Going The Distance

I have felt an overwhelming sense of support since Going The Distance has gone live. As I concluded in What This Means to Me, if I am lucky enough to have my voice reach one person outside of my immediate circle, it would truly be a privilege. I am pleased to report that I have been lucky enough and what a privilege it truly has been. I have received a handful of honest and brave messages that really made me feel warm inside. It is very rewarding to be able to write about my experiences and feelings that someone else can relate to. In addition, I have received so many supportive messages and interactions that validated my belief in what Going The Distance is all about. At the time of writing this, there have been more than 375 people who have interacted with my website. I knew I would have my family and friends’ support throughout this journey, but I really didn’t have any idea how it would be received from others. With all of this being considered, I wanted to share a reflection of my experience so far and thank all of those who have joined me in this journey.

Since I had the idea of creating a website about my experiences with failure, I was nervous about how it would be perceived by others. Being honest with those close to you is one thing, but opening yourself up to everyone else is another. Even when this website was complete, I would joke to my fiancée for her to post it for me as I was incredibly nervous to. While battling with this, I knew deep down that I wouldn’t have a website if I didn’t make this leap. Once the website was posted, I immediately turned off the notifications and refused to look at my phone for a bit. It’s funny to look back on being incredibly nervous because now I don’t hesitate to advertise it on my social media. Sometimes all it takes to overcome a fear or worry is to get it over with. That gives me an idea for a future article, I shall write that down. As the feedback, kind words, and personal stories came in, I was given a taste of what this website could become. Going The Distance is only one month old but my brain is constantly thinking about new article ideas and how to get more people to interact and connect with it. Beyond writing new articles and improving the website, my next steps to get more people to view Going The Distance is to create TikTok and Youtube accounts to share my experiences in a different way, catering to more short form content. I never would have thought I would be on those platforms and honestly the idea makes me cringe a bit. As I have shared, it takes time for me to get comfortable doing certain things. While it seems terrifying right now to put myself in front of a camera and talk, I can’t think of a better way to increase the number of eyeballs on my website. So, to my future self, get it over with. I kindly ask that whoever sees me on those platforms, go easy on me.