If there’s one thing that has held true over the years, it’s that the more I write, the more success I have.
When people ask what I do, I rarely know what to tell them.
Blogger? Entrpereneur? Marketer? Golfer?
They all fit, but the one that often feels the most accurate is writer.
Whether it’s writing content for the Academy, emails for our newsletter subscribers, blog posts – whatever it is, if I don’t write, I don’t make money.
Simple as that.
Yet, lately, my writing has been stagnant.
I’ve put it off, made excuses, or found other people to do it for me.
One of the effects of that is feeling lost.
Years ago, this crazy thing happened.
Remember the guy from the old “Make 7 Up Yours” commercials? His name was Orlando Jones, and this one time I ended up randomly hanging out with him at a mansion in LA.
But he told me one of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve ever received.
He said, “master the craft, not the form.”
So in my case, my craft is writing.
It doesn’t matter if I write blog posts, journal entries, screenplays, emails – whatever.
Once you master the craft, it can take any form it wants.
When I write I’m able to get my thoughts out. I’m able to work through problems. And perhaps most importantly, I’m able to take the feedback and responses I get and use them to steer the direction I’m going.
When I neglect the craft, it can lead to a loss of direction.
Lately, I’ve felt a little bit lost when it comes to this blog, and I think part of that is due to neglecting the craft of writing.
So to get back on the right path, I’m doing something I’ve always been terrified of doing: I’m going to write everyday.
Rather, not just write everyday, but publish every day on this blog for the next month.
The idea of a daily blog has always seemed daunting and terrifying, but right now it feels necessary.
I need to reconnect with the craft that has afforded me so many wonderful opportunities over the last decade, and even better, by doing it publicly, it offers more chances to connect with the readers (you!) who make our community as special as it is.
A couple of years ago, I did a daily vlog. In that, I had to shoot, edit, and publish an entire video, so this should be a piece of cake – right?!
The Origins of Location Rebel
One thing you may or may not know about Location Rebel was the reason it began was as an accountability tool.
Making a public declaration of your goals and intentions is one of the very best ways to follow through with them.
So, at the suggestion of Chris Guillebeau, I started the blog and published my bucket list as a way to hold myself accountable for the things I wanted to accomplish in my life.
Since doing that, I’ve done dozens of things I’d never have done without hitting publish. Cigars in Cuba, living on a tropical island, climbing a mountain, building a successful online business – the list goes on.
But it was committing to the accountability that allowed me to follow through with it.
So now I’m doing the same with this post.
Every day in September we will feature a new post here.
I recently wrote about the concept of my blog becoming a commodity, so I believe this is one way to add some of the personality back in and kickstart the next chapter of this website.
The posts will be much more varied. From simple ideas I’ve been marinating on, to longer form how to posts – we’ll be doing it all.
And in the process, I’ll be working to write 1,000 words a day, as a personal goal for myself.
I can’t wait to see where this goes. Interested in joining me for a 30 day challenge of your own?
Here are a couple other posts on writing that may be useful if this is something you’d like to do for yourself:
Sean Ogle
Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.Join over 40,000 people who have taken our 6 part freelance writing course. Sign up below and let’s do this together.
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