Discipline in Blogging for #AtoZChallenge!

 For the alphabet D, Samantha Redstreake Geary from D's Company (I was tempted to make this D for Damyanti, but asked Samantha instead, who I clearly see is no better at Discipline than me!) offers her tongue-in-cheek take.

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Today, I’m dishing out a big helping of “D” with a side of irony, considering I rarely choose Discipline at the all-you-can-do buffet. Let’s be honest. Discipline is the kale on the salad bar of life. You know it’s good for you, but you’ve only so much room and so little time, and that treasure trove of desserts is whispering sweet nothings like there’s no tomorrow. And then, when tomorrow rears its ugly head at the crack of dawn, you’ll look back on those empty calorie hours with a pounding regret hangover and think to yourself, I should’ve had the kale.

Rinse and repeat.

What IF, one day, while grazing in the pasture of possibility, you decided to give the questionable green leaves a shot. This time, you ignore the sugar-laden distractions, seize the salad tongs, and load up on vitamin-infused productivity. When tomorrow comes, self-reproach is replaced with satisfaction. And before too long, you’ll feel so fulfilled you won’t give that syrupy stack of procrastination a second glance because kale is where it’s at.

Recap

Kale = Discipline

Eat your kale EVERY DAY, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your aspirations and one step closer to becoming an organic, shade grown, fair trade, bird sanctuary badass!

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Which is to say, now that you're in the A to Z Challenge, stick with your blogging discipline, even though on some days it feels like chewing on steamed Kale!

On a more serious note, D is for Determination, Drive and Daring. You'll need all of it while you dish out posts on the remaining 22 days of April!

Can I Do It? #atozchallenge

Can I Do It?

Yes you can!

You are capable, creative, and crafty.

You can conquer the A to Z Challenge.

You are in control.

Struggling to keep up with posting? Take an extra hour this week to get ahead.

Struggling with commenting? Again, set aside an extra hour to catch up.

Wondering if it will all be worth it? Yes, it will!

My very first Challenge in 2010, I signed up last minute. I had no idea what to post and scrambled every day to find something to fit the letter. By the end of that very first Challenge, I managed to post every day, my following had tripled, and I made some really good blogging buddies. It set me up for that fall when my first book came out, CassaStar.

So, whatever you are trying to accomplish with the Challenge, know this – you can do it. You can beat the Challenge!


Co-host Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh is the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, CassaStorm, and Dragon of the Stars, and his blog can be found HERE

Day 2 and the Party is Just Starting to Heat Up! #AtoZChallenge

Welcome to Letter B! B is the best letter because it's the beginning of some very great words like 

BOOK! And that's what I, as your Challenge Librarian will be bringing you. Books, books, and more books! I've got a book for everyone!

Breakdown by Jonathan Kellerman

Brotherhood in Death 

Both are murder mystery books to get your heart racing.

Brookly, by Colm Toibin

A lovely little book about a young woman who travels from Ireland to New York City in search of a better life. 

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

A discussion by a surgeon on why and how medicine can improve lives.

Book Thief by Markus Zusak

A little girl, books, and the Holocaust. 

So there you have it. Something for everyone! After you've visited all the blogs and made new friends, take a moment to celebrate by (eating cake) and settling down with a good book. You've had a busy two days. 

Rest up, the next letter isn't until Monday.

Away We Go! #atozchallenge

     
         Are we ready!  

         Can you keep up the enthusiasm throughout the entire month?

          The opening day of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge is always the biggest one.  There's lots of blog action and optimism heading out of the starting gate.   It's important to pace yourself over the next few weeks.   As the cliche goes, this is not a sprint it's a marathon.

          Those who have prepared posts ahead of time will be in pretty good shape for the month, but if you don't have your posts finished the race is not lost.  Now what you have on your hands is the essence of what a Challenge is all about.

          No matter how you've approached the A to Z Challenge, it can be done and done with great success.  Personally my first time around I started without posts prepared ahead of the game as well as in later Challenges with the entire month's posts completed before starting day.  It's a matter of willingness to finish and the fortitude to get it done.

         Do you have what it takes to succeed this April?   I think you do, but the bottom line is that you have to believe that you've got it and then show the rest of us that you can do it.

         Forget about discouragement and fear of failure.  This is a Challenge.  Overcoming the negatives of your thinking is the point of staying in the game to the very end.   Not getting the visits and comments that you'd like to have means that you need to get out to visit and comment on other sites.   Like any job, if you don't do the necessary work, you don't get your payday.

          This April the A to Z Challenge is your second job and for some maybe even your full time job.  If you're working to make your blog great then you should work as hard as you can to be successful.  If you're here to have fun then that's fine as well--we emphasize the fun factor of A to Z.

          However you approach this Challenge, in the end you get as much as you put into it.  You can finish and you can finish big if you set your mind to that aim.

          The A to Z Team is rooting for you and we're here to help you.   Stay focused on that finish line.  You'll be glad you met the Challenge and you'll be a better blogger in doing it.

          Let's go A to Z Bloggers!

How to Add Your Social Media Buttons to Your #AtoZChallenge Posts

Today's tip is from An Unconventional Alliance Team Member Rajlakshmi who blogs at A Twinkle Eyed Traveller. 

I know you all are super busy writing, scheduling, bookmarking and drinking coffee in tons and gallons, so I will keep it really short and crisp.

Since A to Z April Challenge is a great opportunity to connect with bloggers around the world, here's few more tips to help you increase your social media visibility and highlight your talents.
1) Pinterest Pin It Button on Image - The Pin It button appears on the image when you hover your mouse over it. This makes it extremely easy for readers to share your beautiful captures on Pinterest. Check out the steps provided in this tutorial (http://www.bloggersentral.com/2012/11/pinterest-pin-it-button-on-image-hover.html).

2) Instagram Widget - If you are an Instagram addict like me then you gotta have this on your blog. Simple to configure and easy to use. Check here - How to Add Instagram Widget (http://helplogger.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/how-to-add-instagram-widget-in-blogger.html)

3) Facebook Page Like Box-  This can either be added as a widget on the sidebar or it could appear as a pop up when your site loads. Click here for widget - http://helplogger.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/how-to-add-facebook-likefan-box-to.html and here for Page load - http://theblogwidgets.com/2013/08/facebook-popup-widget-with-lightbox.html

Best of luck for the challenge!!

May the the force be with you.