I started Five4Friday because I was afraid I might lose my job. Early last year, my boss and my assistant were both let go, and I feared I might be next. It made me think, How do I start getting back out there? Creating content and sharing value seemed like the best way to make myself more discoverable when the time came. I was trying to be proactive and six months later when it happened I wasn’t starting at square one.
Writing as a Bucket List Goal
Writing has always been on my bucket list. The idea of writing a book, in particular, is something I’ve dreamed about for years. But how does someone with a product manager’s mindset tackle such a massive goal? The answer: we break it into smaller tasks. For this one, those tasks are blog posts. While these posts may not directly become book chapters, they’re like little micro writing assignments—pieces of a puzzle that could come together as something bigger one day.
Leaving a Legacy Through Writing
I don’t aspire to live forever because I believe my kids are my legacy. They carry my ideas, my lessons, and even a little bit of me in their genes. Through them, my presence continues. Writing, in this sense, becomes a way to share life lessons, practical advice, and stories with them. By doing this, I’m accomplishing three goals at once: creating content for others, building toward my book dream, and leaving something meaningful for my family. Maybe, in the future, it’ll even become part of a conversational AI for my kids and grandkids. What a gift that would be, right?
Some of the most meaningful lessons I’ve shared include:
These are just a few examples of the values and ideas I hope to pass on. Writing lets me preserve and share these lessons not only with my family but with a broader audience.
The Challenges and Rewards of Writing
But writing something like Five4Friday requires dedication, commitment, and consistency. Publishing weekly has become a routine, and I’ve found the hardest part isn’t the writing itself but the thought process. Writing forces you to work through details: deciding what to say, organizing your ideas in a logical way, and sometimes even researching or talking to others to jog your memory. The actual writing becomes the easy part.
Then there’s the accountability. Some of you look forward to what I write each week, and I don’t want to let you down. That expectation keeps me going. Surprisingly, finding topics isn’t the challenge. I have a notebook full of ideas. The question is, What do I feel like writing about this week? Some ideas surface naturally; others take time. But writing forces you to think through your ideas completely, and that’s a good thing.
At this point in the blog, I’ve covered most of my best practices and practical advice. Now, it’s more about sharing stories and experiences as they happen. For all these reasons, I think you should start writing too. Whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly, pick a cadence that works for you and start sharing something meaningful.
How are you documenting what you experience in that little dash in between? Even in my music, I appreciate a good story—and there’s a (mostly) forgotten Garth Brooks song called Pushing Up Daisies that captures this idea beautifully. The chorus goes:
There's two dates in time that they'll carve on your stone
And everyone knows what they mean
What's more important is the time that is known
And that little dash there in between
Yeah, that little dash there in between.
The song reminds us that what matters most is how we fill the time represented by that little dash. What stories, lessons, or moments are you preserving from your dash?
The Value of Long-Form Content
In today’s fast-paced, ADD world filled with short content and quick hits, I think there’s real value in creating something deeper. Writing helps you develop clearer, more accountable thoughts, and it fosters stronger connections with your audience. These are lessons I’ve learned firsthand.
My Challenge to You
So here’s my challenge to you: start writing and share it publicly. I’d be honored to read what you create if you’d like to share it with me. Let’s build deeper connections, not more tweet storms. That’s why I write. And that’s why I think you should too.
What stories or lessons would you want to preserve for future generations?
What’s stopping you from starting today?
Go create something amazing. Leave your legacy. That’s it for this week.
I’m glad you’re writing, Kyle!