61 Lessons from 2000 Blog Posts- RunToTheFinish

Reading old blog entries is a bit like reading your childhood journal…you recognize the areas where you have grown, the areas where you haven’t quite completed what you expected and the areas where you’ve exceeded your wildest dreams.

December 30th, 2005 I wrote my first post. A week later I stopped until…

July 10th, 2007 I put my fingers back to the keyboard and have been posting regularly since that day…while the format, length and quality of writing may have changed, one thing remains constant: the running! 6 and 1/2 years and 2000 posts later, I am consistently amazed at where RTTF has taken me and who it’s allowed me to meet.

Ahh headers throughout the years…
This website has become a place for me to share my greatest passions in life…running and writing with all of you. It may never be the largest site or have the most comments on any given day (though I’m still shooting for the stars), but it is definitely a place of refuge for me and the community YOU have helped develop is what motivates me each day.

Thank you to everyone who has been here the last six plus years, thank you to all of you who have just begun reading…this is a journey that is always evolving and I am glad to take it with you.{Tweet it!}
LIFE LESSONS

Be yourself
Unplug
You have time for what matters
Strive to be better everyday
Appreciate where you are today
Lose the ego
Eat whole foods and chocolate
Be enthusiastic
Experiment freely
Invest in yourself
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Then when it falls apart go with the flow
Mentors are necessary
Always be learning
Figure out which comparisons motivate vs deprecate
It’s just not that serious
It’s ok not to fit inside the box
It’s ok to color outside the lines {but keep it clean please}
You will improve
You are special
But not that special, we’re all the same
Even though I like rules, sometimes it’s good to break them
It’s ok to share your passion
It’s equally ok for others not to care about your passion
Someday is not a real day
You don’t need every gadget you read about
Fully appreciate what you have to appreciate what you receive
I love living simply
Remember it lives forever on the internet
You’ll always be evolving on the healthy living journey
It’s all a journey, there is no finish line
Sharing can be scary and rewarding
Be you; be honest; be kind
Follow your first instinct
Gratitude
Don’t begrudge others success
Yoga – especially outdoor yoga
Laugh more
Not everyone will like you, getting past that relieves a lot of pressure
Dance parties are an afternoon must

BLOGGING BUSINESS LESSONS

Free is not a business model
Blogging alone is not a business {Tweet it!}
Selling doesn’t have to be sleazy
Do it because you love it…don’t expect money or fame
Do expect to work hard
Do expect to meet great people
Do expect your family and friends to not understand what you do or why
Community matters
Community isn’t just blasting out your own message
Community is sharing others stories
It’s OK if you don’t like something; don’t pretend that you do.
It’s not about resources, it’s about commitment
Editorial calendars are life savers
Cultivating a network of like minded people is surprisingly fun
It’s exciting to see friends succeed, a reminder of what’s possible
It takes a lot of self discipline to freelance
Say NO
Create value
It’s always worth asking, the worst they can do is say no
Nearly all fun things become tax write offs
Don’t read your first post again ever, it’s awful I promise.

MY FAVORITE POSTS

NYC 2012 the race that wasn’t
How to change when change is hard
Behind the scenes of our TV wedding
Be a great spectator – 18 race sign ideas
Clean and Lean project {not a post but the whole dang thing}
Holiday and Spring Challenges – again not a post, just love the whole thing

MOST READ POSTS
There is a definite theme here – hips and food!

Thanks to EVERYONE who came out on my last request for you to DE-LURK. It was awesome to meet many new readers and say hello again to long time readers! Celebrate 2000 by doing it again!

How long have you been blogging?

What have you learned from doing something for 6 years? {work, running, parenting}

Checkout Thinking Out Loud for some other fun blogger posts.

Other ways to connect with Amanda

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