Introduction

My brother Eamon Keane made me reflect:

I began blogging summer of 2021. I have now written over 100 posts. Blogging paid off well, and I know, there is much more to come.

However, I wish I had begun blogging much earlier.

Before you read my rant, here is some salted popcorn for you, my friend: 🍿

Why I began blogging

I wanted to begin blogging to stand out as a software engineer. You may not know me, but I dislike not doing things I can that'd help me excel. That's like leaving free growth and money on the table. Life is too short for me not to maximize it.

I started blogging later than I should've. I knew blogging would make me stand out, but I didn't think blogging would not come with other benefits. I thought people blogged only to help others. 🥹

Helping others is fantastic. But I needed to excel in my career. I needed to grow exponentially. I didn't think blogging would help me with that, but in reality, blogging comes with many more benefits than I anticipated.

What if I blogged much earlier?

Eamon Keane made me think of what could've happened if I had begun blogging much earlier. It's not about dwelling on the past, but reflecting and learning from it. I don't dwell on the past. I ain't got time for that.

What if I kickstarted my social presence and began blogging while learning to code? Before I even had my first job? 🥵

I'm not saying I needed to blog all the time. But forming a habit of writing for 30 minutes every day would've gone a long way:

• 30 minutes every day

• 210 minutes every week

• 840 minutes every month

• 10080 minutes every year

Imagine if I had kept this habit once for six months. I began learning to code when I was 15. I started taking it more seriously at 16, and at 18, I committed to getting a job a year from that point.

I could've gotten a much better job the first time since the opportunities would've increased. A job where I'm valued and paid well. A job where I get to wake up excited about work.

Honestly, I rarely woke up excited about work in my first job. I was more excited to grind on my own shit that would play a bigger role in shaping my future. 🔥

One thing is for sure, had I begun blogging much earlier, I would've excelled sooner.

What made me keep blogging

When I began blogging, I fell in love with it. I love typing on the keyboard and hearing my mechanical keyboard's sound. Typing on the keyboard is amazing, but that wasn't what made me fall in love with blogging. 😈

When I think of why I should blog:

• Helps me learn things better:

  • Memorization.

  • Understanding.

• A place to store my knowledge, like a second brain.

• Build my brand.

• Increase my opportunities.

• Grow an audience.

Blogging comes with many benefits. Benefits you discover when you begin blogging. That's why I'm still blogging and writing this post right now. 🔥

The biggest mistake I made

I made many mistakes when I began blogging. 😑 The biggest mistake I made was trying to put up an image. I wasn't writing in plain language. I was trying to sound smart, which led to me rambling too much. As a result, my writing wasn't pleasant to read. Readers wouldn't connect with me because I wasn't myself.

Conclusion

Start a blog. Form a habit of writing focused for at least 20 minutes daily. See yourself excel, and I promise you, your future self will be thankful.

I know for sure I'm thankful to my past self. 🤌