It has been a while since I shot a video or wrote a blog for Letter to Sons. There is a reason. I took some time to think about what direction I want to take both the YouTube channel and the blog moving forward. I’ve decided I’m going back to Billboards 2 Me (BB2ME). If you have no idea what that is, don’t worry. I’ll explain it and the path forward in this blog.
Why did I create Letter to Sons?
Let me begin by explaining why I created Letter to Sons. A little over a decade ago, I went through a nasty divorce with the mother of my sons. Unfortunately, as a result, I did not get to spend that much time with them during their teenage years. As their father, I thought it was important to pass along the life lessons I learned to help them be as successful as possible in this world. That was the genesis for this idea. The format started simple and evolved into the blog, and I eventually added the YouTube channel.
What are BB2ME – Billboards to Me?
Now let me answer the question: what in the world are Billboards to me? Tim Ferris’s podcast inspired this idea. At the end of each episode, he’ll ask the guest if you had a billboard. Everybody could see what you would write on it. I liked this idea and ran with it. At the end of each month, I write three billboards to myself, which are the life lessons I learned that month. I then taped them to my bathroom mirror so that I could see them during the next month. I ended up blogging about these Billboards about a year after they had happened.
Why did I stop blogging about my BB2ME?
If you were to visit the Letter to Sons blog and search for Billboards to me, you would discover that, to date, I’ve shared about 40 BB2ME. I stopped writing about them back in 2020. Why? There are two reasons. Number one, the pandemic happened. The billboards tend to be somewhat serious since they are life lessons. During the pandemic, I pivoted to topics I felt would be fun to share. Things that I enjoy doing like traveling and listening to music. The second is perspective. Writing about something only a year after it’s happened in your life is not enough time. I feel like more years are needed to digest and metabolize life lessons before sharing them with others.
Why am I returning to BB2ME?
There are three reasons that I am returning to BB2ME.
- The pandemic is over.
- I feel enough time has passed. I can start sharing my BB2ME again. The reality is I didn’t stop writing them. I only stopped sharing them on the blog.
- I want to return to the original reason I started Letter to Sons. I intend to pass along my life lessons so that my children can be as successful as possible in this challenging world.
The path forward for my blog
Let me describe what you should expect on the blog and YouTube channel moving forward. I hope to shoot and release a new video, BB2ME, every week. I’ll write the blogs afterward. I’ll finish by sharing a billboard from someone I don’t always agree with, Oprah Winfrey. I endorse what she says below. Be a force for good, encouraging and passing it on. That’s good life advice.
I am Doug Keating, and this is my letter to my sons.