Who knew that a list called21 Secrets for Your 20’s would change my life?
Last month, I went to my usual spot at Starbucks and compiled a mixture of “secrets” that I’ve learned over my twenties — some serious, some not, and then walked back to ask my wife what she thought. “Well, it’s a little long. But gosh, it’s all pretty good. You really wrote this?! (I tried not to take her surprise as too big an insult)
I posted 21 Secrets for Your 20’s on a Thursday and by Friday it began to pick up social-media-steam, mainly through Pinterest of all places. By Saturday it had 60 Pins on Pinterest and about 30 Facebook Likes. By Sunday it had 300 Pins.
Un-Pin-lievable!
“I think by the end of the week this could actually have 1,000 Pins,” my wife said as we went to bed.
“No way, a 1,000 Pins?! Her optimism appreciated, but a tad crazy. 
And she was wrong. By the end of the week it didn’t have 1,000.
It had 11,000 Pins.
And 3,000 Likes.
And crashed my website twice!
The sheer amount of traffic felt like the day I swam in the Pacific as a storm tore through — powerful waves flipping me head over heels, and heels over head, so that I didn’t know which way was right-side up. Exhilarating, and slightly terrifying.
Tipping Point
Today 21 Secrets for Your 20’s has 34,000 shares and counting. It’s officially changed the course of my site. And coming Thursday, I’ll share just how much it’s changed with some:
All Groan Up Big.Exciting.News!
Anyone who knows me knows the path to this tipping point has been anything but overnight. (more of that story Thursday) So if you’ve been writing and dreaming to the returning sound of crickets, believe me I know your pain and frustration. Last year I wrote an article for friend and writer Jeff Goins, called The Spark of a Writer below. When I read it now it’s amazing to see my own words of hope and belief become reality. So keep lighting that proverbial match!
The Spark of a Writer
Writing progress is not in pages.
It comes in sparks
Each match that burns. Each word that falls flat. Taking you closer to that sentence that smolders. To the paragraph that catches. The page people will gather around.
That piece changes the atmosphere. In you. And in those who see its light.
Because they’ve felt the same fire. They’ve had the same thirst.
As a writer you hold out a glass of water.
Your fingers burnt and blistered. Hiding in pockets. Only you will ever know.
Hundreds of used matches — useless.
But one catches fire.
__
Thank you all for being a huge part of this story as it unfolds. More on Thursday. Pinky-Swear.
You deserved it, Paul. I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do with it now. 🙂
Thanks Joe for all the encouragement and support along the way!
Congrats, Paul! So excited to see this happen for you, and excited to see where you’ll be going. 🙂
Thanks Alissa! It’s been a fun, wild ride for sure
Hi Paul!
I was actually one of the people that came across this article on Pinterest and was really impacted by it. I stayed up that night and ended up reading all of the other articles that you had hyperlinked to it and really enjoyed them all. You’re a phenomenal writer. I actually signed up to receive the free copy of the ebook about a week ago but It hasn’t shown up yet. Do you know if the high activity has affected the time it takes to receive it? I’m dying to read it and tell some of my friends who are struggling with similar things to do the same. Thanks so much! I really appreciate all your words of wisdom and support for 20-something-year olds!
-Sonya
Sonya, thank you for the kind words, encouragement, and for sharing my writing with friends. I can’t tell you how thankful I am to you, and all the others, who have helped share the message of All Groan Up.
For the ebook all you have to do is forward me your email subscription so that I can reply back with the ebook. It’s not an automatic download as I wanted the chance to say hi and thanks to everyone who requested the book. But now that I have your email here, I’ll just go ahead and send the ebook right now.
Thanks again Sonya!
I’am so confuse about life.i dont understand the meaning of life