This story has to be told because it is just crazy. For those new to this blog, let me take you back for a very brief history.
I started this little blog over 10 years ago. There were no goals or big plans. Just me putting some words into cyberspace. The posts were all over the place but most centered around my wife, kids and the journey we’re all on. It grew and grew. It took us great places and there have been some really fun moments (like when a review I did for Dollar Shave Club resulted in over $1000 in credits). Then one day it just got stale. Life happened. Over the last 3 years I’ve only posted a handful of times. Stuff like honoring my sons (yes, that little boy in the picture) 16th Birthday.
Rewind to 2 weeks ago I had a thought to maybe clean the site up and blog a time or two. I started by simply recycling an old post called “6 Things My Kids Need for School.” It had the usual response and that was fine. I’ve never been about the response or the glory. Just the opposite actually. There’s no greater goal or plan here. I’m not selling anything or trying to drive traffic. Just sharing the journey. Last Wednesday, I decided to share a list of 30 quotes I found in this book over 5 years ago.
That’s when all you-know-what broke loose.
It went viral.
Like really, really viral.
The first day – 244,636 views. I was blown away.
The second day – 1,930,533 views. IN ONE DAY
The third day – 1,169,287 views in one day
At the time of this writing, I’m in my forth day and there have been 447,063 views so far.
I’m not smart enough to know how or why any of this happened. By now I hope most people realize I didn’t write that list. 5 years ago when I posted it the first time, I included a “Source” link at the bottom. The post got some likes but nothing out of the ordinary. For some reason this time it just went crazy. I’ve updated the post to make sure people don’t miss that I didn’t write these quotes. I’ve included the link for the author of the book I pulled them from and I sure hope he’s getting all of the credit and glory here.
But it’s been a wild 4 days.
Facebook was the clear guilty party here. It is just insane how this thing multiplied over and over again. I won’t take up a ton of space here but there have been some incredible stories. My favorite are friends (who I know) telling me of friends of theirs (whom I don’t know) sharing it. I’ve heard it has been shared from people I don’t know in Washington D.C., South Africa, Ireland, Oregon, Texas and places all over the map.
I’m going to be interviewed on a radio show this coming Wednesday.
I’ve been called names – both positive and negative.
I’ve made a lot of new “friends”
I’ve heard from several strangers both inspiring stories and heartbreaking stories
Like single dads trying to do their best
And single moms filling the gap left by husbands that passed or are no longer present
I could go on and on. It’s been simply incredible.
But here is my biggest takeaway and I could be 100% wrong about this….I think the post went viral because people needed something positive in the time that we live in. We’re surrounded by anger and people taking sides. Our feeds are inundated with opinions and positions. This just happened to be something different. Positive. New.
I don’t know about you but I’m inspired by the response. I’ve been inspired by all of the words of parents, aunts, uncles and even grandparents wanting to share these with their children and grand children.
Where does this all go from here? I have no idea. Probably no where. The clock on my 15 minutes is probably sitting at 14 right now. I want to thank ALL of you for giving me something to cross off of my bucket list (even though I don’t really have a bucket list). I hope you hang around as I’ve got other content to share and re-share from the past 10 years. I’ve got new posts queued up for a time in the near future. I hope you find it inspiring and worth your visit.
Until then, thank you to all of those that made the day my post went viral so memorable.
I was here before it was cool! Congrats on being the best thing ever this week. In a time of uninspiring news you were a becon that made the world bearable. Looking forward to more wisdom…
You sir, have been here since the beginning. I do remember that. I remember all of those that encouraged along the way and even when there were no posts to read. I also remember you sending me “Deep & Wide” by Andy Stanley with a note of encouragement. Thanks for always encouraging. Hopefully I’ll have some new stuff soon.
thanks for your candor. All that hullabaloo on your old post -but it speaks volumes on people – needs, desires, hopes. Also on our frailties – we only half -read, half-interpret and go off and running. Keep giving people the good …
Aaron,
I had a similar experience as yours with a column in a small-town newspaper in which I repeated some male rules — like if the toilet is up, put it down, simple as that. I made sure readers knew i didn’t create the list but I got the credit anyway. Of course, my viral only ran into the 30s pr 40s, I think I had read your list before or something similar, but it did hit a nerve in today’s heater-shelter, me first world where parking lots have become race tracks with drivers jockeying for the vacant spots, teenage boys would rather croak than step aside and let their elders enter a store first, or (heaven forbid) hold the door open for them. The list came at a time that it was needed. That is what mattered. Thanks.
Very well said. Yes, we can all use more positive moments in our lives. Thanks for giving us the inside look. Being a WP blogger I especially loved the stats image. Amazing!
I was happy that someone like you still exists in this world. Thank you for your wonderful post and for making me smile! God bless you and your family!
Very awesome. I look forward to the days where my views spike myself, but have never had that type of deluge! Congrats!
Well … I wasn’t here before you went viral. But, I saw a post in LinkedIn that talked about the list. Someone else said you were the source. Then you sourced the book. I want to thank you. I have two sons. They are older and this is a list that I think our family has, over the years, tried to instill into our family. But, and here is my point, this time I read the list and thought … maybe this one is for me to remember! Thank you for speaking honestly and openly.
This is so inspiring. Thank you!!!. We all should try in every way to be a positive in all communication with all our family members and all we come in contact. Our world would be better place. Thank you for your blog.