Why I’ve Started a Blog in 2018

Hello. I want to officially welcome you to my blog! I’m Joe Ditzel and I’m happy you stopped by my site. I know this probably should have been the first post on this site but I got excited about starting to write I decided to save this for today.

You might be wondering why I’ve decided to start a blog in 2018 when the world already feels overrun by them. I’ve been doing a lot of reading recently trying to figure out “my thing.” The thing I could do to get out of my rut. Learn a new skill, start a side hustle, mediated on the meaning of life, or whatever else comes to mind. I’ve been writing on and off for the past two years now and find it extremely cathartic when I get around to it. Recently, I read something which stuck with me, though I can’t remember where I got it, “Stop being a consumer and start being a producer.”

What the hell does that mean you might ask? I’ll tell you. Most of our lives are spent in consumer mode. We read, watch TV, play video games, buy stuff, and in the end, we do a whole lot of taking. Some of these things may even feel productive. The problem is we spend most of our time in consumer mode and spend little time creating anything of value.

What are we doing with the information we are absorbing? Do we even use it most of the time? Does it go in one ear and right out the other? Maybe you are like me and try to share what you’ve learned with your family and friends? Unfortunately, most of the time it feels like I’m pissing in the wind. (We get it, Joe, you like listening to podcasts. Shut up about it)!

I’ve become a really great consumer in a lot of ways. I continue to take and horde and take some more. I never seem happy with what I have and I’m always looking for more. Sure I might share things I learned but most of the time I come off sounding arrogant. I’m not producing anything. I’m not putting myself out there to be judged by the world. I sit in my safe space and yell into the void. Like a Planet Fitness member, I’ve chosen to live in a judgment-free zone… until now.

At this point in my life, I’m tired of only being a consumer. Someone who wakes up a mediocre dude and whose goal is to make it to the end of the day to start the process all over again. As Jarred Moon from End of Three Fitness would say, “I want to be a better human!” I want to learn, grow, change, and adapt to this new world around me. I want to be a better human for my wife and three beautiful children. I want to leave this world feeling like I made a difference, even if it is a small one, and not with the overwhelming feeling of mediocrity.

So that’s the goal here with the Joe Ditzel Project. I want to build a better Joe Ditzel. I want to continue to read, watch, and listen and then come back here to share it with you. Maybe you’ll find it helpful. Who knows? All I know is if I didn’t start last week I never would have found out. I hope you’ll come along for the ride with me.