Question 100 of 365: Why do we crave a streak?

Question 100 of 365: Why do we crave a streak?

The famous Honus Wagner T206 card, circa 1910.
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I used to have these hall of fame baseball figurines of guys like Honus Wagner that I would play with in my bed. I would have them hit home runs and go around my made up bases that I created with the objects on my sheets. I was so intrigued by these old players that I would look up their statistics in old baseball almanacs. I knew that there was some significance to those figures, to the numbers of base hits and RBIs. The one figure that I could never quite fathom though, was consecutive games played. This streak was held by Cal Ripken, Jr., a contemporary player that I never had a figuring for. His continual dedication to coming in and working every single day was amazing to me. He was my hero from the time ages of 7-10  because of this streak, and until now I’m not sure that I knew why.

I crave this kind of streak within my life. I am always interested in creating something that is as long lasting 2,632 games, spanning 17 years. Mr. Ripken’s achievement is something that will most assuredly never be copied. These kinds of streaks are not sought after. The level of consistency it takes to show up whether you think you will be amazing or not, is something that is most impressive.

100 days of writing is the longest streak I have ever attained. While I have written more over the course of many days, this is the most consistent I have ever been. And, I want it to continue. I want to be the Cal Ripken, Jr of the question answering world.

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0 Comments

  1. jacquelinecahill

    I must first admit the reason I chose to open this post (sorry I only hit about one out of three or five) was because on my initial skim I thought it read why do we crave steak…well it is 8:25pm, and I haven't gotten around to dinner yet. My stomach chose this post and when I'm done responding I'm grilling some steak. I am very glad my hunger cravings and inept skimming led me to this post. I'm proud of you, Ben. You said, “100 days of writing is the longest streak I have ever attained. While I have written more over the course of many days, this is the most consistent I have ever been. And, I want it to continue. I want to be the Cal Ripken, Jr of the question answering world.” I hope you continue…I hope you truly realize the difference you can make in the world from a computer. I wish you the best. Also, thanks for the inspiration…it always helps to be reminded of our goals/dreams and where we are as far as attaining them.

  2. You don't have to apologize, doing anything for 100 days in a row is pretty
    taxing. I am a big believer in creating what we want to see. I don't think
    that it always means being the change, but rather just doing what it is that
    will create something new that I will enjoy and hopefully others will too. I
    think that my posts are reaching into that space where they serve a purpose
    beyond just doing one every day. They are a form of therapy, a form of
    progression, and a form of hope. I am not predicting the future, but rather
    just helping to see it through until we get there.

    I hope you are doing the same.

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