The Write Way - 10 Essays Later
Not a single word had been written. Yet I had boldly announced to my family and friends that my sabbatical would be filled with profound reflections on my eight-year entrepreneurial journey.
Why am I writing?
As the wise Shane Parrish once said, "The best way to improve your ability to think is to spend time thinking. One way to force yourself to slow down and think is to write." And it's true, writing has been a cherished companion of mine for years, but sadly, I allowed our friendship to wane during the whirlwind of my startup's acquisition four years ago. Immersed in the chaotic pace of the new "mother ship," I neglected the very things that kept me grounded and balanced. Writing, in particular, which had played a pivotal role in making the acquisition happen in the first place.
But now, thanks to my sabbatical, I finally have the time to rekindle that friendship, to reflect. However, I found myself unable to start, feeling the burden of needing to complete these reflections to gain closure on my roller-coaster entrepreneurial journey before I can move forward and ponder what lies ahead.
In mid-April, this all changed. I found the kickstart and accountability I needed to start my reflection journey: Write of Passage (WOP) – an online writing course. Through WOP, I not only learned the craft of writing but also found myself embraced by an incredible community of fellow writers. The course was initially set for five weeks, but they offered a delightful 12-week "Runway" extension to keep the momentum alive and the streak going.
And here I am, celebrating my tenth essay with you 🎉
Where am I?
These ten essays have taken me on a thrilling roller-coaster ride. However, the most challenging part has been summoning the courage to click that publish button, even when my inner perfectionist isn't entirely satisfied. I've embraced the philosophy of quantity over quality, exercising my writing muscle and trusting that quality will emerge from this abundance of words like a phoenix rising from the ashes. It reminds me of an intriguing experiment I once read about in Atomic Habits:
A professor divided his class into two. One group would focus on quantity, and the other on quality. The quantity group would be graded solely on the amount of work they produced, while the quality group would be graded on their work's excellence (perfection). Surprisingly, the quantity group had the best results.
Choosing to embark on this public reflection adventure hasn't been without its challenges. I'm still grappling with revealing to the world that I'm actually doing this. While I write primarily for myself, for reflection's sake, I also hope that the hard-earned lessons I've gathered along the way can help others avoid pitfalls or accelerate their journey toward success. This aligns perfectly with my personal mission, which has evolved throughout these ten essays:
My personal mission is to help today's entrepreneurs become tomorrow's role models.
I feel like I've only scratched the surface of reflecting on my entrepreneurial journey through the following essays:
The other essays have delved into family life, advice to my former self, habit creation, and the importance of paying it forward.
Some stats:
Most views: Follow-Up or Fade Away.
Most engagement (both likes and comments): How to continue an action packed life after kids
Drove the most new subscribers: Three simple steps to survive as a burned-out entrepreneur
Highest open rate: One Sick Parent, One Baby, 20 Hours of Chaos
Where am I going?
So, what can you expect from me moving forward? Well, I consider myself an archaeologist, digging into the realms of entrepreneurship, personal development, and parenthood. In the coming weeks, I foresee delving into topics both within and beyond entrepreneurship, finally arriving at genuine reflections.
Since I started my sabbatical, my body has caught on to the fact that I have some free time to get sick and be human. That's why I'm eager to delve deeper into the fascinating world of heart rate variability, stress, and gut health, particularly regarding longevity (I'm currently devouring the book Outlived). This exploration ties in with personal development as I aspire to establish healthy habits that allow me to continue to pursue an ambitious career while still cherishing quality time with my family—no more burning out for this girl!
To reconnect with my 10-year-old creative self, who dared to be courageous, I've signed up for a fellow WOP community member's Creating Visuals for Writing course. You can definitely expect some homemade graphics by yours truly to enhance the impact of my words.
As part of Runway, my current goal is to make writing feel less like an arduous task. Participating in WOP and Runway and the actual writing consume most of my sabbatical days. Therefore, I need to develop a more manageable writing rhythm to sustain this when I return to full-time work. By publishing this today, I'm back on track with my writing cadence after my wild escapade with the tummy tornado that knocked me out for almost two weeks. I'll brainstorm and reflect at the start of each week, aiming to publish on Fridays so I don't carry the burden into the weekend—Monday at the latest!
"When you first miss a habit, the next occurrence of it should become a top priority. You must execute on that habit at any level possible. Do it perfectly if you can, but do it terribly if that's all you can handle. Just make sure that you do it." (Tynan, Superhuman by Habit)
To progress toward my personal mission, I'll need to summon the courage to let the world know I'm on this journey.
Who inspires my writing?
Lastly, there are a few writers out there that I aspire to emulate. The common denominator is that they all write very actionable and concisely within the realm of product development, entrepreneurship, and fundraising:
I want to extend my gratitude to each and every one of you who's joined me on this whimsical writing adventure. Your support means the world to me. Please reply or comment with any feedback or input you might have.
Until next week – cheers!
A huge thank you to the amazing WOP community who shared feedback and thoughts on this essay: , and 🙏
Love the journey, here for it! Glad you’re on the mend and back to it. 💕🙌
...here's to the next 100!!...