Tag: goals

Moving Forward

Cheshire Cat“’Cheshire Puss,’ she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. ‘Come, it’s pleased so far,’ thought Alice, and she went on. ‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’
‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat.
‘I don’t much care where—’ said Alice.
‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat.
‘—so long as I get SOMEWHERE,’ Alice added as an explanation.
‘Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, ‘if you only walk long enough.’” — Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

This quote is used often used to underline the importance of having a goal. I think the Cheshire Cat’s second lesson, if you walk long enough you will get somewhere eventually, is overlooked.

You go nowhere standing still. Even if the destination is unknown, it is important to start walking. Pick a direction and go.

I’ve picked straight ahead, that way I’m sure to move forward. I will get to my destination, either because I have walked long enough or because along the way I decide on a direction. Tomorrow’s answer to the question ‘where am I’ will be different than today’s answer!

Quote of the Day

Ten years now go further than a thousand then, not so much on account of our finer intellects as because the light we have shows us the way to more. Primeval man stumbled along with peering eyes, and slow, uncertain footsteps. Now we walk briskly towards our unknown goal.

“Ten years now go further than a thousand then, not so much on account of our finer intellects as because the light we have shows us the way to more. Primeval man stumbled along with peering eyes, and slow, uncertain footsteps. Now we walk briskly towards our unknown goal.” — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Stark Munro Letters

Meaningless Obsession With Site Stats

As the number of visits to my blog continue to climb, I am beginning to watch them more closely. The problem with this is that I am not looking to have a wildly popular blog and, more importantly, most of the hits are meaningless.

Writing regularly is my primary goal for the blog these days. I have a huge amount of content to produce for site that I am helping with and I want to improve my writing and have it require less effort. Writing on this blog regularly, even when it is only a short post, is one of the ways that I am using to get better. This exercise does not require popularity.

My initial, and currently secondary goal, is to write about my ideas and thoughts to make them public. A couple of hits per post is enough for this goal.

A wildly popular blog would be a problem. It would require more effort than I have the time for.  My ego would be flattered. My work and leisure time would suffer.

The real problem with my following the site stats so closely is that most of the visits are meaningless. It started one day in December. A site referred 10+ visitors to my blog. I followed the link and found myself on a fishy looking site that was generating random links to blogs for people to click on. It did not look like a genuine site. This has continued with all sorts of weird sites sending up to 60 people to my blog in a single day. It is not regular and there are days when I only get ‘real’ traffic. Nevertheless, my average daily visits has continued to climb and I watch the numbers closely.

It is time to focus on the goals of the site and to learn to ignore the stats.

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