I follow Seth’s Blog (https://seths.blog). Honestly I don’t know much about him. I read one of his many books years ago on a plane back from Hong Kong. The book was entitled “the dip” – a little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick). At the time I was feeling undervalued at work, and a bit confused and insecure about my place in the world. I wasn’t hiding my feelings well and my boss had just told me that I was being irrational and that perhaps I wasn’t as important as I thought I was. He was right on both counts but not in the way he meant it. The book helped me to make a decision and I chose to quit. In hindsight it should have been an easier decision. I remember that Seth’s book helped me to make sense of my experience and so I’ve followed his blog on and off over the years.
I’ve always wanted to blog. I like reading, ideas, learning new stuff and I like writing. It helps me to understand and structure my thoughts and to create meaning but I lack the discipline to keep a daily journal. My life just isn’t that interesting any more and if I’m not interested in me why would anyone else be? And that right there is why I like to write. It’s a nugget of meaning that crystalizes out of the process of putting ones own thoughts down in writing. It’s something important I should pay attention to and reflect on.
Earlier this week one of Seth’s blog posts featured on my Facebook news feed. The title of the post was “The most important blog post”. I think it will be OK to paraphrase it here:
Yours is the most important blog. Even if no one else reads it. The blog you write each day is the blog you need the most. It’s a compass and a mirror, a chance to put a stake in the ground and refine your thoughts. And the most important post? The one you’ll write tomorrow.
Seth Godin -The most important blog post
It’s six short lines that resonated with me for some reason. Seth’s Blog comprises of hundreds of these short texts, some are a little longer and some are full length articles. By reading just a few of the posts on this famous blog I realised that it is not beyond my ability to do something similar and that there is value in doing it. Perhaps someone other than me might read it and find it interesting and if they don’t it doesn’t matter.
When I play my guitar and sing I do it for myself. It lifts my spirits and allows me to express myself through the melody and words of the song. Its a form of communication and as such it’s always better when there is an audience but I don’t play for the audience. Perhaps my blog can be something like that.
In another of Seth’s Blog posts entitled: “The simple power of one a day” Seth says that if you commit to doing a simple marketing item just once per day, at the end of the year you’ll have build a mountain. I’m not marketing anything here. But the daily post idea is an important one. Write something everyday, make it part of your routine, say something meaningful. As I mentioned earlier I know I will struggle with the self-discipline of producing a post every day but I’m going to make it part of my daily routine. This is my first one done!