5:43am, apartment, Chandler, Arizona, Saturday morning, January 15, 2022. My internal identity is who I am. It is what inspires me, gives me joy and propels me to interact with the world. My external projection is what people see me as. It is the job I work, the relationships I keep, the values I hold. The more my internal narrative aligns with my external projection the happier I am. When they are aligned I am confident, attractive and successful. Here is a brief history of my internal narratives: In high school I was a rock star/baseball player. In college a rock star. In seminary I was a writer. After graduation I was an actor, then a writer again. Looking back I notice times my internal narrative and external projection did not align. Those were the darkest times of my life and subsequently, the times I felt most alone. For the past year I have felt aligned. Writing this blog is who I am internally. Sharing it with you gives me purpose. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. Thank you for taking the time to hear what I have to say.
Category: Writing
I like the relationship we have
8:01am (PST), sitting in the couch, wife and daughters apartment, Dana Point, California, Sunday morning, January 9, 2022. If I look back on this day a year from now what do I want to remember? That I had a long deep sleep? That I woke up around 4:30am, took the dog for a walk, then bought her treats before picking up coffee and tea? Do I care that yesterday I caught up on the news, put together my daughters drawing desk, watched a show with my wife and ordered take out? Are those the things that I should chronicle? After all, the audience for these posts is me, but to a certain extent, also you. I am a guy writing things to look back on yet I make my thoughts public in case you are curious to read. That creates a passively intimate relationship, which works in a way I cannot totally define. I could post similar updates on social media but that feels dissonant for some reason. Here I am true to myself and I don’t mind you reading along. I like the relationship we have and I hope you do too.
Why do I keep the most valuable parts of me hidden?
8:09am, in my office, Phoenix, Arizona, Wednesday morning, December 22, 2021, three days until Christmas. No one knows I am a writer. I internally identify as a writer, I have for almost twenty years, but no one knows I write or have this blog. Why do I keep the most valuable parts of me hidden?
Bitter pain of wrenching loss
7:08am, my apartment in Chandler, Arizona, Saturday morning, December 18, 2021. The road curved and flattened before undulating down. Was this the right path? Had I missed a turn? It seemed familiar, yet so much time had passed I couldn’t be sure. Then instantly, as if right on cue, the meadow opened before me. Sunlight washed over tall yellow flowers, the jagged mountains rose to meet the clouds and there, off in the distance, was the tiny house we called home. Bitter pain of wrenching loss, ridiculous hope for an impossible reunion and the always tortuous memories surrounded me. And in that moment I could not help but ask the question I knew would never be answered, “How did something so beautiful ever end?”
Proud
6:53pm, in my apartment, Chandler, Arizona, Friday night, December 17, 2021. Maybe it is weird to say this but, I am proud of the last post I wrote. Writing an informative article was something new for me and it turned out well. I will write in that style again.
The 3 (really 6) Levels of Beginner Blog Success
Congratulations , you started writing a blog, now you are probably wondering how to make it successful. According to techjury.net, 7.5 million blog posts are created every day, so you are not alone! Perhaps you write for fun or maybe you want to get serious, either way, if you want to know what the levels of beginner blog success look like, the following 3 (really 6) levels provide a road map to track your progress 1. Your first posts. You started your blog and have written a couple posts. Perhaps you did this to work through feelings or share your thoughts on a particular subject. This is a great first step. Creating a blog and putting your name on it is a success in itself and something to celebrate 2. Improving your style. For some people starting a blog and writing one or two posts is enough. They forget about it and move on. Others, like yourself, stick with it and begin to write regularly. After enough time you have a body of work. At that point you can look back and see what you liked and didn’t like about your writing. Maybe you want to try a different style, or adopt other formats. Either way, making the effort to improve your writing is a meaningful personal achievement and another sign of success 3. Validation. After you have written regularly and improved your style you want other people to read it. That is validation. There are four levels to validation; views, likes, follows and shares. Let’s break each of these down. 3a. Your first view. People probably see your posts before you realize it. You can check your WordPress Dashboard to find out how many views you have had. While this can be validating it can also be frustrating if you don’t get as many views as you’d like. Don’t get discouraged, keep writing. If you remain consistent a larger audience will find you naturally 3b. Your first like. There is nothing more exciting than the first time someone likes your post. You have worked hard and expended energy to write something good. Now a reader appreciates what you wrote and acknowledges it. This is important, you have reached a great success! Enjoy the feeling of pride from getting your first like 3c. Your first follow. Once you get one like they will start to come in bunches. Before long someone will start to follow your blog. That means they will be notified every time you post something new. While this can be intimidating it is also exhilarating. Someone likes your writing so much they want to know when you post! 3D. Your first share. This is the final step of beginner blog success and it is a big one. Even though it is still in the validation camp it is a level all its own. Someone likes your post so much they share it. You go through a transformation after your first share. People share a blog post because they see what you write as having value, something they don’t mind having their name associated with. To them you are a trusted authority and a good writer. And just like that, you have reached the pinnacle of beginner success! So there you have it, the 3 (really 6) levels of beginner blogging success. Start writing, keep improving, find your audience and be proud of what you do. Keep up the good work and enjoy the process of becoming a successful blogger.
The 5 Commandments of a good blog post
The 5 Commandments of a good blog post: 1. Don’t pander 2. Keep it short 3. Have a point 4. Develop context 5. Entertain yourself
Someplace else
1:55pm, in my office, Phoenix, Arizona, Wednesday afternoon, December 15, 2021. It is natural, when things slow down, to think about being someplace else. After all, life is more enjoyable in reflection, when current circumstances cease to demand attention. This afternoon I left my office, drove to a nearby park and sat in my car. As the bright sun warmed me, my mind wandered to last year. I recalled being in Dana Point, sitting on my couch, experiencing a similar moment. It was not a perfect time. The ongoing pandemic resurged and large group restrictions were in place. My wife and daughter had moved out and my mother, recuperating from a nasty fall, had moved in. I was settling into a new job that, unbeknown to me, was going to end in three weeks. It was not a time l felt particularly content, yet sitting in my car, remembering it, all I felt was peace. Now I am looking at decisions I will make for the coming year; Will I stay in Arizona? Or maybe move back to Orange County? Perhaps even end up somewhere I have yet to discover? Many times in life I find myself missing what was left in the past and that makes me realize something; come next year, when I have a moment to reflect, I very well could be enjoying the sunshine of a similar afternoon, in a new someplace else, missing the very place I am now.
Becoming me
2:58pm, in my office, Phoenix, Arizona, Tuesday afternoon, December 14, 2021. I have time to write and I have been consistently writing. The question is, am I writing anything worthwhile? This post means probably not. Just kidding. My entire life I have searched for what I consider my true identity. I wondered; who am I? What is my narrative? The last couple of days I have identified as the author of this blog. As mikemeyer949, I write what I experience and I do it consistently. That consistency makes me confident; I know who I am, what I do and how I do it. It hasn’t always been easy, but I feel I found my true voice. And I feel I have found my identity, too.
A Heartland Kind of Guy
6:37am, in my wife’s apartment, Dana Point, CA, Sunday morning, December 12, 2021. I am going to tell you a story. It is called A Heartland Kind of Guy. Are you ready? Here it goes…He was a typical American Heartland kind of guy; Rugged, stoic and contemplative. His life began on the prairies of South Dakota, briefly detoured through the Rapid City Black Hills and finally settled forever in the Southern Wyoming Desert. Childhood was uneventful except for learning to despise harsh weather and appreciate wide open space. By the age 15 he was convinced life would be better someplace else, so he headed west and didn’t stop until reaching the Pacific Ocean.