The Numbers Don’t Lie

I love numbers. There are many ways to interpret their meaning.

Today (September 7, 2023) is an important “numbers” day along my writing journey. As mentioned in previous editions, we should celebrate victories no matter how small.

I’m going to throw a few numbers at you:

582 - the number of days I have been writing & journaling each day. It seems like only yesterday when I looked back at the first 100 days of my journey. Glad I didn’t DIE on Day 1.

88 - the number of subscribers to my newsletter. By the way, if you do not receive this newsletter via email, you haven’t subscribed yet!

5 - the time in the morning I wake up to start writing (if not earlier!).

30 - today’s newsletter edition number. I have officially sent out 30 weekly newsletters. WHAAAAAAAAA?!?!?

Cue the confetti!!

It’s been a fun ride as I keep to my weekly newsletter goal.

But at what cost?

Newsletter creation takes time. My family commitments and 9-5 job leave me with limited time to focus on writing. With a weekly edition, I have limited time to work on separate pieces for a publication (book, magazine, etc.).

I have another confession to make - I failed miserably on the intentions I set in the Spring. I shared these intentions in public to hold myself accountable. Uber-FAIL. I feel like a FRAUD, or PHONEY all over again.

Another concern I have is about losing the morning sun during my 5 am writing window. Last year I struggled HARD with the transition to Fall. And I already have sleep issues.

I don’t have all the answers. Yet, when the weird guilt of not achieving goals tries to set in, I reflect on why I wanted to do this newsletter in the first place. I wanted to share with others the reality of following your gut. Not all goals can be achieved in the same way as others. Everyone’s path is unique. And it’s important to pivot if one way of doing things doesn’t work.

That is where I am at - another bend on the path. Yet I am committed to another number - 22. If I write a weekly newsletter for 22 more weeks, I will reach a full year of weekly newsletter writing.

I do not want to stress out about missing opportunities to publish elsewhere only for FAME AND FORTUNE AND GLORY…. Oooooooh! And I do not feel as though I am settling, either. With each newsletter, I learn to write my ideas down faster and practice what I preach. I’m still playing around with my writing style. It will only improve with regular writing sessions, hence the weekly newsletter.

I am also grateful to those sending feedback about the newsletters. It means more than you know. Your feedback helps me understand what resonates and reaffirm which writing style people prefer.

Speaking of idea generation, I can’t wait to share how I come up with newsletter ideas each week.

Until then, keep on crunching those numbers fellow creators.

Naddy / Nadine