Labor of Love

I was walking around East Meets West last week to meet some new people and say hello to the exhibitors and attendees I know when I ran into my friend Joe Anziano from Advantage Print and Design. He made a comment about my blog, like many people do when they see me, that he was impressed I’ve kept it up for so long. And that’s when I realized I’ve been writing weekly updates for more than five years.

Of course I was already aware of our five-year anniversary coming up in October because I just wrote about it two weeks ago, but I started writing weekly updates in August of 2009. As I stood there talking to Joe I was mentally kicking myself for letting a significant milestone sneak past me without comment in this forum.

Give or take a few updates, the number is 260. That’s 52 weeks times 5 years. I would estimate roughly 500 hours, spent mostly on Sunday afternoons, thinking, writing, editing, and posting updates From the Book of Matthew. It’s certainly a labor of love. But like it says in the sidebar, This Business Is Personal. And that sentiment has always been reflected in my writing.

Based on the greater number of emails and comments we receive after personal posts, and the enthusiastic remarks from readers like Joe and others who say, “I love reading your updates first thing every Monday morning,” we can reasonably conclude what we’ve always suspected.

Emotional connections are stronger. Most people would expect that to be true between family and friends. But mixing emotions with business has always been taboo. I’m sure there are those who disagree. But I believe it’s important to enjoy the time you spend with colleagues.

The best way to enjoy your time together is to tell people you care. I love it when readers tell me they read my blog. It makes all the time spent worthwhile.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.