30 {Insert Content Here!} in 30 days

Last week, I began my Message of the Day project. The idea is to create daily voice mails that can be accessed by calling 641-715-3800, Code 55310. Pretty much the first thing in the morning, I record an unscripted message and announce its existence to my social networks.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the idea for doing this came nearly a decade ago from a friend of mine, Rene Molenkamp. Rene is a life coach, consultant, and ex-Jesuit priest who in the early internet days had the idea of sending out a daily spiritually-oriented message to the members of our Diversity and Spirituality organization. It was just an idea we batted around, with Rene having more enthusiasm for it than me.

Ten years later, I decided to put the idea into practice, voice-mail style.

But this wasn't the first time I started a "thirty days" project. Maybe five years ago, I started the Thirty Poems and Thirty Days project on Ecademy.

The project was controversial on Ecademy. Nearly every day, I got dissed by some of the other posters, who either didn't like my poetry or didn't like my project. I did have a few defenders, but the haters tended to drown them out.

Anyway, I persisted and it was great fun. I'd carry my tape recorder around, come up with an idea for a poem, write it and post it. I then interacted with people who posted reactions to my poems.

But eventually life took over: there just came a point where I made other things more important than coming up with a poem. However, I completed 18 poems, about half of which are decent. And I still plan to complete the book I envisioned (but what will I call it: almost Thirty Poems in Thirty Days?).

Nothing in particular save intuition motivated me to begin this particular endurance test. I'm enjoying creating my Message of the Days now, but I've only just begun, with something like 23 voice mails to go. I really am determined to go the full 30 days this time.

What would help a lot is encouragement. I get some from my small coterie of regular listeners, but I could use some more, so please!

Call and listen to the message of the day today at 641-715-3800, Code 55310. After listening to the message, you can if you want leave me a message.

If you like it, tell your friends about it.

I'd love to hear what you think.