Reflection: On the First Birthday of The Daniel Mosaic

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I wrote my first post on The Daniel Mosaic. I remember when the first post appeared on my blog and I thought that one post looked really lonely all by itself. I thought that it would take forever until there was enough content that The Daniel Mosaic would be a 'real' blog. 

That reminds me of an illustration I saw once. Here is my version of it.

So welcome to the first birthday of my blog! That makes me want to gather people together, eat cake (with a mosaic pattern of course) and drink some good coffee. And while I am in the mood to celebrate I started asking myself some questions:

Does the title The Daniel Mosaic still resonate with me? 

Yes. I love systems with lots of pieces. I am realizing that I am okay with pieces that fit together imperfectly, like in a mosaic. That is the picture of my life. So one year later, the title of my blog is more meaningful to me than when I cautiously named it in the first place. 

Favourite post? 

Perspective (Click here). I love the way the pictures of a light bulb from different angles illustrated what I was trying to say in words. More and more I am realizing what a visual person I am and I want to explore that a lot more in the future. 

Most challenging post? 

Authenticity (Click here). This post changed the way I wrote. Rather than writing as an observer of strategy, I started to write more out of my personal experience, both success and failure.

Most read post? 

Knower or Learner (Click here). I still think that this is still one of the most important questions that we need to face - are we going to try to put the pieces of our dreams together as a knower or a learner? Hint: choose learner. 

What surprised me most? 

How much fun I am having. Each strategy and idea seems to spark other topics to explore and write about. I keep a running list of them. I am also having fun with the visuals, and especially with drawing. I now find myself taking pictures with my iPad in a variety of situations thinking of future blogs and am slowly growing in confidence with hand-drawn illustrations. 

Anything would I do differently? 

I would have pressed in on the weeks that I did not post. There was always something there for me to write and I should not have taken the escape. Looking forward, I want to write more spontaneously as ideas emerge and less in response to a structured posting schedule. 

Any hints on what to expect in the future?

I believe that the different strategies that I am writing about fit together into a bigger picture. I will continue to link closely related strategies and ideas as I am writing but I am excited about structuring the blog so it is easier to access and follow emerging themes.

With that I will conclude this post and launch into year two with a special thanks to my readers. I have heard from a number of you and I would love to meet others who have been following The Daniel Mosaic. Why not send me a comment introducing yourself...