[1: 2,030 of 10,000] My Blog Turns 10 Today

This blog is celebrating its 10th year anniversary today!

When I reflect my reason for starting this blog, it didn’t changed. It’s still a space where I write what I think about any subject that tickles my mind. It satisfies a need in me to express myself without walls or the need to be validated by anyone. I do have to admit that it’s quite flattering when real people clicked like and even leave a message.

I remained anonymous all through the years, there’s one friend who knew about this blog but respected my privacy and let me write without interruption. I do feel the freedom to truly speak the language of my heart in words.

I still surprise myself especially when rereading my past posts because I don’t remember every words and get blown away with the way my train of thoughts have been. I was writing the same things before and yet they mean differently with what I’ve come into being now.

Here’s to celebrating more strings of words in years to come!

[1: 1,854 of 10,000] WordPress’ Stats Button Is Out

Did you notice that the WordPress’ stats button was removed from the top left corner when you’ve signed in and viewing your blog? It used to have a one-click button and you’ll immediately see how many people visited your blog for the day, which post did they look, guests are coming from what country, etc. Before it was removed I was thinking of actually disabling it, okay I didn’t remember doing something to actually disable it, but it has been gone for some time now.

It is actually distracting for me to have that quick button because I am tempted to click it and see who are dropping by in my blog instead of completing a post and making it eloquent. It gives me a different sense of falsehood and the jolt that I am being played by the production of the chemicals dopamine and oxytocin.

So why do I blog? Because I enjoy writing, I hope in the process I am able to inspire, and the reality that I want to get better with writing. This is my practice in a stage; like having an audition all the time but I don’t expect to have a theater full of audience. And though I wish to have more readers, it is not the goal.

[1: 1,852 of 10,000] Enjoy Writing

Since New Year I was able to write a post daily and it felt good like I got my discipline in check but it’s only the 7th, kind of too early to tell I’m in it.

My blog always start from a Notes app that I saved as 10K BLOG. I start from Notes just to keep track of my file naming that started with number code, I’m almost reaching 2,000 posts.

My lazy ass usually makes excuses that I don’t need to be blogging daily if I don’t want to or can’t because it is never an obligation; but  I wanted to be better with my writing and it makes me happy to blog. This year I made a simple addition to my note just above my title, I reminded myself to “Enjoy Writing”. It is a simple two words and yet it planted a fire in my heart that I have the joy to publish a post without any pressure.

This blog is for me and whoever happens to drop by and pick up a little something out of it is the bonus.

[1: 1,784 of 10,000] When I’m Not Blogging

When I am not blogging it means I am giving my utmost concentration to my demanding and paying career. While I am enjoying a very looooooooong weekend break because of the Eid Al Adha celebration here in United Arab Emirates, then I have no reason not to give ample time to blog.

When I am not blogging I do feel like a piece of me dies silently, without even giving a fight. Like a lamb being sacrificed, it doesn’t rebel, shouts to fight back, but it just cries in silent but it haunts me, it robs me of my peace. I recognise that I do need to write, not really because I identify myself to it, I blog without getting paid (for now), I need to write because I have a voice and I love doing it.

When I am not blogging then it means I am being lazy or not pulling every ounce of I can still do more. I am in my plateau mode that I have not tried to do new thing. Not growing, not making mistake, not daring… it means not having new experience to write or bottom line not LIVING.

It is a challenge if I could keep up writing daily again, especially that I am up for a long vacation starting next weekend. It’s an EFFORT, so YOR are you up for it? I like to say YES, I really do, but action is better than a written commitment. 😀

[1: 1,693 of 10,000] The Blogging Commitment

Look at my daily blogging insight:

I have a good 6 months last year from May to October and then I have to make a choice if I am committing to my work who demands that I learn it, get comfortable, and be an expert.  Obviously, my work right now was prioritised but it doesn’t mean I could just totally abandon blogging.

