Another Year Gone: What do I have to show for it?

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Zeus does not bring all men’s plans to fulfillment
– Homer

To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.
– George Orwell

Banzai!

I have been at this for about a year.

As George Orwell wrote, sometimes the most obvious things are the least recognizable.  This morning I realized I’d passed a milestone without realizing it. Time to savor the moment.

When I started this blog I had a few objectives:

  • To set myself apart from the crowd of job seekers
  • To share what I had learned from books, blogs and other events
  • To stay sane through what was a very slow period of my life: Transition

It was a challenge to stick to a weekly posting and to put my words “on the web” where they could be read by others, searched on and associated with “Joelle Godfrey” for the rest of my natural-born life. I am not by nature an extrovert, so the thought was a bit overwhelming.

But I stuck with it and by adding Twitter to my efforts, I managed stay sane enough to set myself apart and find a job later in the year.

Why do I keep blogging?

  • It’s hard to stop once you’ve started. Not that I am a natural blogger, but I hate to quit. After you have a couple of months behind you, it’s hard to give up on all of the effort you’ve already put in
  • I enjoy knowing that I am shaping what is known about Joelle Godfrey on the web
  • It forces me to think about the profession of Project Management: what I’m doing every day, where it’s going and how to be more effective as a project manager

For those of you thinking of starting a blog to set yourself apart, my advice:

  • Do it – it will help you find your voice which may have been lost during Transition
  • Stick with it – sticking to a blogging schedule will add structure to your life that you may be searching for during Transition

Sampling of this year’s effort

Following is a short list of the posts that people read most often and a few older posts.  My hope is that you keep coming back to read.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

What’s Next?

While I have no world-changing goals for the next year, I would like to:

  • Post twice a week
  • Improve the value of my posts to you

If there are topics you’d like me to cover, leave a comment or send me a tweet.  My id is jgodfrey.

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