Here we go, the last day of another year. I remember writing the first post back in December 2006. Things were much different. I lived in Brazil, it was summer and I was running my own design studio. Fast-forward 12 years and a lot have changed. I live in another country, it’s very cold, I have a full-time job (which I love) and I’m a happy husband with a beautiful little child. But life always throws us some curve balls, and this year was, without a doubt, the most difficult one yet.

Managing the blog with a full-time job, plus a raising a child and a healthy marriage is no easy task.  I was presented with 2 options, one to sell the blog and move on…There’s always some ups and downs, but I believe the only way to get things done is by persevering. Everything in life starts very easy so we get hooked. Some people call that beginners luck, however as soon as you progress the more difficult things become. It’s if there’s a natural selection being applied to select those that are really passionate about that particular thing, for the enthusiasts. Or looking at it from another point of view, it must be stubbornness.  The fact is, blogging now is very different than it was back when we started. The whole blogosphere, as we used to call this, is dying, if not already dead. 

In that context, I wrap up the year of 2018. I was presented with 2 options, one to sell the blog, move on. The second to keep doing it, even trying to double down on this with the help of my good friend Francois. It was a very difficult decision to make here.

To change your experience, change your opinion. If you’re upset by something outside you, it’s not the thing itself that upsets you, but your opinion of it. And it’s in your power to wipe away that opinion immediately. – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

I believe, there are very few blogs that have survived the test of time, especially crossing the decade mark. I’ve never held a job for over 10 years. So for that reason alone, I was already leaning into keeping the blog chugging. The more I thought about it, the clearer it was that I keep going. The blog is more than just a collection of posts, it’s an opportunity for me to try new things, to keep learning, and that alone is what makes any job worth doing.

With those thoughts in mind, we move ahead. We’re about to start a new year, the last year of this decade. There are a lot of things I want to experiment with. Starting from the new design, which I will keep improving, to trying to jump on the video bandwagon and publish some video tutorials to sharing a bit more of my experience creating products at scale. I want to experiment more with our Newsletter, so make sure you subscribe for some exclusive contents and personal thoughts that we will be sharing there.

As you can see, there are many challenges and things to do. But before we start, I just want to wish you all an amazing 2019 and most importantly, I would love to say thank you very much for visiting the site. Your participation has been the fuel of my motivation and I will be eternally grateful for what you’ve done. You taught me more than you can imagine.

Happy 2019!