This month, July 2020, this website and blog reached the 3-year mark. Happy Anniversary!
This is my 157th blog post since launching NutritionCommunicator.com three years ago in July 2017. Yay! I have continued to meet my goal of creating and posting a weekly blog. It’s time to celebrate… again! It’s good to take time to applaud achievements. It’s also important to take time to reflect.
Each year on this anniversary I have posted a blog celebrating another year of blogging and lessons learned.
Let’s revisit those lessons to see if the third year taught me something new, or reinforced those lessons.
Lessons learned from blogging...
The four lessons I learned in Year 1 were:
1. Consistency is key
2. It gets easier
3. There’s plenty to write about
4. Readers like reading about people
In Year 2, those lessons were updated:
1. Consistency creates habits and meets expectations
2. Systems make blogging easier
3. Write about what you know
4. Be personal
In Year 3, those lessons were reinforced and expanded. I learned:
1. Consistency = commitment
When we commit to a positive habit it builds perseverance. There were weeks, especially during the continuing Covid-19 crisis when it would have been easy to say, “Who cares!?” and skip a post.
However, writing for me is therapeutic and just what I needed during these trying times. My commitment to consistently post every week made all the difference.
2. Systems streamline effort
Creating a weekly social media plan and a tentative calendar of topics to write about prevented writer’s block and motivated action. Without this system, consistency would evaporate.
A system is not only a plan but a sensible approach to breaking down a repetitive or possibly overwhelming task into manageable steps.
3. Write about life
As I stated in my Year 2 reflection, “What should I write about?” is the number one question I hear from would-be bloggers. In addition to last year’s advice of writing about what you know, observe life around you.
There is no end to things to write about if you keep your eyes and ears open. To be relevant, it is essential for posts to be current and sensitive to life today.
4. Be authentic
In addition to being current, be real. When we share our struggles, we exhibit empathy and we build trust. We communicate best when we connect our stories with those we want to reach. What do we share in common? How can my life experiences serve others?
One of my goals is to promote other nutrition communicators. Over the past 18 months, I have featured 8 guest bloggers. I would love to feature at least 6 in the upcoming year. Have you ever thought about writing a blog? I invite you to consider joining my nutrition communicator community and writing a guest blog. I’ll work with you every step of the way.
“As long as you live keep learning how to live.”
~ Seneca
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