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Tah – dah!! Drumroll, cheerleaders and ignition sequence for fireworks . . .
It’s with surprise and a bit of a shock I realised today that this is the 100th post I’ve written. One hundred posts, published, read and commented on; where has the time gone?
I’ll be honest, this is not so much a post as a bit of a pat on the back, a blow on the personal trumpet and a moment to bask in the warmth of an achievement which has surprised me. Indulge me.
It’s a chance to take a moment and reflect that I didn’t give up and walk away when the technical stuff got tough, ideas didn’t flow and I wondered what on earth I was doing.
More importantly it’s to say a huge thank you to people who have navigated the complexities of the WordPress software I use and taken the time to leave their own reflections and musings on things I’ve written.
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A thank you also to those who have subscribed to Wordgeyser by email, RSS feeds, networked blogs, and now (just started) my new Facebook page. Thanks to followers on Twitter, Linkedin, Google and Yahoo! and thanks too to those who connect through Go! Overseas, ExpatWoman, Dutchnews, Iamexpat, Expatblog or who just type in http://www.wordgeyser.com on a regular basis.
From my first post on 16 November 2010 until today it has been a journey which has taken twists and turns I didn’t expect, introduced me to new friends and opened doors I didn’t know were there. By turns it’s been challenging, inspiring, enriching, frustrating – head bangingly so on occasion – and it has been a whole new learning curve getting to grips with technology and social media which has impressed even my kids.
Let’s face it, as far as they are concerned I should be settling for games Bingo and getting excited about Zimmer frames.
It started out as a kind of portfolio, a commitment to publish writing on a regular basis, to put myself ‘out there’. This the scariest thing of all for one who is genetically British but who has lived, embraced, lived and worked the American way and now has reached the age where quite frankly, I no longer give a damn.
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Life’s too short, can be incredibly difficult, harsh and brutal but it’s also the most amazing gift we have. I refuse to be afraid of challenges anymore because fear holds us back, stops us achieving the things we can.
What’s the worst that can happen if we follow our dreams, face our fears? We might fail or we might not. Even failure takes us down roads we didn’t know were there, leads us off at tangents to new places, new dreams.
Success and failure are different sides of the same coin; it’s the journey that counts.
So thanks a million to friends, fellow writers and bloggers and my very own cheerleaders – here’s to the next century!
THE VICTOR by C. W. Longenecker*
If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose you’ve lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will –
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are –
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or late the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.
* there is some debate as to who was the original author of this poem, but I’m going with this one.
wordgeyser 
This is even more significant than 100 in cricket 🙂
Keep up the fantastic writing… you are an inspiration to all of us who might dare.
Thank you ma’am, although getting a 100 in cricket has been been pretty easy this week – the Captain has been glued to the TV/radio!
Congratulations on your 100rd post. I thoroughly enjoy your blog.
Thank you and appreciate you taking the time to post your kind words!
Fabulous Jane! I always enjoy reading your posts! Have a lovely summer.
Sareen x
Thank you!
Hearty, extra-strong Tetley-flavoured congratulations to you, Jane! What a veritable fountain of words you have been. You know that 100 posts is kinda book-sized don’t you? I am delighted for you. Just hope that pat on the back does not cause you to splutter tea all over your keyboard!
Impressed
Jo
Mopping up the keyword as I try to type and thank you so much for your kind words!!
Congratulations Jane. You did it! A great achievement – keep going. I love reading your posts.
Thanks Maggie – looking forward to YOUR first century!
Yaaaay! Well done! It’s such a victory isn’t it. Enjoy basking in the glory and here’s to the next hundred.
Cheers
Thanks Kim!
What a great milestone and a wonderful post to celebrate it! Not only did you persevere in the face of technical challenge and the occasional questioning of what you could possibly write about that day (don’t we all, don’t we all), but you took it all on and thrashed it. Really well done. Wordgeyser is something you should be very, very proud of. I love reading it, commenting on it and sharing the heck out of it!
Thank you so much for all your support, couldn’t have done it without you!
HipHipHooooRaaaayyy!! You are an inspiration. Please don’t stop, I so enjoy your musings, observations and insights.
Thanks Sarah! Appreciate your taking the time to comment and thanks for your kind words.
Congratulations!!!! A great achievement and giving pleasure and inspiration to others at the same time. Getting to grips with the social media is no mean feat and you have done it through hard and difficult times, when personal tragedies struck – you kept going.
You are getting your rewards – keep going girl – here’s to the next hundred!!
You referred to it as a milestone not a millstone. Good for you. Thanks for the laughs and the tears, all part of lifes rich patternern. Carry on with the good work. Heres to the next hundred.