Often we set goals for ourselves, or we think they are goals. Without specific numbers and dates these goals are not goals, but dreams or desires. One way of achieving goals is by creating challenges. All challenges are more about ourselves than the people we involve in them. By having other people involved we raise the level of accountability to ourselves. But we also raise the level of success, of reaching the desired goal. Not all goals can be reached with a 30 day challenge, but it’s a great start and the tools can be adapted to longer challenges.
How the Challenge Started
I did not realize what was involved or how much I had to do, when I entered into the 30-day challenge.
It all began during a mastermind session with two friends, involved in the same field that I am - internet marketing. Over the last few months I had run into the concept of 30 day challenge as a way of reaching a
certain goal.
Like everyone else I have dreams and desires that I believe are goals. But dreams and desires are not goals until they become physical. Physical means that the goal has a number, a date, a purpose and most importantly - a plan.
The reason for the challenge was that we had just learned a new system. How to do this? How to incorporate this new system into what we already had? Would this new system really give the results promised? Better
results than what we had already experience?
There was only one way to find out. To do it.
Action - Action - Action
And so we decided on creating our own 30-day challenge. Why 30 days?
Because the teacher of the system claimed that if applied consistently over 30 days - we were guaranteed to achieve the promised results.
So the first thing was for each of us to formulate our goals. We gave ourselves a couple of days to do the research needed and then write them down with numbers.
Since the three of use are in internet marketing the challenge was if we could drive traffic to our sites within 30 days to create a certain level of income. It’s after all a question of keywords, of writing and posting in the right places, with backtracking and mutual pinging.
We also realized that in order to make this challenge really effective, we had to be accountable, first and foremost to ourselves individually, but also to each other. So every morning we mail our goals for the day to
each other, and every evening we mail our achievements to each other. We also continue to meet on a weekly basis, to exchange ideas and to mastermind.
Some First Results
It is still way too early to come with final proof that the system works. We are only six days into the challenge. I am seeing results of the kind planned for - more traffic to blog, more people following on twitter, more people becoming fans on the various social networking and article submission sites - all part of the plan.
Other results are improved working methods, exchange of ideas, exchange of blogs that may have information we are looking for (each of us are working with very different topics), experience on how and where to submit articles, and insights and understandings of the system and myself.
The first days were extremely challenging for me in terms of the work involved and I worked way more than I had planned. After three days of extremely intensive work I said: I can’t keep up with this pace. And so
on the fourth day I decided not to post, only to research and consolidate what I already had, and to catch up.
Guess what? Yes, you guessed right. I got more done on that day in less time than on the previous days.
What To Do To Create a Challenge and Follow Through
- The first thing is to know what you want - in hard numbers. Without knowing what you want - what’s the use. Make sure it is stated in the positive and not through what you don’t want
- Create the plan and stick by it. If you don’t know how to create a plan, ask someone who does, and stick to the plan
- Find someone to be accountable to. It may be something like we do: sending mails to each other. I read them, not to place judgement, but because I get ideas
- Stay focused. Don’t allow anything to enter the hours you set aside for this task.
- Set strict hours of work. If all tasks are not completed that day, transfer to next day. Stick by these hours, going beyond will cause exhaustion of mind and body.
- Journal. This can be a progress journal or idea journal, a combination, or thing else that you feel like journaling about
- Look after yourself on all aspects:
- physical - eat properly, exercise
- mental - keep a clear and clean mind
- spiritual needs, whatever this means to you. I meditate a lot
Remember to:
- Celebate your accomplishments every day. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder or hug yourself. Drink a glass of wine, go for a nice meal whatever celebration is to you.
- Persevere. Old saying: Rome was not built in one day. The same goes for any project you may be involved it. Time has great value also here. The challenge is really creating quite a stir within our community. Others are looking to us to see if we are making it. Others are beginning to follow our lead and joining us.
The more I stay with this challenge the easier the work is becoming. I entered this challenge with a certain goal that I know I will reach. What’s amazing is how beneficial it is becoming in many other areas of my
life.
A challenge can be adapted to any aspect of life.
Sun, Apr 5, 2009, by Birte Edwards
Marketing