’s the #buildinpublic style podcast.

I’ve benefited and learnt so much from podcasts such as Startups For The Rest Of Us, Out of Beta and Startup to Last. A way to contribute back would be awesome, even if that is with a handful of dedicated listeners.

I’ll have some news on that front to share in the coming months. It’s looking promising. I even bought a new mic for it ;)

I know it won’t always be easy to maintain a new writing habit whilst navigating the challenges of running a new start-up. But I know it’s important to stay committed and celebrate even the smallest of victories.

So for now …I Click ‘Publish’