Let me explain, but first an aside... My goal today is to bring at least 1, ideally MANY, "lurkers" (readers who frequent the site, but are not interested in making comments) out of hiding... if only for a day. If you go back to being "lurkers" again tomorrow, it's ok. I'm shooting for a one-time showing. Read on and you'll know why.
Today, in celebration of 100 posts, we are going to be talking about highlowaha.com rituals. Anybody who knows me well, knows that I love the idea of rituals. My family has fallen victim to many such as Sweet Cereal Day, Fun in a Box Friday, Great Day Green Plate, Shamrock Shakes, Birthday Dinners, Ice Cream Sundae, and the list goes on. Rituals, not only create a sense of occasion, but they also help mark time in the otherwise busy and over-scheduled life of our families. They are the things we and our kids know, that regardless of what else is happening, time will slow down long enough to do. That's what makes them comforting. They are rituals, because they can be counted on.
What had NOT occurred to me is what I could learn from rituals. Today's excerpt does not come from von Oech (he deserves a day off after being such a loyal participant in our Wednesday ritual). Instead, today's post draws on the work of Sam Harrison, author of Ideaspotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea.
Harrison talks about the important role of listening when trying to spot new ideas. And while I might not be searching for new ideas, I am always in search of how to improve the current idea on which I am working. In this case highlowaha.com. He tells a story of marketers exploring for a new Sprite campaign. "Ogilvy's Brand Integration Group listened to one young consumer say Sprite felt 'like a chill explosion of lemon-lime icicles going down my throat.' Ogilvy's team spotted an idea. The comment inspired visually exploding designs that morph from cans to basketball goals to giant murals."
What does this have to do with us and, even more importantly, what does it have to do with rituals? I want to hear about your highlowaha rituals, so that maybe, just maybe, I can use what I learn to enhance some aspect of what I deliver. So, here's the million dollar (actually $74.00) question...
When it comes to highlowaha.com, what is your daily, weekly, monthly ritual? Help me understand things such as when you check the site, how often you typically visit; how long do you spend looking, per visit; do you share highlowaha with your morning cup of Joe (mug or cup and saucer), your evening dessert, or after the kids are asleep; do you read comments posted; where do you normally read it... home (which room), work, commuting; if you only visit periodically, are there particular days. If so, why? Basically, I want to know anything and everything you can think to tell me about your experience with highlowaha! The more specific the better! If today starts the BEGINNING of your highlowaha ritual, then more power to you. Tell us what you expect your ritual to be and we'll celebrate that too. Anything goes.
Now, where does the dollar figure $74.00 come into play? Here's my highlowaha ritual. Each morning the alarm goes off at 4:55 a.m.. I drag myself out of bed, put on sweats and a t-shirt, lightly (and I do mean, lightly) brush my hair, and head out the door. I head true North to "my" Starbucks where I promptly order my drink and begin crafting my post for the day. Done by 6:15 and home no later than 6:45, when the rest of house has begun stirring.
My drink of choice is a Grande Cinnamon Dolce, non-fat, no whip, heated to 180 degrees. The drink total is $4.26 (staggering, I know) and gets paid for with a five dollar bill (specifically so I can sit here on this day and type the following...), leaving me $.74 cents change. Multiply the $.74 cents change by the 100 days we've been in business and you get... $74.00!
So, that is what I have to offer one lucky reader. Submit your highlowaha ritual and be entered in tonight's drawing for $74 smackaroos!
This, I'm excited to read! Lurkers, don't fail me now.
Signing off until tomorrow...
P.S. And the winner of yesterday's Scavenger Hunt is... Stacie Walker... (and the crowd goes wild). Not only did Stacie's guess of 47 scissors come closest to my collection of 49, but she also included a number of impressive details in her responses (Middle initial "A," for Julie A. Cole; the ill-fated beer mugs; and Sundae with an "ae," instead of "ay"). Not to mention... I never knew about Cheryl's March 10 post until you sent me back to the archives. Nice going, Stacie. I know your love for books, so I am pleased to be sending you (and Lucian) one of my childhood favorites.
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