Well.

There comes a time in every man’s life when he decides whether or not he wants to make something of himself. It’s an easy decision to make – when the time is right. For some it’s rock bottom. Others catch themselves earlier, privy to the fact that the decision is inevitable; that they may well start now.

To continue to chase fleeting highs, the graces of others, and pursuits other than the improvement of one’s self is meaningless. Money, popularity, and lust satiate in the short term, though pale in comparison to the long term benefit of self-care.

To make oneself smarter, more capable, more intelligent is the reason you’re at college. Use everything as a learning opportunity, and seize every opportunity. This is a world tailored for boys to grow into men. Best spend it well, because time marches on with or without you.

This is where one learns to conquer vices, not fall prey to them. This is where you put your foot in the ground, say “No more”. That you’ll stop smoking weed. Quit nicotine. Get on anti-depressants. Take charge of your life.

You’re done stressing about trivial day-to-day nuance. Use every moment to improve yourself, care for yourself, and make yourself a better person.

THINGS TO DO – Read books. Write code. Study. Eat. Work out. Be social. Sleep.

I’m going to continue to update this board as a personal accountability project.

Andy Clark 2/7/2020 12:52 AM

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.