While I was cruising around the internet, I ran across a blogging challenge by a guy named Jeff Goins. I’ve seen his stuff out there somewhere on the internet before (don’t ask me where – I have no clue), I mean I recognized his name, and when I saw this, his Blog Like a Pro: 7-Day Challenge, I knew I had to be in. These days, I’m challenging myself to be open to whatever shows up, whenever it shows up, and walk through doors when they open in front of me, so when this one just appeared out of nowhere, you know I had to sign up.
Well, a challenge is was. Or is. “Is” is probably more like it, I think. I didn’t sign up until Day 2 was almost over, so finishing the Day 1 “lesson” ended up being two days “late.” Good thing I’m not being graded on this, isn’t it?
The Day Zero lesson was on setting up your blog, which I already have, so I thought I’d only be a day behind. Little did I know that “challenge” really meant challenge and it was going to be challenging me in ways I haven’t been challenged before. I’ve participated in blogging challenges where there are topics to write on every day, or photos to post every day, or things of that nature, but Jeff”s challenge is a little more, ok, a lot more specific. He’s insisting (well, “insisting” might be a pretty strong word and maybe I’m just interpreting it that way… but I think it’s a good thing) we be bloggers or something like that. Go figure, huh? And guess what?! He says that bloggers are writers! Wow! I know people who think only someone who has “been published” is a true writer and I know other people who think that bloggers are anything BUT writers, so to be encouraged to be writer, a blog writer, and to be called writers, by someone who not only writes a blog but is published as well, is super-duper encouraging for someone like me.
I never wanted to be a writer. I love to read and sometimes I love to talk, but writing? Nope. That was someone else’s job. More importantly, it was the job of someone who knew how to write, who went to school to learn how to write, who had the right to be called a writer… because they were one. I, on the other hand, only started writing this blog because I needed to get the crap out of my head onto the paper, even if that meant it was a computer with a keyboard instead of a pen and piece of paper. I never wanted to be a writer.
So now I’m doing this 7-day challenge and tomorrow is Day 4. I just completed Day 1’s “lesson” and here it is: an updated “about me” page that I’m now calling Me and My Manifesto. I’ve been wanting to make some changes to this page for a long time but haven’t been sure just what to write and how to share it so Day 1 was perfect for me.
The previous About page included Louise the Cat and Dinah Dog and a little homage to them as my traveling companions; I took it off the main About page and gave them a page of their own called My 4-legged Co-Travelers (Max Cat and Thelma the Cat will be added to this page soon).
I’d love it if you would go check out my new About Me page which is now going by its new name (see last paragraph 🙂 ) and let me know what you think. Click here to go see it (the page will open in a new tab). Is the information clear? Do you understand what my blog is about? Does the page include enough personal information about me? Or is there too much of that personal stuff? Do you want to know more about some part of me I haven’t mentioned? Does it make you want to read more of my blog posts? Am I asking too many questions here?
In any case, I really would like to get your feedback if you’re willing to share it. Be honest with me. Tell me what you think in the comments section below, and I promise to read every word.
Thank you! And thank you for following my blog and reading my random writings. I appreciate you all!
Now where’d I put that next challenge, uh, lesson. Stay tuned.
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Click here to read about Me and My Manifesto
Click here to read a little about Louise Cat and Dinah Dog
Click here to read more about Jeff Goins and click here to read about his Blog Like a Pro: 7-Day Challenge
First of all, love your new picture! Awesome! Second, good for you to take the challenge, will continue to look forward to your blogs. Third, glad to see you are starting to monetize your Blog, if you have interesting things like you do, people appreciate it. Fourth, love the quote for the T-shirt, only comment it is quite long so people will have to focus on the wearer’s chest for awhile! LOL
Keep on writing, you are a good writer!!
Wishing you Good Health!
Thank you, Lorna! The pic was taken by Nick in the gift shop of the Mob Museum in Las Vegas last year. It’s a little out of focus but I think it’s a good one! And nothing like a “mob hat” to start off the new focus, right? I’m not sure that this challenge includes monetizing but if it does, then we’ll see how it goes. The Amazon affiliate link has been there for a couple of years and maybe it’s something I can do more with but for now, we’ll just see how it goes 😀 Thanks for reading for for being one of my biggest supporters! You rock!
