We have done it. With the publishing of the last entry, "Be A Play Maker, Not Just A Spectator" we have successfully finished 100 posts. I write "WE" because this is not something I did alone. Sure, I am the one who sat down at the keyboard and hen pecked my way through the articles, but I did it knowing that you were there to experience the journey with me.To my family and friends, I want to express my sincere appreciation for supporting me before anyone else even knew I existed. Thank you for using the power of positive reinforcement, because that is what I used to fuel me in the quiet moments. To my fellow bloggers who continuously produce good information and serve as an example for what I can become, I say thank you for all that you do.
Looking back over the past six months, it is hard to believe that I actually wrote something 100 times. From the place where I now sit, one hundred posts does not seem that hard. In fact, it feels like a very doable task that anyone could attain.
As I write that, I am reminded of people that started writing around the same time I did. Some have continued to blog while others have allowed the words to stop flowing. I am a little disappointed because most of them could easily write circles around me.
In the end, I guess its not entirely about the one who possesses the most skill, but rather the one who perseveres through the up and down moments. Getting to100 articles does not make me special. I just kept writing when others stop.
Personally, I feel good about reaching this moment, but I also believe anyone could do what I have done. There are hundreds of thousands of people that have made it to this moment and there will be millions more still to come. In the end, the lesson that I will walk away with is that in all areas of our lives, we can be achievers. We can run the good race and even finish with a good time, but in order to do that, we must be willing to continue putting one foot in front of the other.
As I sit here typing those words, I am reminded of my dissertation. From where I am today, there is so much work still to be done. Allowing myself to focus on the daunting task of writing a research paper of that magnitude has overwhelmed me enough to do nothing at all. If I take the achievements experienced with the blog and apply it to my dissertation, I would tell myself that I just need to find away to contribute something each and every day. In time, the small contributions will add up.
A living example of this fact is a well-known blogger named Louis Gray. In a recent entry, Louis explains that he has written over 500 blog posts during the 2009 year. In fact, he has written at least that many articles since 2006. How did he get there? What special process does he have? Based on what I see, he simply writes one article at a time.
So it is with me and my dissertation, so too can it be for you and whatever challenges you have in your life. If we continue to get up, put one front in front of the other, and do something each and every day, eventually those investments grow. Then you, like I am today, will be able to look back over a period of time and see that what you have done is good.
Therefore, let us remember that the race is not always given to the swift, but rather to the one that perseveres. Take this opportunity to reflect on your life, as I am now doing for mine, and decide what is most important and do something in that area every day.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. ~ Aristotle
Until next time...
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