“I couldn’t wait for success so I went ahead without it.” (Johnathan Winters)

I started writing this blog in August of 2009 on a whim. Blogging was a new challenge for me and luckily, it still is. In the preceding four years, I have written about every subject that crossed my slightly warped mind. If you’ve been with me since the beginning you know how random my thoughts can be and you have my thanks for letting me ramble. Not all of my posts have been winners and a few have been removed permanently, after I realized my mistakes. I’m not a professional but I do recognize bad writing when I see it, even my own.

Which brings me back to the current state of my blog. Some time in the next few weeks I will pass 100,000 views. Considering that I averaged 2 views a day in 2009, I think this is kind of a nice milestone. When I realize how little I actually know about SEO, keywords and links I have to ask myself, “How in the heck did this happen?” WordPress is filled with skilled bloggers who actually make good use of the tricks of the trade to bring traffic to their sites. I just write. I didn’t even have a search function or archives available until a couple of weeks ago when someone requested it. And considering the randomness of my thoughts, I don’t really have an area of expertise or a consistent theme that people would seek out on a regular basis. Frankly, I’ve done everything wrong and still succeeded in spite of myself. I guess I could be closer to a million views now if I had done it the right way but there’s something really special about doing it the hard way.

I would like to think of myself as the Wizard of Words but, truth be told, there’s no magic involved. I just tell the truth as I know it and people think enough of my posts to tell their friends about grhgraph. There is no other plausible explanation. When I see that people from 150 countries have visited here, it’s extremely humbling. I can only imagine what someone in Tibet would be thinking when I’m writing about dancing with Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. It really is a small world after all and there is something incredibly reassuring in that realization. Words and thoughts and humor are universal experiences that we all share as humans. I can’t begin to tell you all how much that means to me and how much joy I get from sharing my thoughts with a worldwide audience. THANK YOU!

To show my appreciation for the milestone I am about to pass, I would like to give something back to my readers. Therefore, during the month of October I am taking requests. Just send me an email at grhorst54@gmail.com and give me a famous quote of your choosing. Shorter and more specific is better but I will try anything once. I prefer quotes that are thought provoking or funny but please keep it clean. I will be the final judge of what gets published but contributors will be given full credit for their recommendations.

Now I have to include a disclaimer. If, by chance, I get an overwhelming response to my offer I may need more time to complete all the requests and then the deadline will have to be extended. I will take requests from October 1st thru the 31st and then we’ll see how fast I can complete the work. The best part of this idea is the chance to test my skills against the world and that takes time to do it well. I’m still looking for the perfect post, the one that goes crazy and has a 100,000 views all by itself. Wouldn’t you like to be the one who inspires me to greatness?

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.