30 days ago, I signed up for a cohort-based course, Ship 30 for 30 to build a daily writing habit and start publishing online.
During that time, I wrote & published 30 "Atomic Essays", learned the fundamentals of Digital Writing, and become more comfortable with practicing in public. It has been a rewarding (and challenging) journey, and I am excited to keep writing online.
Here are the 3 biggest things writing & publishing every day for 30 days taught me:
1. Discipline > Motivation
Most days, I hardly ever "felt" like writing. I get up at 5 am, go train, then work a 9-5. If I only relied on motivation, I would never have made it 30 days. You need discipline to go do things most people in their right mind would never be massively excited about. Motivation is a myth. Ingrain discipline into your personal identity.
2. Accountability through Community
Being part of a community held me accountable to show up for 30 days in a row. Learning from others' content and seeing them hit publish helped my own consistency. I relate this to my time as an athlete- It's easier to get after it with teammates who have the same goals as you do. There will be days when you have to sail solo, but boarding a cruise ship with badass people is more fun.
3. I am my Niche
I always thought I had to limit myself by choosing one niche. I have multiple "categories" of experiences and interests - baseball and softball, sports performance, general health and fitness, leadership, business, and personal + professional development.
Putting myself in just one of those buckets is a disservice to myself and others.
So I will write about different topics that make up who I am and see what resonates. No one is me. That is my differentiator. I show up to educate and inspire.
*Originally published via Typeshare/Twitter on 2/5/23*