Happy Anniversary

Tales of a Wayward Yogini is celebrating its one-year anniversary

photo courtesy of Pixabay

July 22nd marks one year that Tales of a Wayward Yogini (on Substack) has been arriving twice-weekly in many of your inboxes. It's been an interesting experience for me, filled with almost every emotion one might imagine. 

Pride, fear, excitement, frustration, satisfaction, happiness, confusion, envy, embarrassment, anxiety, surprise, fatigue, naming just a few. Once I committed to that first post, I was strapped in for a roller coaster ride. 

One year later, comparing my current emotions with those in the early months—pride still leads the pack along with excitement, happiness, and delight. I am pleased with my efforts and proud of my accomplishments.

Substack is ever-changing and growing, so from time to time, I still struggle with the technical aspects of using the site and marketing myself, but I'm making progress. I am not feeling near the anxiety I did in the first four to five months, in large part because, at that point, I decided not to paywall my content and instead offer my writing for free in the hopes that those who found value in my work and had the means, would upgrade to a paid subscription of $5 a month or $50 a year. And I've been delighted that many readers have done just that. 

I also removed any "upgrade to paid" buttons from the body of my writing and opted not to use a header to promote the site, all of which went against Substack recommendations. For most publications, their suggestions are right on. I didn’t feel my site fit their mold. I also left buttons only at the end of the post for anyone interested in commenting, upgrading, sharing, etc.

In hindsight, I see that I offered what I enjoy reading— a cohesive article/essay/story without the interruption of buttons or ads, etc. 

When I made these choices, I determined that I would campaign once a year for additional paid subscribers on the anniversary of my newsletter.

And, hooray, here we are!

photo courtesy of Pixabay

I'll make this as painless as possible; if you enjoy my writing and have been on the fence about upgrading to a paid subscription,

this would be a lovely time. I will likely write for the remainder of my days, paid or not, but it is a goal of mine to generate a modest income from my writing. Thank you for your consideration!

There's not much left to say except I appreciate all of my readers regardless of whether you support my work with dollars, comments, shares, texts, emails, hugs, or tears (oh, especially tears). I am humbled by your support. 

You all have given me more than I can adequately express here, helping me create a unique tribe that celebrates kindness, generosity, emotional support, optimism, and belief in a higher good. This sweet tribe continues to grow weekly, for which I am beyond grateful. 

A few people I must honor with a mention just because they've gone beyond with their support.

Kurt and Leah Ann, my first two and only Founding Members. I never expected even one. 

Leah Ann, Lois, and Vicki purchased paid subscriptions for others. Wow. Again, so generous!

And Lynn, who I don't believe has ever missed hitting the 💜 button or commenting, usually both, and 💜’ing the same post when uploaded to FB and Instagram. Regardless of how much I enjoy a particular writer, I'd never have that follow-through to read every post and encourage. Lynn is amazing, and now her husband Mel joins in as well. How lucky am I?

I could write for pages about the many friends and readers who have bolstered me; you all know who you are. I am grateful to each of you for your encouragement. It means more than I can say. And I also appreciate my fellow writers on Substack, who I am continually learning from, many of whom, at this point, feel like friends.

So, let's move into year two and see what we can scare up. I will be taking a two-week vacation after next Friday to rest, rejuvenate and work on a few new ideas I have for my site, as well as host my daughter's bridal shower! 

Namaste my friends.

Namaste (nah-mah-stay) is a Sanskrit word that means “I bow to you.”