💓 I am dedicating this post to my boyfriend Eric and my sister Cindy who have been supporting me since Day 1.
I started this blog in April 2019 after Eric encouraged me to start blogging numerous times over the years. He knew how much I love talking about the topics I am passionate about (and I have many topics I am passionate about) and was probably hoping I will share with more than just him (p.s. I talk a lot).
Fast-forward 15 months, I am about to publish my 100th post. This week, the site’s daily page view also surpassed the previous record that consisted of 100% traffic from myself (when I first started jenthinks and was building the website). In the past couple of months, I have received my first email from a reader, the first comment from someone other than Eric and my sister and heard from someone that my posts have been helpful to them.
I want to dedicate my 100th post to share why I started this blog. I also think it is useful for me to remember the WHY because when things get hard (which it inevitably will), that will be the reason why I don’t quit.
When you feel like quitting, remember why you started.
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Why Did I Start Blogging on JENTHINKS?
As I have mentioned in the introduction, Eric was the one that encouraged me over and over to start blogging. He has seen my writing (mostly personal topics) and thought I was effective with my words. Emotional and personal topics come more easily to me so I tend to struggle with technical writing (e.g., research paper for college).
When I first started, I had a completely different vision for my blog. I was going to review products, movies, hotels etc. My first post was a movie review post for Memoirs of A Geisha (2005) which I had since reverted back to draft since it was so bad. I published the first ~30 posts in the first year (an average of 2.5 posts per month) and was struggling to get organic traffic.
“Have confidence in who you are and that what you have to say is worth saying,” @ByGeorgiaGrace
— Jennifer Chun (@jenthinks) July 23, 2020
Everything changed when I started working from home as it saved me 3 hours a day from not having to commute. I published 70 posts in the last 5 months (~14 per month) on a wide range of topics but the most successful series have been Monday Hour One and My CPA Journey so far. I still enjoy reviewing hotels and products when I have the chance but sharing my journeys has been both fulfilling and fun.
I think my biggest WHY for starting blogging on JENTHINKS was to satisfy my desire to share what I am passionate about. Personal finance (Money Diary), learning and growth (My CPA Journey), travel and reading are just a few of what I am passionate about. As I grow, my interests will change and so will JENTHINKS. I am glad I started this blog so I can look back one day and see how much I have grown as a person.
What Will My Next 100 Posts Be?
If I write my next 100 posts in the next year or so, I expect there will be many more CPA posts, money diaries, Monday Hour One, book reviews & hotel reviews. Since we are furnishing our home, I expect to share more about our progress as well. I am far from being an expert on any of these topics but I am a very conscious decision-maker. When I asked Eric to describe me with adjectives the other day, one of the words he used was conservative. When I asked him to elaborate, he said it was because I would over-analyze situations and tend not to just go with the flow. It is no wonder I have so much to talk about because I have run through many scenarios in my head 😂
To many more 100th post 🥂
