5:42pm, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, Wednesday evening, April 6, 2022. Three thoughts: 1. Since I started scheduling posts, (as opposed to ripping them off any time I felt like it), my writing habits have changed. In the past, an idea was worked anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour then published immediately. The results were spotty and often pretty shallow. Now, since a post is already lined up for publication in the morning, I no longer race to finish something just to get it out there. I start with a thought early in the day, flesh it out by afternoon, then put the final touches on it at night. It has only been a week but, it makes my writing more reflective. 2. I am going to change the tag line of the blog again. The “ongoing quest…” vibe isn’t working for me. I don’t want to go back to the Arizona/California angle. I am thinking international. Is it presumption to call it “The All-American Man”? That is declarative. I consider myself quiet and subdued, that is a different energy all together. I will change it and see how I feel next week. 3. Question: Should I stop publishing everyday? Maybe go to weekdays? Weekends? Two or three times a week? I am conflicted. On one hand I feel publishing everyday makes me a better writer. On the other hand, it seems a little much to put something out everyday. I have made a decision; I am going to stick with everyday for now. Let’s be honest, I don’t have a huge audience, most people don’t care either way, and this is more a personal writing exercise than a valuable piece of literature. I hope you get pleasure reading but, I will keep being self-indulgent if it is all the same to you.
Tag: blog
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?
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
The help of others
Part of what I am showing in this blog is that there is an ebb and flow. No one is 100% focused all the time. I have moments where I get lazy, where I have doubt, where my priorities shift underneath me, my objectives change. It is like an ocean crossing. I may know where I want to go but there are no guarantees what I am going to encounter on my journey or what variables experiences I will have.
High quality coaches are paid millions of dollars a year. The military uses drill sergeants. When military personnel complete boot camp family and friends see them for the first time at graduation. When they see them again they note they are a completely different person. They have changed. That complete change of personhood and priorities does not occur on an individual level. It is the proximity of fellow enlistees. It is the drill sergeant, the commanding officers, the branch of military, the country, the idea of God however you interpret. The entire system and team afford someone an opportunity to change their life. If you truly want to change you must trust a system that gives you the opportunity to grow.
People use personal trainers to achieve weight loss goals. Keeping people focused on a goal is difficult and time consuming. They have to be just as dedicated to helping you grow and you are to actually doing it.
Objective Focused Growth
Have you ever wanted to make a change but were not sure how? Or perhaps you started to make a change but it didn’t stick. Do you feel the desire to accomplish more but not sure what that means or how to get started?
All of us feel we have more potential, that life could offer more. We see people living lives that are larger, more fulfilling but we are not unsure how to get to it or unlock our full capability. This blog is about change and how to achieve it. It does this through explaining objective focused growth.