A Brave New Blog...

I am coming to you live from my home in Edgewater Florida: population Me, Bonita (a tuxedo cat) and Reggi (a handi-capable Mali Uromastyx.)

I'm a MySpace transplant. I used to blog there all the time, and now, it's like the old part of the Vegas Strip - cheap, deserted, tacky, and crawling with viruses and the dregs of cyber-society. So on I moved to Facebook - which is great, don't get me wrong - but nobody really reads 'Notes.' Hell, I write them but even I don't read the ones my friends post. Who has time with all the Farmville and Mafia War updates to keep abreast of?

And Tweeting is for the birds - obviously.

If I could regularly condense my thoughts into simple little 140 character quips, I'd have internet on my phone...

No, my thought processes are slightly more complex - or at least more verbose:)

Just an advanced warning - I :) a lot. I love :), -, and ...(.) I was never allowed to use them high school or in my military journalism school. And yet, since I've started blogging, I have know idea how I ever felt that I could express myself properly without them.

Then again, you're discouraged from putting yourself in your writing when you write articles and essays. Blogs however are delightfully self-indulgent. It's exhibitionist Diary keeping for the pseudo-intellect in each of us:) Yum!

So I don't even know really who is out there or who might be reading - but this is my introductory post - so I'm trying to e-shake your hand (far less contagious that way - not that I'm a germaphobe - I was in the military for crying out loud!!!)

I have some specific goals for this space. As you may have noticed I have entitled my blog Altering Reality: The 2010 Project. I know better than to assume people know what that means. Undoubtedly the vast majority of the two of you that stumble upon this blog will probably have in inkling of the concept given the blatant clues given in the title - but I warned you, I am verbose - so allow me to embellish.

In recent years I have become very in touch with the Humanist Movement and the Law of Attraction-ites. I've read The Secret, Conversations With God, Excuses Be Gone and Infinite Possibilities and am still periodically working on Think and Grow Rich. But reading books only makes you a scholar, not a practitioner. So now I'm trying to put my new-found beliefs into action. And I want to make a public accounting of my adventures.

I propose that within the coming calendar year - in less than 12 months - by the end 2010, I will alter the course of my own life to the extent that I won't even be able to recognize it - and I want you to come on this journey with me.

What's the worst that can happen? I can 'fail' miserably. A year could go by and I could still be broke and relatively lonely and not have achieved any further measure of success than I've already reached. Hell - I could even 'back-slide' a little and wind up worse for the wear, and you could all be witnesses. All five of you. (Notice how my reader number is already rising:)

But these scenarios are not likely to play out for one very important reason. I am NOT a fan of public humiliation. I am actually doing this to create a sense of accountability for myself.

I know that when I have to 'report' to other people, I'm exponentially more likely to accomplish my 'mission.' And if I can really do this and record it and you are all witnesses to it, maybe you'll begin to do it too. Maybe everybody will alter their own reality to a point where we all have exactly what we want in abundance including the intangibles like peace, love and contentment.

Or maybe you'll read this - think I'm a total crack-pot and continue to draw misery into your own existance because that's all you've ever known or believed in. That part is up to you in the long run.

But as for me and my blog - I will aim to inspire.

Of course - in the next few days, as you get to know me better (I'm going to try to update daily - crossing fingers - exceptionally difficult to do while typing) you'll learn of my current reality - the one I'm striving to alter. Not all of that is inspirational at the moment. But I want it to be. So as long as I have a goal in mind, at least I have hope of better tomorrow.

I invite you to read - to share with friends and to comment. I am a bit of an attention whore - I readily confess to that. Do not however get too disheartened if I don't always reply back right away.

A large part of altering my reality will come from my physical actions when I'm not on the computer. I'm very much a 'doer' with a very active life away from my computer screen. I know in the past I've wounded the feelings of 'online friends' who feel like I don't give them enough attention. Please don't be one of those people and we'll get along famously:)

Well then - enough for now. It's a pleasure to e-meet you! I'm sure this is the beginning of a beautiful blog-venture:)

With love and warm wishes -
The Original Hillary J