Top 10 Reader Comments of 2009

Tweet

So as you, the reader, are the most important part of the success I have seen on this blog, I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon your finest moments.  I have received hundreds of comments on my posts, and those are hundreds more than I ever expected to receive.  I got the inspiration for this from a post that Corbett Barr wrote a while back called “10 Favorite Quotes From Readers (And Why You Should De-Lurk).” I think the more I can integrate the readers into the writing and what I am doing, the more useful and exciting it is for everyone.

I also wanted to quickly take the opportunity to revisit some goals that I set in The Best of Location 180.  There are three in particular that I had hoped to achieve by the end of 2009.

1. Reach 500 subscribers.  I have been as high as 498, and am currently at 494.  So if you haven’t subscribed yet, now would be an EXCELLENT time to do so!
2. Get 1,000 comments by the end of 2009.  I am at 947 as of this writing, this gives me roughly 8 days to get 53 new comments.  If you have been lurking for awhile, introduce yourself!  It has been exciting to see some new faces, as well as see continued support from all of the regular commenters!.  I love you guys.
3. This one is a bit more obscure, but I posted a goal of wanting to have at least one reader from every country, before Chris Guillebeau visited every country.  He is at 122, and I am currently at 117.  So if you know anyone from Liberia, Paraguay or Greenland send em’ a link!

Alright, I am done with the sales pitch, on to the comments!

Ok, actually, I have one other quick note.  Since writing that top part, I have gone through and reread every single comment that has ever been written on this site.  All I can say is “wow”.  There have been so many good stories, pieces of advice, and genuinely heartfelt comments that have been left over the last 6 months, it is unbelievable.  When I started this post, I thought it would be easy to pick out just 10…not so much.  So I shouldn’t really say these are the top 10, rather they are just a few I wanted to highlight because they motivated me, humbled me, or in many cases, just made me smile.  Thanks to everyone who comments on this site, the support really is one of the biggest things that has got me to where I am!

Ok, seriously this time, on to the comments!

From Ami of 40 Days of Change on The Mental Evolution of a Cubicle Dweller:

“You, Sean Ogle, are my Chris Guillebeau. If that makes any sense. Former cubicle dweller? Check. Feeling guilty for not feeling grateful? Check. Trying to speed up evolution by blogging? Check. Keep it up, your experiences inspire all of us cubicle alumni.”

From Andrew of Sail to Trail on Online Friendships and the Real World:

“Rather than comment on this post when I first saw it, I decided to put Sean to the test and meet him for a beer in Portland. I was hoping to bring you all back some telling story to validate the slightly nervous fear multiplied by 100. What. Ev. Er. I basically have one metric for judging interactions over beer. It’s simple… How much beer was consumed? We only finished two beers each in the two or three hours. By pure beer drinking standards, that’s a failure. But… it’s actually a reflection of doing way more talking than drinking. To me, that indicates good company. If you have a chance to meet up with Sean, do it. (and please stop emailing me to ask if he’s hot in person)”

From Dan of the Tropical MBA on Online Relationships and the Real World:

“Sorry to break down the 4th wall between you and your readers, but I’ve got insider’s info here: On the phone, Sean sounds something like a CEO directing a shareholder’s meeting. If things don’t work out with the Tropical MBA, you could make a killing in tele-sales!”

From Tyler of Frugally Green on I Finally Sold My Car:

“It’s pretty amazing what you notice when you step out of the car and get on a bike, or even step off the bike and start walking. It’s like turning up the resolution of life. What once was blurry now is clear as day.”

From Colin of Exile Lifestyle on I Finally Sold My Car:

“Since I sold my car back in August, I’ve felt an immense sense of relief. There’s something innately stressful about driving such a large investment around where anything can happen to it. It’s like wearing a $10,000 pair of shoes. Sure, they’ll get you where you need to go, but what if you step in gum? Get them wet? Leave them somewhere and get them stolen?  Too stressful for me!”

Also from Colin, on 21 Things I Have Learned From Unemployment (The concept of the fax has given me more headaches over the past two months than anything else):

Oh faxes. You’re the 8-track/betamax/laserdisc/minidisc of the communication sphere. – Colin Wright

From Derek of Live Uncomfortably on My Last Day:

You’re screwed! What are you going to do without a steady income? How will you know how to properly spend your time if you’re not on a strict schedule dictated by a boss? Aren’t you worried that you’re falling behind in life? What about retirement? You’ll never be able to retire at 65 now. You’ll never be able to spend your later years in life on a beach in Mexico. You’ll have to do spend your best years on a beach now, stupid. Go back and get a job, hippie, before it’s too late.”

From John Bardos of Jet Set Citizen on “I’m A Hypocrite”:

I think all of us are in the same situation. We all talk about living ideal lifestyles but perfection is something to aim for it is never really achievable. The striving is what counts. It doesn’t matter if you reach your destination or not. Trying is what matters.”

From Rasheed of Present Day Nomads on Accountability and a Comfortable Life:

That makes two of us holding you accountable, Sean. Where do you plan to go? For how long? You have a Guitar? Dude, you could be playing on the street corners and in the subways. Imagine your Guitar case filled with $5 and $10 bills, with $1 coins to keep them from flying away. Let’s go! What are we waiting for? Oh, BTW “Life is meant to be easy. If it’s not, you’re doing it wrong.”

From Baker of Man Vs. Debt on If You Were to Live Abroad:

Stop what you are doing and leave now. Don’t talk yourself out of it. Figure out the rest on the road. It’s not only possible, it’s one of those things in life when you look back on it… it will be tough to say you regretted it. Do it.

Thanks again to every one, and Merry Christmas Eve!!

If you enjoyed this post be sure to sign up for my email updates and RSS Feed!

Tweet