Building a New Habit: It's all About Consistency

Today marks the 139th straight day I've written and published a story on my blog 365 Stories in a Year. It's a milestone for me, not because it's number 139 but because it's still continuing.

You see, I've been writing blogs for almost five years now and prior to this effort, the longest consecutive writing streak was 16 posts last year. That time I was attempting to do 30 posts, not stories, just posts of any kind.

Therefore to take on a challenge like this one last August was quite a long shot. I challenged myself, nobody else, to write a story every day for the next year and at the time had no idea how far I would get.

So, now that I'm 40 percent of the way through the year, I have no intention of stopping. In fact, I plan to make the stories better and better over the coming months. The challenge became a habit and now, whether I feel like it or not, I write something here every day. They may be stories from my past, stories of my family, of people I have known, places I have visited, or in many cases, pure fiction (which as we all know can be based on reality as well).

I'm doing this to make it clear just how important stories are in influencing people with writing. Too many times we hear the old adage that "facts tell, stories sell" and go right on writing facts. The truth is that the best marketers and salespeople are also fantastic storytellers.

If you want to influence people with your writing, build the habit of writing stories, just like I'm doing here. And do it publicly. No matter how many people read these stories, I know they are here, I know I wrote them and I know that I kept up my part of the challenge.

For the next eight months or so and perhaps beyond, all the stories here will be mine. That's part of the bargain. However, I may open up some of my other blogs to posts from guest writers from time to time, as long as they keep to my general subject of stories and writing.

I'll keep writing stories now because that's what I do. Make it what you do as well.

Ghosts, Goblins and Assorted Wierdos in Black Star Canyon

Ghost stories in Orange County, California?

The county's hardly old enough to have ghosts, much less stories about ghosts. Yet they do abound here, particularly about a strange canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains that hardly anyone ever visits.

Black Star Canyon Road has been around since the 1920's when it was built to access a mine at the top of one of the mountains between Orange and Corona. For many years this dirt road was wide open and wound up the canyon and across the peaks to a quick run down the other side near Corona.

Sometime in the 1980's the road was closed to auto traffic but was maintained by the county and was and is still open to hikers, bikers and other assorted trail mavens. Although they are not supposed to, teenagers and wilderness junkies hike up the trail all the time, during the day and well into the night.

According to one story, sometime in the 1970s a school bus crashed up the road, killing 12 children. Their ghosts are supposed to still appear from time to time, according to some canyon visitors. Others are more skeptical. The tales do add to the mystery of the place, however.

From time to time, two residents of the area will accost visitors and tell them that the road is private and that they are trespassing. According to those who know, the county holds an all access easement on the roadbed and all people who want to are welcome to use it. According to county records, the Irvine Company owns most if not all of the property in the area and claims by residents that they own the property may or may not be true.

It all adds up to an adventure for those who get up the courage to cross the closed fence and walk or bike up the road.

I know this road from personal experience. Back about 1972 or so, I drove up the road (when it was still open) all the way from Orange, across the mountains and down to Corona. On the way I took a lot of pictures of the area as it was back then, which was mostly pristine and virtually untraveled. Even then the road was and is unpaved. It was filled with potholes and washouts and was difficult to drive. Twenty miles an hour was about the top speed and that was rare.

I have to admit I saw no ghosts, crashed buses or angry residents and met only a few cars coming from the other direction.

At the time I was the editor of the News-Times Newspapers in Placentia, just to the north, and after making this trip published the photos and a story in the paper, making my early trip about the best documented one on record.

Apparently after the road was closed, a lot of squatters moved into the forests at the top of the canyon and caused problems for visitors. There were stories of gunshots and even dead bodies, none of which have been confirmed as far as I know.

Black Star Canyon is one of those fascinating places found all over the country, where mystery, legend, rumor and innuendo mix to create a volatile attraction to anyone with a sense of adventure. That it is within minutes of one of the most populated urban areas in the country adds to the mystique.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

By the way, Google "Black Star Canyon" for a bunch of sites and photos where you can spend a couple of hours reading more about this fascinating place.

The New Year's Zoo: Lessons for 2011

My wife and I spent New Year's Day at the San Diego Zoo today and, although the weather was horribly cold, had a wonderful time.

We learned a couple of good lessons from the animal kingdom that we can all apply in the upcoming year. These are all from odd critters that you would never expect to have ideas any of us could use.

First there was the tortoise from the Galapagos Islands. These creatures are huge, weighing in at 400 to 600 pounds and when they look at you that face is UGLY. But, this fellow was over 150 years old and had lived at the zoo for somewhere approaching 80 years. The keeper said that these animals were smart for reptiles, lived in herds, and learned lessons well. They had lived at the zoo so long that everything they did was by habit. If anything new happened, they wouldn't have a clue as to what to do.

The lesson is that it may be okay to be comfortable and it may help you live longer but the life you lead will be incredibly boring. Success in life is all about taking risks in order to grow and prosper. If you find yourself caged and bored, living the same basic pattern every day, take a few risks and start living an interesting life.

Second, there was a beehive and we were lucky enough to see the queen bee in the hive. A little background: the hive depends on the queen bee. If she were to die or be harmed in any way, the hive would break up. The queen looked ordinary except that she had a few different markings from the other bees. The extraordinary thing was that she was surrounded by eight or ten bees that protected her from everyone else. It was the only bit of organized activity among thousands of bees working in the hive.

The lesson? This hive and other beehives depend on just one individual for its existence. If you have just one or a few clients, or have one critical employee who your business depends on, you are setting yourself up for disaster. Diversify, get more clients, have more than one person who knows your business intimately.

Third, we saw a show that featured a couple of well-trained seals who did all kinds of tricks for the trainers. The seal was obviously having a great time but it also had a major incentive to perform. Every time it did the trick correctly, the trainer gave it a treat, a reward. Without the reward would the seal have performed? No.

The lesson: Reward your best customers with great products and services and they will keep coming back for more. The better you treat those around you, the better they will work for you.

Fourth, we went to see the polar bear exhibit just after dark to see the bears frolic in the water. It's a fun exhibit and the bears are wonderful hams, bouncing balls around, jumping into the water and making a great splash. We looked forward to seeing them. When we arrived, we searched a while and finally found one bear in a corner, sleeping. All he did was move one paw a few inches. Needless to say, we were disappointed.

The lesson? Make good on your promises. Real people are making real efforts when they use your program. Make sure that your program delivers what you say it will. There is so much hype out there today that it's hard to believe it all any more. Those who do what they say they will do and more are the ones who will win.

Fifth and last, we ended the visit with dinner at Albert's Restaurant at the zoo. It's a fancy eatery with high prices and quality to match. Now the zoo has a lot of people who come for one visit and they want you to come back. On the table we found a small note in one of those plastic displays that made an almost irresistible offer: Pay an additional $49 before you left that day and you could get a year-long membership in the zoo, unlimited visits to this and a companion zoo, and free tickets for friends.

Lesson? Always upsell. The real value of that one time customer to the zoo wasn't that they attended that day. It is that they will come back and spend more money over the next year and that as a member they will receive the magazine, learn more about the animals and maybe donate money to the conservation programs. I'm not selling zoo memberships but consider how smart it is to urge your existing customers to buy more from you. The true lifetime value of a customer is not that they bought once from you but that they will buy many times from you.

I'm sure there are a lot more lessons I could come up with but this will do for today. Just remember that everything we do as business owners, sellers, and providers of goods and services is aimed at building better customer relationships and more future sales.

These few tips from a few animals at a wonderful zoo can give your business a powerful sendoff for 2011.