Hyphenated-Homestead

Exactly one year (and one day) ago, on December 23, 2023, I did something miraculous. No, I didn’t discover the meaning of life or finally master the perfectly round chapati; still working on that btw. 😁 I started a blog—Hyphenated Homestead—and here’s the real kicker: I stuck with it. Yes, this blog’s first birthday is proof that miracles do happen.

---

In my mind, blog years are like dog years. With change in technology and AI being rampant in our everyday lives, the attention span doesn’t go beyond 140 characters or 30 second reels? Does it?  

3-5 minutes of reading? Get out of here! Who has time to read old fashioned blog articles, and why should one write them anyways?

You can probably do FB Live, Insta Reel, Snapchat Streak or post a picture of that beach vacation you went on, or that splendid late night Diwali party, right? Isn’t the picture worth 1000 words? And that’s exactly what your audience aka your friends want, right?

Ultimately it is all for the likes, comments and feeling good about yourself via that public validation. Isn’t it? Partially true. But not quite fully, at least for me.

When I hit “publish” on my very first post, “Another year…” I half-expected this blog to join the ranks of my forgotten New Year’s resolutions. You know, the kind of resolution you excitedly commit to and then quietly abandon by February.

Yeah, you know what I am talking about.

But somehow, against all odds, I didn’t just start—I persisted. And it’s not because I was looking for validation from outside. Let me be really honest, I guess, I was looking for that validation for the first 30-45 days since I started but then something happened, the mere process of writing made something trigger in my mind which made this a much more enjoyable journey of self-reflection and life-journaling. That exactly was my intention to start writing in the first place, but what I am trying to tell you is that it didn’t happen at first, it required time, effort, and consistency. That’s why this milestone of 1 year is even sweeter for me.

I didn’t give up, and I don’t think I ever will. This blog, this type of writing and ‘I, me, myself ‘may not remain same, and will evolve (that’s merely sign being alive 😂), but my confidence and my intention to start this journey, 365 366 days later, is even clearer and stronger now.

Blog years are like dog years.

---

Here are some analytics. It’s some form of validation, yes, only in case you are interested. Blame this on my professional marketing background. Old habits die hard. 😂

• I wrote 31 total blog posts (excluding this)
• It totaled to 20,614 words, with roughly 640 words per post. Just to give you some perspective, this post is approx. 600 words, and it takes anywhere between 3-4 minutes to read.
• 31 posts attracted 2,460 unique visitors generating 4,981 unique views

• The blog garnered readership in 45 different countries (really humbled!) with US, India, Germany, Canada, Estonia, Netherlands, Romania, Finland, UK, Lithuania, Australia, Ireland, China, Austria, France being the top 15 countries with at least double-digit visitors and views.
• The bold countries intrigue me to visit them in near future. Why you ask? Simple, I haven’t been there just yet. Even if just one reader comes from that country; maybe there is something in-store for the writer. Who knows?

---

So, what’s next for Hyphenated Homestead? More experiments, more learning, and hopefully fewer gaps? Whether you’ve been reading since Day 1 or just stumbled upon it while Googling, I’m grateful for your company on this journey.

Here’s to another year of sharing, growing, and maybe—just maybe—finally mastering those chapatis.

Happy Birthday, Hyphenated Homestead. You didn’t quit, and neither did I. May we stay together, forever!

Liked this? Please subscribe and get new stories 2–4×/month. No spam, just clarity and a smile.

Want help turning ideas into action? I run mPath Services: empathy + execution and hands-on help for solopreneurs or anyone needing a bit more TLC. Visit mPath →

Want to just say hello? drop me a note at: mandar@mpathservices.com or contact me →