Yep, this is part 3 of the 100+ Blog Game. So to start, I acknowledge I’ve been terrible at blogging. I don’t mean the content so much as the regularity, and the 100+ Blog Game has not changed that. This is why I’m writing Part 3.

100+ Blog Posts Game (Part 1) was written on Feb. 11, 2019. 100+ Blog Posts Game (Part 2)100+ BLOG POSTS GAME (PART 2) – A Breakthrough in Progress was written on Feb. 25, 2019. Catchy title, right. Unfortunately, I’m acknowledging the breakthrough didn’t last, not really. Since starting the game, I’ve written a total of 13 blogs…Ouch! 13 in 21 months. At that rate…let’s not go there. Sufficient to say, at that rate, I’m not likely to complete the game anytime soon (as in my lifetime).

And one thing I know about myself and life in general, purposeful patience and persistence pay off in the long run.

So, just like the other posts about this game spoke about books that have contributed to creating the game, I’m adding another book to the mix that has me back at the keyboard writing this blog post. The book title is Be the Gateway by Dan Blank.

In it, he describes how many authors when are asked what their goals are, we “default to defining them via objects, tokens, and metrics… ‘I want to win an award,’ or ‘I want to be a bestseller.'” Unfortunately, such goals often leave us flat even if we reach them.

So what do we do? Often times we focus on marketing and social media shooting for that one idea, blog post, or photo that will ‘go viral.’ At the same time, we may feel that our pure creative vision is then corrupted by this ‘requirement’ to market our work. Dan’s solution to this all too common dilemma?

Be the gateway.

“Instead of framing the value of your work on how it performs in the market, you define it by how other people experience the world through your creative work—the stories and experiences you share, and the topics you talk about. (My emphasis.) This simple idea radically shifts the value of what you create. Instead of selling a product in the marketplace, you become the gateway for how your work can shape the world for others, and inspire them.

“Reframe success so it isn’t about seeking validation from massive audiences, but rather how you reach one person.

“When you create as a gateway, success immediately becomes more accessible.”

And let me add one other quote that resonates so strongly with me. “Reframe success so it isn’t about seeking validation from massive audiences, but rather how you reach one person.”

So, what does this all have to do with my 100+ Blog Game? Well, a lot. I may never complete the game, not at the rate I’m writing blog posts. But if even one person reads one of these posts and has his or her view of the world shift even a little bit, then I’ve accomplished my goal to be the gateway. And I’m adding one new twist to the game.

The Stories Behind the Stories (and My Life)

As Dan so clearly identifies in his book, we creatives are all storytellers no matter what our medium is so let’s use this gift. I’ve spent a good part of my journaling time this morning making a couple of lists.

  1. A list of personal short stories/anecdotes (ie blog posts)  that chronicle in a general way why I write, and
  2. A list of similar stories about my books and how I came about writing each one and what I learned in the process.

Since February 2019 when I wrote the first parts of this 100+ Blog Post Game, I’ve also developed a better system for keeping such projects in existence. While it’s far from perfect, I plan to incorporate this game into it to become more regular about sharing these stories behind the stories. After all, they are one more form of my own self-expression that will perhaps shift even ever so slightly others’ perception of the world.

And just in case someone happens to read this within a day or two of it being written, I’m facilitating a discussion group on Dan’s book via Zoom starting on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. Find out more about it on Facebook at this event page.