Blog Chain Post: Success--what is it?

Today's blog chain post was started by me! And I asked:




How do you define success? Is it getting published? Making the NY Times List? Or just finishing a novel?






I asked this question because one of my good friends became a life coach and, after talking about my career, she asked me this question and it really got me thinking.

My own answer is constantly shifting and changing. At first, I thought just getting a publishing contract would be enough. But it turns out that was only the sample taste in the start of my writing addiction. For me, I want to write forever. Just the other day I was listening to a college student talk about their major and I realized now that I've come this far, I could never settle for anything el
se than sitting at my computer all day and writing. And if I get to do just that for the rest of my life, well, that would be a success.

So now it's your turn. How would you define success?

To follow the rest of the chain check out the posts from both Alyson and Amparo. 

What I mean when I say I'm going to run from zombies...

I made a post earlier today where I stated I was going to run from zombies and then the questions started pouring in. Rather than answer them individually, I decided to write a blog post explaining what I'm doing.

I hate running.

OMG do I hate running. And this is nothing new. Even in high school, when I was on the pom squad and in the best shape of my life, I still hated running. My freshman year, it was a P.E. requirement to complete a mile run. I did it in eleven minutes. Did I mention I hate running?

So then two winters ago I heard about an app called Zombies, Run! which was supposed to simulate you, the runner, being chased by zombies. I thought, if anything could make me run, zombies sure could. So I bought the app and I found out Zombies, Run! was so much more than I thought.

Not only is it a fitness app, it's also part video game. Once you start the app and enable the GPS on your phone, voice actors begin to tell you the story of  a helicopter (that you're on) shot out of the sky. You land in the middle of an area overrun with zombies. A radio transmission leads you to a town where you are taken in as long as you become one of the many "Runners" or people who run supply missions into the zombie infested areas. Thus begins your journey as Runner 5.

You can enable your own music play list to play during the intermissions between the story. During which, a voice will periodically cut through the music to tell you if you've found a supply or if zombies are nearby.

I hate running.

But I will run like a gazelle when I hear the sound of moaning creeping up behind me in my headphones. When you hear the zombies, you need to haul butt. The GPS in your phone keeps track of your pace and if you don't hurry, you won't be able to evade the mob. Once you've successfully evaded the mob, you can slow your pace and resume the story. However, if you are overcome by the mob, you'll lose valuable supplies in order to get away.

Sound fun? It really is. You just have to be careful that you don't get so wrapped up in the game that you lose focus on your surroundings--you wouldn't want to run in front of a car or anything. Today, for example, I completed three miles and had just returned home when I was alerted to zombies. With no where to go, I had to run circles around my tiny backyard until I'd successfully evaded them, all the while my neighbors watched like this: 0.o.

So if you're like me, and need some prompting to run, or maybe you're just a zombie enthusiast, I highly recommend purchasing the Zombies, Run! app for $3.99. Who knows? Maybe it will be the training you need to save your life in the event of a real Zombie Apocalypse.

Happy Wednesday!