Friends,

Tonight’s post closes out a chapter.

Rather than write this piece as an article, I want it to sound more like a letter…  A heartfelt note to all of you, my readers.

Exactly one year ago, I ordered that stupid orange foam finger on Amazon, built a website, added anyone who might care to my MailChimp account, and decided to share my thoughts with you every single Sunday evening.

I committed to this challenge for a year.

For the past 52 weeks in a row, I’ve been in your inbox at the end of each weekend.  It didn’t matter if I was sick, on vacation, swamped with work, or not in the mood to write…  My email was still there.

Let Me Start by Saying Thank You.

The fact that you stuck with me for this long is an honor.  I realize you likely didn’t have time to read every article, but the fact that you’re still here (and opened this very email) means the world to me.  I sincerely appreciate your support.

At this point in the project, I’d love to drop some mind-bending wisdom about what I learned, but I think it comes down to one simple (somewhat boring) point:

Do it for Yourself

I committed to this challenge because I wanted to grow as a person.  That is the truth.  I didn’t do it for anyone else or any other reason.

However, as the weeks ticked by and it grew harder and harder to motivate myself to write each week, I’ll be honest with you…  I lost that resolve.  I got to the point where I wasn’t doing it for myself anymore.

I began questioning…  If I’m spending so much time each week, shouldn’t I be growing my business through the blog?  What if this week’s topic is popular among my readers?  Why isn’t the traffic on my website increasing faster?  How can I keep growing my list?

By the end of 2017, I was no longer focused on the reason I started this blog in the first place.

You may have noticed that the most recent blogs about vulnerability, confrontation, Miami transit, and running have been far more personal.  I stopped making this project the popularity contest it had become last fall and turned it back to an inward reflection.

It may not come as a surprise that I’ve had more notes from readers about the past 5 blogs than I had for the previous 40+ before it.

As with anything in life, we have to pursue projects, goals, and challenges for the right reasons.

If you’re starting a company because your dad told you to, you’re probably not going to do a very good job.  If you’re running a marathon so you can send that Insta to your rival in high school, the chance of you completing the training is slim.

The same held true for my blog.  I had to do it for myself.  That’s the bottom line.

That, my friends, is the most important thing I learned after sharing for 52 weeks in a row.

What the Future Holds

I’m not totally giving up the blog, but I will be taking a break for a couple months.

When I have ideas to share, I’ll write.  When I film a new video, I’ll pass it along.

In the meantime, I do hope you’ll continue checking in.  If there’s anything I can do to help (an introduction, a beer, a referral), please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Do good work.

-AMR

See you back here in a little while.  🙂

Austin Rhoads headshot

About Me

Hi, I'm Austin.

After graduating from Elon University, I moved to Miami, FL through the Venture For America Fellowship Program.

Miami has since become my home where I spend my free time running, biking, taking pictures, and trying to become friends with Pitbull.

I'm always looking for the next challenge.  That's exactly why I started my own business-to-business sales company, launched the Miami Talent Pipeline, and most recently committed to sharing 52 ideas with you for the next year.

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