I feel a little sad that I was not able to commit to my daily blogging, it looked crazy (the OCD in me) that there are lots of greys instead of blues. I have to make more effort to be more efficient of my time and make sure that I have better concentration so I can still make a blog everyday. It’s a matter of making good habit. I could not not write because it is what fuels my soul and it feels like it is one of my essential and unique contributions to the world amongts my other personas as an employee, a sister, a friend, a relative, a colleague, and a stranger.

I can do this! 😛

[1: 1,458 of 10,000] The Day I’ve Arrived

Blog frenzy, I’ve already made previous calculations that it will take me a little bit of forever to complete my first batch of 10,000 posts if I’m making just one blog post daily. (Current count: 14.58% completed since November 29, 2010 and no I’ve not been religiously blogging daily since then.)

There were moments that I go ballistic and post more than one especially if strong ideas kept flowing into me that I just have to write them down. Yesterday, I could have written 3 posts and yet I stopped for practical reason. I have other goals that I want to accomplish, blogging is my one thing that doesn’t pay me financially but I do it for the love of creating and writing, so I stopped with one and have written the essence of the 2 other posts for the following days.

My consolation for letting one blog post to come out daily is to let the article simmer and get the due attention and respect if it may really gather. There were people who subscribed in this blog and I wonder what they think that Yor is getting crazy posting more than one today!!?

It will be the day that I have arrived if I would just be blogging for a living and people actually get wonderful inspiration from it. And then I blog anywhere I want to be, with drinks on my hand, with feet up high, a smile on my lips, and my hair smelling like the beach.

[1: 1,420 of 10,000] My 8 Secrets For Courageously Hitting Publish In WordPress

I am not a famous writer or blogger yet but I must say that I feel good having published 1,420 posts including this one. I have a lot of irrational fears but thankfully I never have fear of publishing blog posts. Here are my 8 secrets!

1. I love blogging and in a narcissistic way, I love rereading what I have written and the best way to go back on them is publish them!
2. Sometimes I do think about inspiring or informing other people of my posts and I couldn’t do that if it’s not published isn’t it.
3. My main reason for blogging is to express myself. I am not afraid that I will be criticise because I already know that I am my biggest critique. Although, if I get good and bad feedbacks… good boosts my confidence and feeds my ego; while bad hopefully constructive will be a room for improvement or hence I make sure every comments are scrutinise with my approval!
4. I wish to be discovered that I am making sense and my thoughts are valued.
5. I may have procrastination problem that I am working on but once I am switched onto something I am passionate about, I become obsessed! I sometime couldn’t stop myself to create one post to another and it is bringing me pure joy and a perfect kind of high.
6. Having a goal to publish 10,000 posts is quite motivating and starting my blog post with the counter keep me on track of my goal and progress.
7. I don’t pressure myself for perfections, there were lots of posts that I go back for editing, and there are some posts that aren’t perfect in my heart but I know I just have to let it go and publish it. I don’t write to please anyone, I write for the love of honouring the art of writing and respect for my desire that I just have to write whether it will be read by anyone at all or will be loved by anyone but me.
8. The more I write, the better I become, so I keep imagining whenever I hit the publish button, I am a very important writer with a job to be better than I was yesterday.

Published blog posts do looked like an act of a brave blogger, well at least according to me. 😉

[1: 552 of 10,000] What my blog’s likers, commenters, and subscribers revealed about me?

I have different visitors in my blog. There are days when a particular blogger continuously liked my post then he’ll be gone. Then someone new comes along, stay a bit, and then gone.

I am not demanding for fans and loyal followers but it made me realize and reflect on things. We usually like, comment, and follow something that gives us something in return like feelings of I like that too, that was smart, seriously?, or ditto to that. My mind is full of different ideas and my life usually goes on different transitions and lots of going and turning at some points.

I like having different people around here. It makes me feel like an explorer of the world that attracts different people with intelligent opinions and impeccable taste. Although it also shows I am not in a constant path, I moved around, and yes I am a nomad.