That is the best picture I have ever seen of you. Bright, sunny and ready for anything!
Thanks, Barbara! It’s my new “mob look” – it was taken in the gift shop of the Mob Museum in Las Vegas last year while I was trying on a mob hat (whatever that is!). A little out of focus, but then, so am I 😀
Lois, I think this is great! You are going to shine in this and will find much comfort at times with the new “challenge”. Love the T-Shirt saying. Love your page on the 4-legged creatures! You have such a good heart and gave them all the best life one could of had! I am sure they are looking and smiling at you, knowing how much you loved them!!
Keep up with the challenge-I think it is great for you! Looking forward to the next few days!!
Yeehaw, Cyndi! Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. I’m drowning in this challenge; it’s different than anything else I’ve ever done and I’m not sure I want to do all of it but I’ll take what I can and learn from it and leave the rest on the table (or on the computer, as the case may be 🙂 ). In any case, it’s helped me focus a bit and that’s been a good thing. Yay!
Well, Lois . . . I have to say: “Methinks you’re a pretty darn good writer already.” I’ve told you that before as have others. Some of us live vicariously through your fascinating stories filled with your words. I think you could easily become a published writer without too much trouble. Forge on . . . and we’ll be watching, waiting, and anticipating!
Nancy, you are so kind – I’ve always tried to write like I talk, so it’s more like a conversation, really, and sometimes I’ve wondered if maybe it’s too much like a conversation and not enough like something someone would read. But then again, reading it is like having a conversation with me. Maybe a one-sided conversation but the comments help to make it a little more non-one-sided 😀 Thanks for stopping by and reading. I appreciate you!
Love LOVE this picture of you, the hat finishes it off! I love hats and I know you do too! I think this hat says writer. I really do! It’s kinda a Trumen Capote style, but you wear it well!
I love to read your blogging, and for someone who doesn’t have “training” I say PFTT to that. You don’t need training, cause your heart covers it all.
It’s a gift. It really is. Besides, I think the ones that read your blog are sincere people who love you! So you can share anything you want!
Onward and upwards you say, and may I add…straightaway!
Big hug!
I love this hat! I’m not a hat person (wearing them gives me headaches) but I would have bought this hat if it hadn’t been forty bucks. It’s totally a mob-style hat, don’t you think? Yep and Capote, too.
I know that the people who read are people after my own heart, and those that unsubscribe are not meant to be a part of this tribe – I just love and appreciate everyone who sticks it out with me! It’s been a long road and if there’s anything I can pass on to anyone else, it’s that if we all hang in there together, we’ll make it through to the other side. And yes, we can make it through! Straightaway!! Hugs to you, Debbie! Thanks for reading and commenting!
We’re all in this together. Til death do us part <3
Yes, we are! And I believe when death comes to our physical bodies, we’ll just continue to communicate in a different way 😀 ♡
First of all, Lois, I definitely think you are a writer and a dang good one. I seldom see blogs on the topic of travel that are actually written. Most blogs about travel seem to be a few photos (sometimes not so good) interspersed with some short descriptive sentences (often filled with misspelled words and typos). Not only do I like that your blog is actually written, but it’s well-written and thought provoking. You ask your reader to think about things, which is awesome.
I read your about page, and while it’s good, I think it’s a bit long. I would tighten things up a bit, make it more concise. I like the way you tie the ending to the t-shirts you mentioned earlier.
Good luck with the rest of the challenge!
Thank you, Blaize! I so appreciate your words! Always nice to hear specifics!
I agree with you about the length of the manifesto page; that’s why it’s a manifesto page and no longer only an “about” page. Day one of the blogging challenge was to write a 500-word page about you and your manifesto (at last count, I think mine was 557 words long) making it more than just an “about me” page; Merriam-Webster defines a manifesto as “a written statement that describes the policies, goals, and opinions of a person or group.” For me, it was hard to do because my blog post subjects are all over the place. I know it’s a work in progress and will probably be tweaked on over time – I hadn’t changed it in years so it was a good exercise for me.
I’m way behind in the challenge itself but I’m learning so much, connecting with people, finding out how to get more readers and more visibility, and other blog-related things, so it’s been a great challenge to participate in!
Thank you again! Be well!
PS. Interestingly, the blog challenger’s own manifesto page is 900 words long.