I’ve been writing my blog for over four years. I started it as a diary of my progression towards my fitness goals. In the previous year fitness had become my passion. So much so that I had qualified as a gym instructor and had commenced a diploma to become a personal trainer. I had a confidence that the only way was up. My health was guaranteed. Apart from arthritis in my fingers the only time I was ill was when it was self inflicted. 

Within four months of posting that first blog my life was turned upside down. My best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer and I had a heart condition that needed open heart surgery. My body had let me down. Or I had let it down. Who knows.

My blog changed. It became about survival. I moved from fitness goals to surgery, recovery and dealing with the initial shock of diagnosis and coping with the mental challenges of having major, albeit routine, surgery. At the same time my friend was going through an even bigger challenge. Sadly a year after her diagnosis she died.

But I continued with my blog. It has changed over time. Whilst it remains focused on fitness  it has become a celebration of life. I am a different person to the one that wrote that first blog. I am more grateful of what I have and what I can do. And my blog has not only documented this it has also helped me in getting to where I am today.

But could it be defined as a success? Well according to Google that would be a no. I don’t have thousands of followers and I’m not making a living selling hot beverages with dodgy weight loss claims.

It is successful in that it is still going after four years. Apparently 95% of blogs don’t make it past the first year. 

But should I define success by Google’s definition.

Without doubt having my blog has helped me get through probably the darkest period of my life. Writing about what was happening to me, how I was feeling and then being able to revisit those words has been invaluable in getting me to where I am today. Even if I had never posted my blog it would still have served as a journal and there is now plenty of evidence of the benefits of keeping a journal particularly where mental health is concerned.

Posting my blog has kept me accountable. It probable sounds very sad but a prime motivator of trying anything new is for me to be able to write about it. If I start doubting whether I can do something I will keep going so that I can blog about it. The Three Yorkshire Peaks did not become just two, a 110kg deadlift is a much rounder number than 107.5 kg and 60 birthday burpees didn’t crash and burn at 55.

But the biggest achievement is when someone tells me that I have inspired them to get fitter. Last week a colleague posted on Facebook that  rather than stop at her usual 64 lengths of the swimming pool (very impressive) she ‘heard’ me telling her to move out of her comfort zone. She went on to swim 80 lengths (extremely impressive). 

I also hope that my account of dealing with and recovering from open heart surgery has helped others that are undergoing the same challenge. One of my most popular blogs is ‘Open Heart Surgery – 18 months on’. A few months ago I was asked to speak to a woman that had been recently diagnosed with the same heart condition that I had. I did and also directed her to my blog. This week she is having her surgery. She told me that she had read and reread my blog and that it has helped her get mentally prepared. Could I ask for anything more. 

So in terms of Google analytics my blog has failed. But it has helped me and it has helped and inspired a few others. It has been read in nearly fifty countries including Taiwan and South Korea. Maybe  when I can devote the time to master Pinterest and maximise search engine optimisation (SEO) the number of my followers may increase. But in the meantime I will continue blogging.