For an entire last year, I was struggling with writing my blog.

I started the blog in Bali while sitting next to idyllic rice fields. I had so many ideas, my life was exciting, and I felt like I could be an inspiration for someone. 

But then back in Estonia, after working some months as Product Manager in Post11, the creative feeling was gone and there was nothing noteworthy to say anymore. I was living a normal routine life like an average person. The ordinary life I was secretly trying to escape from in the first place… 

I understood that it’s easy to write and share my life when I am living the dream and could easily show only the best side of myself. But when things are not so exhilarating anymore, it’s safer to hide and not show my blunt reality to others. 

Inspiration from a Nike founder

Lately, I have been reading a book called “Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE”. It’s a fascinating, funny, and inspiring tale about struggles Nike founder Phil Knight had when building up one of the most successful businesses in history. For me, it was strange to think that a couple of decades ago Phil Knight was selling imported Japanese shoes from his apartment. It turns out that his company didn’t become successful overnight, there were years of unceremonious work behind it.

Reading his story made me understood that I am inspired by reading how Phil Knight overcame his problems, not how much he is worth or what he achieved.

It made me think that even if my everyday life is not extraordinary, there might be something useful to take from my lessons and struggles. I shouldn’t feel embarrassed when writing about these experiences.

What if someday someone would enjoy reading my blog because the current mundanity of my life resonates him or her somehow? (What a narcissistic idea…)

Write something my grandchildren would read

Another inspiration came from GaryVee podcast episode with Chase Jarvis. Gary V, uncharacteristically, said that best thing that can happen to anyone creating content right now is not that we quit our “shitty job” or start our own company. But that someday, maybe after 54 years, our grandchildren would come to us, say that they read our blogs and that they want to be like us when we were young. And at that age, this would be the most meaningful thing for any grandparent.

This intriguing idea gives me another push to write and document about my life even if I get off the track or have a difficult period. Or even when nothing interesting has happened.

Small steps, struggles, authentic thoughts, difficult decisions – in the end, it might be more valuable to preserve these moments than my achievements.

That’s why my blog name is Ordinary Mart, right? Tales about ordinary life.