Riding the train back to LA after an event filled week in San Diego, I have yet another opportunity to ponder what does and does not fly in the fickle world of blog readers.

Last night, being particularly tired after a killer #BradPaisley concert,  I opted for a very brief post, primarily to get my gratitudes in.  Today, when I check the stats, I find that readership is up significantly from yesterday.  Is it because yesterday’s post was short and sweet?  Was it mere coincidence, or is it because I’ve been adding #hasthags?  I’m thinking the latter is the least likely as yesterday’s post was the first one without #hashtags in a few days.  
I really am looking for that mysterious formula which draws readers to one blog post and not another.  I’m guessing that my #gratitudes have little to do with it since they have ended almost every post for a long while.  
So what is it, really, that readers like to read and #SEOs like to search?  
I find that the more I read, the more questions I have.  
Whatever happens, I’ve set some aggressive goals for myself for next week and the weeks to come.  
Although I’d really love to jump on my website and get it up and running, I know that, in the first place, I have a lot to learn before it is launched, and in the second, it has to, despite its importance in my overall plan, be the carrot which dangles before me, ensuring that before I earn the carrot, I successfully complete my copywriting course.  
Not only does the course put me in a position to actually earn something from my endless reading and writing, but it will give me tools which will ultimately make me a better website administrator/writer/publisher.
We tell our children that they must do their homework and  chores before they get to play.  The copywriting course is my chores and homework while the website is my play time.  Which is rather interesting because I will be putting a lot of time, effort and outright work into launching and maintaining that website than I believe I ever have before.  But this time, the work I put in will be geared towards something I want and will eventually help feather my little nest rather than one which neither affects nor benefits me!  
The legacy I’ll create and nourish lovingly will be enjoyed by my children and grandchildren.  
If that isn’t enough motivation to do what I need to to earn that carrot, I can’t begin to imagine what is.
As the first hour of my trip winds down and I watch the beautiful Pacific slide by my window, my heart is filled with enormous gratitude for all of the opportunities which continue to find their way into my life.  Like a flock of butterflies, all I need do is sit quietly  and allow those which suit me to land gently where I can treasure and nurture them until I have a kaleidoscope of my own to let loose upon the world, to land and inspire whoever they may. 
My gratitudes today are:
1. I am grateful for mini vacations with my daughter, son-in-law and grand furries.
2. I am grateful for beautiful rides along the coast where I can watch the waves genltly lapping at the shoreline.
3. I am grateful for the examples set for me by so many of my favorite authors which have inspired me to write…and write…and write…and write.
4. I am grateful for my health and well being.  The more I see of others, the more I realize how precious it really is.
5. I am grateful for the abundance in my life which is always enough to handle whatever life might decide to send my way to enable me to learn my lessons.