It is a question I get all the time: Why Don’t Blink?

In fact, now that I have started a new job and met a whole different group of people, I am receiving the inquiry even more. It’s a completely valid question—considering it is the name of my blog and plastered all over my social media—so tonight I will briefly explain…

I have my personal motto on pretty much everything.

Don’t Blink has epitomized my personal brand for more than 15 years. It speaks to my conviction that our earthly lives are short and we best make the most of the limited time we have. I verbally say “Don’t Blink” to others on a daily basis to remind them of the fleeting existences we have been gifted on this planet, especially if they comment on the passage of time, celebrate a birthday, or mention how fast their children are growing up.

Don’t Blink is such a part of my personal brand that I ordered pens with the phrase and my blog URL written on it.

I obviously didn’t coin the term Don’t Blink—people have been saying it forever—but something did inspire me to adopt it. In 2007, Kenny Chesney released a song called (you guessed it) “Don’t Blink.” The beautiful track speaks to the advice given by a 102-year-old man about his secret to living a fulfilling life. The centenarian utters the two-word phrase and discusses the importance of prioritizing what matters in life. The lyrics spoke to me and the powerful music video only made me latch on harder to what would become my personal motto.

My wife had a ring made that says “Don’t Blink” on it  in my handwriting.

My verbal utterances of the phrase soon started showing up on my social media as well. In March 2009 I used “Don’t Blink” for the first time on X (formerly Twitter). It would be the first of thousands…

This was the first time (of many thousands) I ever used “Don’t Blink” on social media.

Don’t Blink fit so well that I eventually used it as my nightly Twitter “sign off” (cheesy, I know). Before going to bed, I would tweet “Don’t Blink.” Oh wait, did I write that in past tense? Because I definitely still post “Don’t Blink” every single night…even as a 37-year-old married father.

My daughter wore custom made “Don’t Blink” onesies.

When I launched my blog in 2011, there was really only one thing I could call it. Do you blame me? Additionally, in the same way that I sign off with the phrase at night on social media, I also use it to sign off at the conclusion of each blog post. Yep, at the end of all 2,570+ blog entries I have ever written, they all conclude with Don’t Blink.

My blog, which launched in 2011, is naturally titled “Don’t Blink.”

I have expressed Don’t Blink in either verbal or written form more than 10,000 times in the past 15 years. This blog post has already added about 20 additional times to that total. Do I ever get tired of it? Not really. It is still a phrase that I believe in and am not embarrassed to use. Also, it is so wrapped up in my identity (do you have any idea how many people will greet me simply by hollering “DON’T BLINK!”?) that it wouldn’t be smart to re-brand myself at this point. Take it from a marketer: If a brand ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Don’t Blink.