Tossing It Out Tuesday: Barriers That Block Progress

        Life is filled with things that hinder progress.  Sometimes we just have to deal with those roadblocks as we encounter them and improvise a new plan of action.  The unexpected surprises are something we should all learn how to deal with calmly and rationally.  Fits of rage rarely help.  If we just sit down in defeat and do nothing we will make no progress unless someone just happens to come along to save us.  Until that lifesaver appears on the scene we are wasting valuable time.  If they never show up then we don't move forward unless we get off our butts and do something.  Clear, patient, rational thinking is the best way to keep making the most steady progress in life.

        Then, there are the little things.  Traffic tie-ups, household emergencies, long waits, or whatever else comes along to interfere with our plans.  It's a good idea to be ready for emergencies and to plan ahead .  The goal that I'm talking about is to toss out stress caused by frustration over things you can't control.   Maybe you can't control the unexpected complications that arise, but you can prepare for them.  If you have to be somewhere at a special time, schedule your time properly so that you can be early.  That way if you do have traffic, you have made some compensation for it. 

         I like to try to have reading material nearby whenever I am doing something so that if something happens to bring my life to a standstill then I can read.   Or what about situations like having to wait in line?  You could nervously go through nervous gestures, exasperated sighs, or impatiently looking around with a snarl on your face.  I like to start up a conversation with someone near me.  After all, we're both in the same situation and the conversation can help pass the time, introduce me to someone new, and toss out some stress.  You're shy you say?  Then it's good practice for you.  Just say anything--like "Long line isn't it?"  Conversation will come unless the person you're addressing is a total jerk.  Then you can always just people watch or make up jokes in your ahead about the jerks around you.  Worrying and getting exasperated will not make things move any faster and it will only make you feel worse.

                                        Detour

           But now to the topic I really wanted to address today.  This post could have been immensely long if I had wanted to very cautiously broach this topic in a delicate way so as not to offend.  And hopefully readers will fully understand that I am not setting out to offend anyone, but merely to study upon this topic and hear your thoughts to know how some of you feel about this.

           The topic of which I speak is Blog Awards.   It is so flattering to receive recognition from peers about one's accomplishments.  To have ones name and blog link touted on another's site for all to see is an image builder and can help bring traffic and potential new followers and readers to your blog. 

           When I first started blogging I began seeing these awards on blog sites and felt a certain sense of envy.  I wondered where these awards came from and how a blogger received an award.  Then I received my first award:  The Friendship Award which was given to me by one of my earliest followers, Judy Harper of Sixty Is Just the Beginning.   I was so excited.   Then I received another, then another, and then many more.  I had an award winning blog.

            Soon I began to understand the networking concept behind the blog awards.  It's a great way to get one's blog known around the community and bring visitors to one's site.  I don't know where the idea originated, but it is a clever networking technique. 

             As the stream of awards poured in I realized the other side to them--they can take time to administer.  According to proper blog etiquette, one should post the awards with attributions, follow the rules that accompany the award, and save them to display on one's site.  Bottom line:  it can add up to considerable extra work if you get very many.

           Also, there starts to be a good deal of repetition.  I have received some awards many times.  The acknowledgement posting has provided me with some good blog fodder, but it also means I could be posting an awful lot about myself.   It also can become a challenge to find new bloggers to give the award to and avoid giving the same bloggers the same award.   I think most of you who have dealt with the awards know what I talking about.

           What I want to know is how you feel about Blog Awards.   I've seen some sites that announce that they do not accept awards.   What do you think about the bloggers who take this stance?  Do you play along with the awards?    If not, why not?  If so, how do you feel about them?  

            Sometimes when I'm behind schedule I just post the awards without following the rules, which means I don't pass them on.   How do you feel about that?   If you do the same, why?   I frequently don't let my recipients know that they've been given award so that if they don't read my post they might never know.  Do you think that's appropriate?  Do you always notify your recipients?

              If Tossing It Out chose to be a no awards blog site would you think that I was Mr. Sour Grapes?  Does it bother you if you pass on an award and it is not acknowledged?

               Please tell us your honest opinion about Blog Awards.

                If you haven't completed the poll at the top of the page, please click on your answers so I can get a better idea about what my blog focus might want to be.