An interesting milestone almost went unnoticed on Wednesday.
I wrote my 500th blog.
As you may know, in addition to boring the universe with a new posting every Saturday I also post a blog each Wednesday on the topic of Habits.
I seldom pay any attention to the blog number, but for some strange reason, as I was about to post my blog this past Wednesday I glanced up at it’s number – 161 – and had a strange urge to open the folder in which my Saturday blog’s are saved and noticed that my blog last Saturday was number 339.
Using all of my fingers and toes. I added those two numbers together and quickly determined the total to be 500.
And while I must confess to feeling a sense of accomplishment in having written that many blogs, I would rather use today’s discussion to share with you the reason why I continue to produce two blogs each week despite often having to agonize over a topic or just not being “in the mood” to write.
You see, not only have I written 500 blogs, but I have not missed a single Saturday since I began nor missed a single Wednesday since I added my second blog a little over three years ago.
They have been many times, particularly with the Saturday blog, when I have stared vacantly at my monitor hoping for divine inspiration to strike while trying to convince myself that it’s quite okay to skip a week or two.
But there is a reason – a compelling one – for why I’ve never given in to that temptation and, instead, waited until the idea for a blog topic magically appeared on the screen.
My source of pride in writings blogs has nothing to do with the number written. If we keep doing anything over and over again, we will eventually reach 500 times and, in and of itself, that is really not much of a milestone.
The pride I feel comes from knowing that I have not missed a single week. My chain of continuity is unbroken.
An alcoholic, striving for a life of sobriety can tell, you to the minute, how much time has passed since last he/she took a drink. When asked, their answer may be, “Two years, five months, three weeks, four days,” and will sometimes even include hours and minutes.
A remarkable achievement, no doubt, because it was reached one day at a time and that person knows that if for any reason they succumb to temptation and have a drink today, when asked that question tomorrow, they may outwardly give the answer as “Two years, five months, three weeks, five days,” but, in the same way we can all lie to the world but not to ourselves, they know the real answer. The counter has been reset and the true answer now is “Day One.”
Knowing the counter will always reset to zero whenever we break a long string of successes is an enormously powerful motivator to keep us going regardless of the size of the challenge.
I clearly remember Saturday, December 13, 2014. I had been unexpectedly admitted to the hospital the day before when what I had thought to be an annoying bout of flu turned out to be a severe case of pneumonia which was filling my one lung with highly infected fluid.
I called Gimalle, my wife, and begged her to bring my laptop to the hospital as it was Saturday and, as sick as I felt, I just knew I had to post something or run the risk of breaking my string of writing consecutive Saturday blogs.
Gimalle did bring me my laptop and I did post a blog that day. Not one of my best, but a blog.
This technique of keeping a counter in your head is an extremely powerful motivator and is being used very successfully by many of my clients who have adopted this to assist them in quitting smoking, quitting drinking, losing weight, maintaining an exercise regimen and even boosting their careers by establishing and maintaining the disciplined regimen of repeatedly doing the things that bring success to their lives.
It is interesting to note that when we choose to utilize the “Counter in My Head” method of self inspiration, it doesn’t take long – perhaps two, three or four days – before we realize we have an “investment” to protect which means we will do it again that day because we do not wish to experience the disappointment of breaking, or resetting the counter to one.
Next time you embark on a personal change mission. You might want to consider using the “Counter in My Head” to serve as a reminder and motivator to keep going so as to avoid never having the counter reset itself to 00001.
Try it – you will be pleasantly surprised.
Till we read again.
P.S.
Finally, after months in the works, my company’s new website is up. Please take a moment and visit www.strategicpathways.net . Browse through this site and then click on the “Contact Us” tab or tellmemore@strategicpathways.net and let me know what you think.
Your opinion truly means a lot to me.
Thank you.
