I Attempted to Write 100 Blogs in 30 Days

I Attempted to Write 100 Blogs in 30 Days

When the Lord first gave me the idea for this blog, I dove in headfirst. That tends to be how I do most things. I attempted to write 100 blogs in 30 days. If I could, I would be set. Get ahead so I can stay ahead. But that’s not what happened. Let’s talk about it.

I’ve been labeled an overachiever, though I don’t think that’s really accurate. I like to do things right and get myself to a place where I’m comfortable with a project because I think I can be a bit lazy sometimes. But I do tend to dive into things headfirst and then realize I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

I decided to take a break from publishing in 2018. Starting in 2019, I took a break that was supposed to last for two years. I was burnt out and struggling to find a way to get my books to readers. At the same time, I went back to work a full-time day job and I went back to school full time for marketing. There just wasn’t enough time in the day to go to work, go to class, do homework, study, and run a business.

That two-year break, however, turned into three, then four, then five. In the midst of this, I broke up with my long-term fiancé, and my future became very uncertain. I began asking the Lord, “What’s next?” I had recognized that my publishing career was basically dead in the water. I published one book in all this time, and while I had a few things written, I didn’t have anything else that I was ready to publish.

“What’s next?” I begged. “What do I do now? You gave me this talent and desire to write, but I can’t write. I can’t even make myself sit down at my computer and stare at an empty screen anymore. Why did you give me this talent if I’m not going to be able to use it anymore?”

There was the fear that I may not be able to write anymore. So many things were changing, so many things were uncertain. What if I’d had my go at a writing career and that was all that it was supposed to be? Was I destined to work in retail for the rest of my life? I didn’t need to know the full picture. I just wanted Jesus to show me what to do next. What’s the next step? Where do I go from here?

If you’ve read the post “The White Room of Starting Over” you know a little of the uncertainty I was feeling. Perhaps you’ve felt it too.

“Start A Blog”

Maybe you don’t think Jesus would tell someone to start a blog. I disagree. I’ve had a desire to share a message about confidence and fearlessness for years, but I’ve struggled to find the right platform to share it. As soon as He suggested I start a blog, I knew that this was what I was supposed to talk about. See, I’ve been fighting fear and anxiety for years. And I’ve been learning to be fearless since COVID swept over the world. The journey into fearlessness is not an easy one, but I believe it is life changingly important.

I was excited to start the blog, but I had questions. What URL do I use, because I have quite a few. What do I need to do to start the blog? I haven’t had one in so long. Can I remember how to get it set up and keep it going? Will I have the discipline to keep it going? Because I’ve been struggling with that lately, Lord.

Resources started coming my way. Blame it on the algorithm, but I started getting “how to start a blog” ads on Instagram and Pinterest, the very things I needed to get started. My business partner has always setup my websites for me, but I wanted to do this one myself. I did the research, made the lists, started planning. Once I had all the information I needed, I started making a list of blog posts to write. One hundred blog posts. That’s what I needed to start with, and I needed to get started right away.

So, I was going to write them all in 30 days. I planned it all how, how many I needed to write in a day to get them done. If I wrote an extra one for a few days in a row I could get them done faster. I planned it all out and the first of the month (I don’t remember which month. August or September I think) I started writing. I started strong, like I usually do. I was consistent for a while. But then I slowed down. I was too tired after work, or since we were going into the holiday season, I just didn’t have the time one day. Whatever the reason, I did not get 100 posts written that month.

I did, however, get about 30 written. While my initial plan didn’t pan out, and I wasn’t as far ahead as I wanted to be, it wasn’t a failure. I still had 30 blog posts, some of which made it into this blog. The fact that it took me a year and a half to finally get started is a story for another day.

I told you this story because I want to impress upon you the importance of starting. Please, understand the importance of knowing the difference between failure and attempting to do too much at once. I absolutely possess the ability to write 100 blog posts in 30 days and I fully intend to try again sometime soon. But I failed to take into account that while I possess the ability, I wasn’t at the same capacity I was at when I could have written 100 posts in 30 days.

It takes time to get back to where we were when we’ve had to take a break, for whatever reason. Today, I am still struggling to find a consistent rhythm, a consistent flow and to stay on track. Some days I can’t even stay on task for very long. (It has taken me all day to write this post. Focus is not my strongest virtue right now.) But the post is written. You’re reading it right now. And as I get into they rhythm of this new life of mine, this will get easier and easier.

So, I don’t want you to give up when you don’t hit your goals. Writing 100 words in a day is better than writing 0 words in a day. Making a list of two things is better than no list at all. Getting one small thing accomplished is better than getting nothing accomplished. Small things add up into very big things. So, get started and keep moving forward one step at a time, and you will get to the top of your mountain. And when you attempt to write 100 blogs in 30 days again, you might just succeed.