"To me, it's just somethin' else I never got a chance to be."

I hope you never have to say that.  Don't lose track of what you are, and have been.

It's okay to be inspired by your own accomplishments.  Stephen Roche won the Giro, the Tour, and then the World Championship all in the same year (1987).  Nobody does all three (except for him and the peerless Eddy Merckx).  I'm certain that his victory at the WC was inspired by his previous wins and historic placement.  There's a Wal-Mart in every strip mall because the Walton family was spurred on by their own success and rather than sit humbly on their heels, pressed on to the next level.  And then the next one after that.

I read somewhere that if you put a top 5 list in your blog, it will be far more popular so, to honor our first week of over 100 posts, I thought I make a list of the top 5 reasons this blog has been successful - to further inspire me, and hopefully, you.

5.  I wrote 100 posts on a tighter schedule then Delta Airlines.  When my schedule was disrupted I was able to still press through.  There were only a couple of days that I was supposed to post and didn't end up making it.  I have achieved the goal of becoming a more disciplined writer.

4.  I wrote something meaningful to someone.   I’ve gotten some wonderful emails about a few of my posts.  One post in particular garnered several private comments to the effect of “that was really well said and has made a difference in my life”.  Couldn't ask for more.

3.  I have created marketable work.  My Friday writing exercise has led to both total flops that nobody likes and short stories that have picked up some buzz - one scheduled to be published next month, the other being actively marketed by someone other than me.  Commercial success doesn't make you a writer, but it does offer some much needed inspiration on the days you wonder if anyone is really listening.

2. My weekly page hit count has grown.  Thank you.  No really, I mean it.  Talking to rocks and trees are fine when you’re wandering alone through the woods, but my goal is not to keep myself company online.

1.  I love to blog.   You all either like what I write or want me to be successful so you keep reading, keep commenting and (at least some of you) keep critiquing my prose.  I started a magazine when I was a senior in high school but couldn’t get any traction so (mostly due to the cost of postage and a lack of maturity on my part) I gave up.  R&A is successful and I don’t have any plans to quit now.

Have you seen any good movies lately?  Share your thoughts in the comments.