Monday, March 26, 2007

My Century Mark

Just realized yesterday that I hit the century mark for the number of blog articles published since day 1, way back toward the end of last September, a period of just under six months. And this excludes the other blog of mine, Going Global, which is on its own destiny toward the magical 100.

What is 100? It’s full mark on a typical test, for one thing. A perfect score. It’s also a milestone where one takes some time off to take stock of matter. Especially in the political arena, leaders like to talk about their achievements after 100 days in the office. Or the media will grade them as a harbinger of things to come, for better or for worse.

I do not have such grandiose plans. Nor would it attract any attention if I were inclined toward doing it. But I do want to take the opportunity to make a point to my family, and to my friends who have been the most faithful bunch of readers any blogger could have. The point is perseverance.

However, it’s hard to persevere if one is not passionate about doing something. And obviously one can’t develop passion for something that one doesn’t like. It has to be your own volition; but it can be cultivated, being nudged along the way by well-meaning people out of concern.

Take blogging for example. I have seen bloggers who jump on the bandwagon and charge right into blogdom. Next, the frequency of posting drops. Then it just fizzles out, or rather, the blog is entombed in virtual cobweb.

Procrastinating is really the antithesis of perseverance. Its sinister nature rears its ugly head in the form of silently but surely chipping away at the very fabric of perseverance. That brings up the issue of time management.

Oftentimes not doing something is not that one has no time, but it has to do with the fact that that thing is not important enough to warrant the time it commits. I often tell my children, if you find doing a thing to be important enough, you will find the time to do it. So saying no time is in fact giving out the message that it has little importance in your scheme of things.

That’s nothing wrong in setting priorities in life, nor changing priorities to suit the changing circumstances. But there needs to be a balance. Our time in this world is finite, so apportion your time prudently. Once a target is set, persevere.

And I’m looking forward to my second century mark, and the third …

2 comments:

c.y. lee said...

Ooo congratulations on the century mark! I must admit, I dived into my HelloKittyGirlWorld with much enthusiasm, but then realized I didn't really have much that I actually wanted to blog about. Well, that would be interesting to other people, anyway. But, like you said, it takes passion and dedication, so perhaps blogging is not the way for me right now.

Lately I have been going to the library a lot, since it's right around the corner. Do you read Dean Koontz? He is superb!! He has an extensive catalog to his name, so I am slowly working through it. I have also been a health/fitness nut lately, borrowing many books on healthy recipes and health. I found one of Unclee's sites, LazyFitness.com (or was it .org?) very fascinating, though!! I think Dee should take a look at that, hu hu hu!!!

I have been under the weather lately (either a mild cold or allergies, I don't know which), so I can't wait to return to the gym (I try to go at least once a week, sometimes succeeding in as many as four!). I have also been seeking out new recipes to try (alas, certain ingredients are rather expensive or hard to find!), and today tried two!! One is from a site that Unclee sent, the Swanson's site (we buy their chicken broth). It was to cook rice in the broth instead of water, adding 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, chopped spinach, and then grated Parmesan cheese at the end, and it was very good (without adding too many calories)! The other was a curry recipe I experimented with, which turned out ok (as in, not bad, but not great).

For now, I am set on those passions, plus learning how to use my <3 Digital SLR <3 better.

Anyhow, I am aware of the quick passage of time, and try to fill my hours doing productive things and not just sitting around doing nothing... Hopefully I am succeeding!

Say Lee said...

Actually, you do have a lot that you could share through blogging. Trying a new recipe is one. Sharing your thought on a book is another. And your learning process on the use of SLR is yet another. Or you just simply treat blogging as one way of chronicling your life's experiences, then you would be fine.

For a time, I was into Dean Koontz, and finished at least 5 of his books. However, I find that his theme is generally a bit on the dark side for me. But I guess one would need to dwell on the dark side in order to bring forth the worldview that the good triumphs over the evil, eventually anyway.