Today is Day 100 of publishing an essay online every single day. Back in January, I took a big step outside of my comfort zone and joined Ship 30 for 30 with the goal of starting to write online. Throughout this journey, I discovered three surprising things that I wasn’t expecting:

• Writing Is Incredibly Therapeutic. As I put pen to paper (well, actually, fingers to keyboard), I realized that writing is a fantastic way for me to become mindful of the present moment and to process my current thoughts and emotions. As a result, I’m finding myself navigating challenges much more effectively, ultimately improving my overall well-being.

• Taking Breaks Is Just As Important As Consistency. I discovered pretty quickly that I’m going to have both good and bad writing days. On the good days, when ideas and words are effortlessly flowing, I’ll write two or even three essays and get them scheduled out several days in advance. On the days when the ideas and words just aren’t there, I realize that I need a break more than I need to write that day, and I don’t write at all. Thankfully, the good days far outweigh the bad, so this strategy consistently keeps my essays scheduled 4-5 days out in advance most of the time.

• Creating A Simple System Is Far More Effective Than Setting A Goal. My long-standing goal to begin writing and publishing online remained elusive until I established a simple system and fit it into my daily routine. This simple shift away from focusing on my goal to focusing on creating a simple system has now resulted in me writing and publishing 100 essays online. I’m so incredibly excited that I now have 100 pieces of content written for my blog.

My 100-day writing journey has revealed some incredible unexpected insights. Writing has become an important part of my self-care, I’ve established a balanced approach to consistency, and I’ve learned the incredible power of systems over goals. I’m excited to continue this journey and look forward to celebrating future writing milestones.