Seriously …
I think it’s a relevant question.
Why am I posting my pictures, stories, and ideas here on this platform, on this publication, at this time?
… and why should you (my readers) care?
Well, if you’re thinking about subscribing (or staying subscribed) you should probably know that for me this is more akin to the personal blogs I used to post on 10 or 15 years ago, than any sort of business building project. I promise there will be no 5-step masterclasses, no synergy, and absolutely zero optimization of my personal brand
I’m mainly here to have fun and get to know people.
Ultimately, my main goal is to make new friends; both online and even potentially in person. I’ve already had some success on that front.
At some point in the not terribly distant future, I’m going to stop predicting the weather for the civil service, and Kelly and I are going to hit the road. (Don't worry, my retirement forecast has a much higher confidence interval than my afternoon rain predictions)
If I can open my Substack and write a note or a post saying something like “Hey, we’re going to be in Cool Place, USA or Even Cooler Place, Overseas Country on these dates” and have someone pop on and offer to tell us about (or even better show us) the most interesting non-touristy spots in that area, then this publication will have been a wild success.
BTW, our little corner of southeast Arizona is a pretty spectacular destination in and of itself. So if you ever find yourself out this way, I’m more than happy to be the guy on the other end of that offer—I can show you where the good views are, though you'll have to negotiate trail rights with the local wildlife.
Beyond that, I love to take pictures and tell (hopefully good) stories from my five decades on this earth, living all over the country, and the world.
Both of those things are way more fun if you can share them with others.
lol, we humans are all a little ego driven, so literally the only reason I can think of that I might even like to have thousands of subscribers some day is so that more people might enjoy the things that I write about and/or take pictures of.
Then again, if my circle here on Substack stays relatively small forever, I’m not sure that would necessarily be a bad thing. I’ve always said that if you don’t see me around much online for an extended period of time it must mean that “real” life is probably going pretty well for me at that moment … or I’m finally catching up on all the laundry I put off doing for a month. 😎
lol, all that when I could have just typed:
I’m here because I like to share pictures and stories, and hope to make some new friends in the process of doing that.
… but that wouldn’t really make for much of a post now would it?
How about you? Why are you on Substack?
Think someone else might enjoy this post?
I'm glad you're here! Can't wait to see you both travel and hopefully meet in person someday.
And I'm here for it all!! 😝
Hey Todd!! Glad you are here and I can't wait for your retirement where you'll be traveling. As a retiree, I have to tell you that it is grand! :) If you find yourself wandering up into Michigan, I'd be happy to share some places to visit. If you end up near Ann Arbor, happy to share a beverage as well :)
My wife (Brenda) and I are here on Substack for similar reasons as you I think. We wanted to start a newsletter and never intend to monetize it, but are so very grateful to those who feel that what we do is worth not only their time, but cold hard cash. What we've found here is wonderful people sharing their creativity with others. A few of them we are happy to call our friends :)