In my quest to make this the best possible blog I can, I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time perusing through the thousands of comments and emails I’ve received over the last few years in search of useful information.

What do my readers want? Why do they visit my site? Why do they care about my story?

Here are some of the main conclusions:

  1. People are inspired by my actions, not by my wishes or thoughts
  2. To inspire, I must lead by example
  3. People want to follow someone who is working towards a goal and want to see successes and failures along the way
  4. People want actionable ideas on “how” to end their grind
  5. People want to feel like they are not alone in their grind

As of this writing, my eyes are burning due to all the reading I’ve been doing. I’ve been looking for common threads among all the feedback I’ve gotten and there definitely are a lot of similarities in what my readers want, need, and are interested in.

A Look Back

the-matrix

Back in the beginning of 2012, when I was launching my Year Of The Grind Project, I was getting a lot of attention on this blog. My community was thriving, traffic was growing rapidly, I was receiving lots of emails from people looking for help, and I feel like I was poised for big things.

Of course, we all know how 2012 turned out, but I believe everything happens for a reason and it wasn’t the right time for me and my online business.

Now that I have officially ended my grind, I feel like I am in a better position to help those who feel trapped in a job and/or life they don’t want.

But in order to help people, inspire them, and make an impact in their lives, I need to know exactly what they want. In reviewing the surveys, emails, and past comments I’ve received, I got a wealth of information and I wanted to share some of it with you:

Here are a few examples of why people read Ending The Grind:

  • “I need motivation to have my visions come to reality”
  • “To gain encouragement and guidance from someone who is on the same path I am on, just a few steps ahead of me”
  • “Inspiration it provides for my own journey”
  • “To get inspiration from others in my position and feel connected to people who are feeling the same as me”
  • “Because I’m trying to do the same and love to hear the other stories of how to and emotional states in going through the same process”
  • “This site gives me inspiration to continue my quest for financial freedom”
  • “I can relate to you and your desire to “end the grind” I am in my early 40’s and want nothing more than to end the grind. Looking for ideas on what works and what others have done”
  • “Because I am working towards ending my own cubicle job and I like the inspiration. It makes me feel like I’m not crazy!”
  • “To find out HOW people make the transition from working hell, to freedom heaven”
  • “Ongoing case study of details of what/how/why would be informational instead of philosophy and thinking behind something”

I also asked what I could do to help solve their problems. A few responses were:

  • “Post more of “what you are thinking” when you do the things you do. Mindset stuff. Your fears, frustrations, and successes”
  • “Stories from people in similar situations. tips on tightening the belt when about to take a leap. Small mantras to help day to day until I end the grind. Some positive stories so its not all doom and gloom”
  • “Keep us motivated by your interesting posts and sharing life experiences – it’s good to feel as if we are not alone!”
  • “I have pinpointed my passions but don’t know how to monetize them and thus change my life”
  • “I like reading stories of others who have gone through this. I am currently trying to figure out the best way to quit my job, tell my boss…so info about that would be great”
  • “Show me realistic examples of how others have escaped with realistic timelines”
  • “Continue your blog and sharing what you are learning. Identifying/recommending resources that you have found helpful in your quest”
  • “Good to see paths or how others have ended the grind for those that do have families, responsibilities. A lot easier to end the grind when you have little to lose”
  • “Keep doing what you’re doing. The stories of others on your site are so inspiring and really make me feel like I’m not the only one who feels this way and like escape is possible!”
  • “I love just seeing what others are doing and especially love the details of HOW they’re doing it!!”
  • “Provide more how-to as opposed to motivational and anger inducing posts”
  • “Talk a bit more about what drove your subscription numbers up. Talk about the very beginnings and how you got those first few fans of your blog. Talk about the day you got your first email subscriber. No one talks about the very beginnings. Everyone talks about what to do when you’ve got 3k people on your email list, but they don’t talk about how to GET those 3k people. This is the most challenging thing for a young business. Those first few fans are critical!”
  • “Provide real tips for how to make the transition versus tips for folks with low overhead and dead end, small paycheck jobs. Not the reality for millions of people out there”

These are some very powerful comments and thoughts here and unfortunately I did very little to embrace the needs of my readers when I first received this information. I just didn’t listen to my readers…

Let’s Change All That

As I mentioned, I truly want this to be a blog that will inspire you to get up off your ass and take action towards doing something that matters to you.

In all reality, I could easily write about my personal story for years. And although a big part of this blog is sharing my personal story of hardships, failures and successes, I don’t think it’s enough to actually help you.

I know many of you can see yourself in me, can feel my struggles, and are rooting for me to do great things and to find happiness. And that means so much to me.

All the heartfelt comments I’ve received have touched me deeply and I want to do everything I can to return the kindness. I want to help you in any way I possibly can. Whether it’s through sharing my story of quitting my job, interviewing successful entrepreneurs, or taking an ass whupping from Penelope Trunk, I will do it.

Moving Forward..Slowly

slowly

But I still have some things to share about the last 2 years of my life. Some of it will be easy to share and some it will be very painful. I know there is growth through struggle and I can only hope that my words will spark something inside of you.

I will be publishing a post within the next month regarding my plans for this site and for what 2014 holds for me. But before I get to that, I want to ask you all for your feedback.

I want to know what brings you here to read my story. What can I do to get you moving forward towards a better life? The more I know, the more I can do. I want to create a valuable resource here for you and want your opinions on the best way to do that.

Just reading through the above comments, there is enough information to keep me writing for months, if not years And that’s what I plan to do, but I still would love to hear your thoughts. Do you agree? Do you still care? Do you have an idea for this blog?

Please share a comment or feel free to email me directly. I look forward to hearing from you and making 2014 a great year!

Want More Ass Kicking?
Join Us!
Instantly download "Your Guide To Cutting Through The Bullshit and Getting What You Want" for FREE by clicking "I'm Ready!"