Halftime
A few questions to consider at the mid-point of the year
Welcome to Bryce’s Blog, a place for people who are curious, like to learn and want to grow. This Substack seeks to encourage, enlighten and entertain—usually in that order. I strive to help you connect to yourself, to your community and to the world around us.
This week we pose some questions, highlight top issues from our first six months, and finish with a 🎵 musical media embed. Thank you for reading.
Today is July 1. This year is now half over. There are 26 weeks left in 2023. As you enjoy your weekend (or in the case of some of my American readers, your long 4th of July holiday weekend), I invite you to pause and reflect on your year so far—and look forward.
Here are a few questions to consider as you do this. I encourage you to answer these honestly for yourself. If you’re comfortable sharing, please do so others can also benefit.
Reflecting on 2023 so far
What have you accomplished?
What had you hoped to do that you haven’t yet been able to do?
What has brought you joy?
What is something you want to remember?
Looking forward
What would you like to accomplish in the second half of this year?
Where do you need help?
Who or what do you want to invest more time in?
What is something you are looking forward to or excited about?
In this spirit, I am going to dedicate the balance of this issue to looking back on the first six months of Bryce’s Blog on Substack and also looking ahead. For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, thank you. For those of you who have subscribed more recently, I’m glad you’ve joined and I hope you find this interesting.
Reflecting on 2023 so far ⬅
1. What have we accomplished?
✔ I started. After wanting to resume blogging for multiple years (but never finding the time to design, develop and deploy), I started writing on Substack in January 2023. Here was my first post:
✍ I kept writing. Daily at first. Now weekly. Consistently.
🧪 I experimented. Formatting. Pictures. Poetry. Screenshots. Media embeds. Chat. Notes.
🎯 I found my focus. Over time and with reflection (documented through my 5W1H series), I figured out what I wanted to write about. (Pro tip: I’ve now tagged all prior issues by theme and you can access everything by theme on the About page and below).
Better: design and usability
Built Environment: architecture, urban planning, and the built environment
Business: branding, marketing, entrepreneurship, and strategy
Community: how to build community as an adult
Creativity: writing and photography
Discoveries: learnings and insights
Experiences: travel, nature, and everyday life
Media: impactful books, films and music
Personal Development: leadership, productivity
Technology: web, apps and privacy
📚 I updated the About page. If you subscribed before I had done this, I encourage you to visit it. You might just learn a little bit more about Bryce’s Blog.
🌐 I evolved the website design. (A big shout out to
for giving us more flexibility.)
🤼You found me. Thank you. Seriously, I’m so delighted and grateful for each one of you who has chosen to join me on this journey.
📈 Our numbers continue to grow. We currently have 58 subscribers—100% organic.
🌎 We’ve gone global. We now have subscribers in 17 US states and 14 countries. Readership is now about ~50/50 (54% US, 46% outside the US). Again, I’m amazed! It’s been gratifying to learn some of our most active subscribers are in, for example, Australia, Belgium, Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States.
👋We’ve started to engage with each other. And I love it. Thank you to each of you who have commented or sent me an email and special thanks to
and who contribute regularly.2. What had I hoped to do that we haven’t yet been able to do?
💬 Cultivate an active Subscriber Chat. Since activating this feature in May, the eight threads to date have had limited engagement. I’m thinking this this may be because many of you read Bryce’s Blog via email and chat is available in the app (for both Android and iOS) or the web. Thoughts? I do want to thank those of you who have been engaging in Chat.
If you haven’t yet installed the app but would like to give it a try:
3. What has brought me joy?
💌 The connections and your comments. Hearing how something I’ve written resonates with you has been really meaningful. Thank you. Please keep sharing and engaging.
4. What is something I want to remember?
👉 The day that subscribed. I just about fell out of my chair when I saw that. Thank you, Mike, for everything you do across Substack. Everything is amazing!
Looking forward ➡
What would I like to accomplish in the second half of this year?
🔎 Focus on some of the themes that I haven’t gotten to yet. Specifically, better, business, and the built environment.
📅 Create a buffer. Every issue so far has been written the same week you receive it. Most have been written the same day. I enjoy the immediacy, but would also like to find a way to get a couple issues ahead so I have some more schedule flexibility.
🤼 Continue to grow community of active subscribers. One by one. Together, we can achieve more.
Where do I need help?
📝 Feedback. Let me know what you enjoy, what moves you—and what you’d like to read next. You can send me an email or comment below.
💁♂️ Referrals. If you know someone who might enjoy or could benefit from Bryce’s Blog, it would mean the world to me if you shared it with them.
Who or what do I want to invest more time in?
📚 Reading. There is so much talent on Substack and I want to find time to read more of the publications I’ve already subscribed to—and more regularly. Perhaps you can relate?
🗒 Notes. I am still very much figuring out the best way to use Substack Notes.
What is something I am looking forward to or excited about?
1️⃣ Celebrating one year of publishing on Substack. It’s been such an amazing experience already in just the first six months—with new connections made, new features rolled out on the platform, and the genuine delight of having an opportunity to write and share with you each week—that I can’t wait to see where we are in another six months.
I hope you’ll continue to join me on this journey.
-Bryce
A look back…
Here are the six most popular issues so far this year:
Who is Bryce?
A programming note: I had intended to publish this last week but ran out of time before some scheduled travel. Thank you for understanding. Hello. I’m Bryce. In eighth grade language arts class, we were asked to bring an empty Pringles can to class. I didn’t know what Pringles were at the time
6 graphs that may change how you live your life
Welcome to this week’s issue — and an extra welcome if you’ve just joined us this week. I’m glad you're here. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been focused on perspective. Today I’d like to share six graphs that just might change how you live your life from this day forward.
Light
I won’t lie: this weather is really getting to me. It’s dark when I get up. It’s dark when I stop working. The rain is incessant. I know it’s not forever but I’m ready for a break. Lately, newspaper mentioned cheap airfare I've got to fly to Saint Somewhere
Getaway
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here. This week, we’re doing something a little different: a photo essay. For best layout, view online.
5W1H
I once took a journalism class. I believe it is where I first learned about the five Ws and one H (5W1H): Who What Where When Why How These simple questions can be a useful framework at times. And, as we embark on the second month of this effort, it occurred to me that they might be helpful here. So here is my plan: I am going to address one question each wee…
🎵 Media Embed
As we both look back and ahead this week, we highlight a song that was released in 2013 by Sara Bareilles called Chasing The Sun. The lyrics include this reminder:
You said, remember that life is
Not meant to be wasted
We can always be chasing the sun!
So fill up your lungs and just run
But always be chasing the sun!
All we can do is try
And live like we're still alive
And, with that, it’s time to go chase the sun! ☀
Be well,
-Bryce
I am thoroughly convinced that if people honestly asked themselves that question and honestly answered them, they would be living lives that are much more purposeful, meaningful, useful, and fulfilling.
Ah Bryce. Half a year already! It's incredible. I've been blessed by Substack and you're a big part of that. Keep growing and writing. You're an inspiration.