In a year, humans can make a baby. Not to be outdone, cats can have three litters of kittens in a year. You can completely revamp your body in a year. You can learn a new language. It takes even less time to get your investment portfolio in order, become a college professor, or write a book.
A year is so long and yet it feels so short.
And there is so much more to say.
It starts with, thank you for sticking with me. When I review the statistics and see how many subscribers read every single article, I am thrilled beyond belief. Sometimes when I am sitting in front of my trusty Mac and the words just don’t come, I usually start as though it is a letter to you. How can I say it better? How can I make it more personal? How, by connecting to one person at a time, can I make a small difference in someone’s life? Is there a topic I know people are struggling with that I might be able to make a little less overwhelming (like investing)? Is there something that I think is really interesting that I might be able to introduce to someone else in the spirit of human connection? Are there things that I can share or information that I can provide to help my small but mighty readership be a little more confident in their own amazing capabilities?
It is the same with teaching. When I receive a note out of the blue from a former student and they tell me how great they are doing or what they’ve been able to accomplish or even just an “inside joke” from class, it makes the hours spent fussing with the various learning management systems and driving around like Johnny Rutherford in a parking lot designed to be some sort of death match of musical chairs completely and utterly worth it.1 If I can help one student see their potential even though “on paper” it may not be apparent to everyone, it’s worth it. My dream is that someday, many years from now, one of these kids (I can call them kids because, well, I am old enough to have driven Messi home from the hospital when he was born) is a CEO or a brain surgeon or doing real good in the world and they look back and say, “she helped me believe in me.”
PrepOverCoffee started with a little article about IPOs that summer day in August of 2022. It is amazing to think about how much has happened in our world in just a year.
There were too many mass shootings.
Here in Knox County, the mayor decided that it was okay to carry a gun into a public library.
Queen Elizabeth II died. Tina Turner died. Gordon Lightfoot died. Christine McVie died. Sinéad O’Connor died.
Donald Trump went from keeping a few boxes at a country club to, well, you know.
Elon Musk took control of Twitter (ultimately decided to name it after a 1970s/80s punk band) and launched a Starship test flight. Both exploded.
Britney Griner returned home.
Joe Biden joined the classified document fiasco.
Walgreens stopped selling abortion pills. Then 20 states (and counting) banned abortions altogether.
Bed Bath and Beyond declared bankruptcy, and then it was bought by Overstock.
Ed Sheeran evidently did not infringe Marvin Gaye’s copyright.
Writers and actors went on strike together for the first time in 60 years, which is truly terrifying because, contrary to popular belief, ChatGPT is not “the same thing.”
Apple reached $3 trillion in market value and still can’t make a phone with a decent battery.
The Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action programs in colleges violate the Constitution . And that the HEROES Act does not give the President the right to cancel student debts.
Interest rates went through the roof and the weather continued to go into the toilet.
Clarence Thomas was outed for alleged conflicts of interest.
Silicon Valley Bank, Silvergate Bank and First Republic Bank failed.
Sam Bankman Fried was arrested, got out on bail, and then went back to jail.
I learned who Lionel Messi was, and then was devastated to learn that he was born the year I got my driver’s license.
So what does this coming year have in store for you? What can you accomplish with a little curiosity, hard work, and 365 days?
In honor of this anniversary, I thought I would answer a few reader questions I received.
What is the best advice you have to share?
Who you choose to spend your life matters most - in your career, in your life, in everything you do and everything you dream of. Pick someone who wants more for you than you want for yourself and who will strive to help you get it at all cost.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere. Things come up when I am teaching. Questions I get from friends and clients. Discussions I have with the various people I mentor. Reader comments and suggestions. Ideas from my beloved proofreader, the Cat Daddy. Even topics that I stumble onto that are difficult to understand because I love the challenge translating the complex into something simple.
Did you get your 1,000 subscriber goal?
Not yet. But I get a few each week, and every time a new reader signs up, I still giggle like I did when it was subscriber #1. I read this great interview just the other day from an “overnight sensation” podcaster who has now hit one million downloads. Except “overnight” was really seven years where he slogged along with a very small audience. The theme of the article was that “patience is a competitive advantage” and the only way to succeed at something creative is to just keep with it.
Want to help me grow my subscriber base? Share articles you like with colleagues and friends, or even post articles you see here on LinkedIn or other social media.
Did you finish that novel you wrote during Nanowrimo?
Not yet, but I will take my own advice and just keep at it. Really, that’s all any of us can do - just keep at it.
Have you changed the frequency of distribution?
For the time being. I used to publish every Thursday religiously. Then, with the complexity of the investor series in June, I went to every other week with the weeks in between reserved to answer questions. But stay tuned, we will be back to a weekly distribution as soon as summer ends.
What has surprised you most in writing PrepOverCoffee for a year?
From a creative perspective, how hard it is to keep coming up with new ideas. From a reader perspective, I am surprised that the most popular articles are the more personal ones - which are scarier to write.
For example, “I Was Fired and It Wasn’t Quiet,” “People Show You Who They Are” and “Alpha Cats” were some of the most popular articles.
Do you think you will stay on Substack and remain free?
My goal with PrepOverCoffee was to provide development oriented content that is easy to read and understand. I viewed this as mentoring, or even better, colleagues grabbing coffee together and “talking about” stuff. I also never wanted cost to be a barrier. I am a supporter of Open Education Materials in schools, and I am committed to keeping this publication free. I may at some point add e-books or other content that is more in-depth and put that behind a paywall.
Substack is an easy to use platform with great tools. I am not currently looking to leave it.
Got a question, comment or suggestion for PrepOverCoffee? Share it here.
Thank you for your support and continued engagement this past year. I can’t wait to find out what year two has in store for all of us! Thank you for celebrating PrepOverCoffee’s first birthday with me (and Madonna, who turned 65!)
Of note, I think this could be the plot of a great movie with Jason Statham.