It’s Monday, which means it’s back to work for you and me. That’s a pretty routine statement, right? Except in my case, when I focus strictly on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, I answer with, “Wait, that’s it? ‘Back to work’?”
In case you missed it, last Wednesday I released the milestone 500th episode of the show. Yup, a new episode has been delivered on time, every week since February 2014. So, you can appreciate why I would pause and be a little resistant to a return to normal and just carrying on in a routine manner.
Since I’m such a huge sports fan I have to think of people questioning veteran athletes as to whether they’ll retire right after they win a championship. If they’re still enjoying it and still thriving, why should they? Just because someone thinks they’ve probably peaked? It kind of makes me think of George Costanza in a “Seinfeld” episode saying that he was ‘going out on that one.’ He felt he’d just delivered his best line (joke).
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I am not going to switch off the microphone, put down the headphones, and ride off into the sunset.
As fun as all the celebrating has been (see the multiple posts last week on the show’s official Instagram account) and as nice as it has been to get so many congratulatory messages, I’ve got too many reasons to keep going.
You know that expression, “You learn something new every day”? In the case of the NHTE podcast, I (and you, the listener) get a chance to learn something new every week. Not to mention, I have a front row seat to meet someone new and possibly forge a nice connection with him/her.
And sure, there’s absolutely the entertainment value, meaning, the really cool stories that I (and you) get to listen to the guests tell.
But there’s also the podcasting side of things. I just love the medium and continuing to learn more about it as it keeps right on growing and growing. Plus, I get to meet fellow podcasters, whether at the monthly Florida Podcasters Association meeting or at a major event such as Podfest Multimedia Expo, not to mention the speaking that I’ve done about podcasting at events around the country.
And by the way, for those of you thinking about starting up a podcast, notice that we’re this far into the blog and I haven’t talked about monetization. Do I want to earn money from “Now Hear This Entertainment”? Of course I do. Heck, I’d love for someone to just buy me a coffee as a thanks for doing the show week after week, month after month, year after year. And sure, the show has generated a little revenue over the years. But, as is commonly said in the podcasting industry, if making money is your number one reason for starting up your own show, you’re getting into it for all the wrong reasons.
Quite frankly, around the occasion of the 500th episode and the mere thought of, “Will you hang it up,” I’ve said to people that I don’t know what I would do without it and am abundantly aware how much I would miss it.
If this is the kind of passion you have for what you do and you don’t dread, “It’s Monday, back to work,” then keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t listen to the voices who are trying to dissuade you from continuing with something you truly enjoy. There is a long line of people who will tell you that money couldn’t solve their problems (lost loved one, family member with special needs, someone they care about battling with an addiction). So, if it makes you happy but you’re not rich, I’d say you’re doing pretty good.
Podcasting more or less is how I heard about the app that I always encourage people to use to call me, called Owwll. Heck, you might just find a guest for your podcast on there. That’s how I got Daniel Mock for Episode 468 of “Now Hear This Entertainment.” Call me on there and let’s talk about what you’re passionate about or about your podcast (planned or current) or to discuss whatever is holding you back in your business. Take advantage of the almost 20 years I’ve spent helping clients around the country so you can keep moving forward.