Okay, technically, I'm on day 17 but I haven't had time to listen to day's 16 and 17 yet and I've had this post openned but not written for two days so let's, in the words of Larry the Cable Guy, 'getter done'.
The reason it's taking me two days to get around to this post is because I didn't feel I had anything to write about. I sometimes forget, and have to remind myself, this blog, unlike http://www.thecuphalffull.com/ isn't meant to show pure uplifting messenging. It's to show how difficult this road can be, but to show it is achievable.
I want you dear readers to see both my ups and down and even the boring parts.
As for the 100 Day Challenge, it's all well and good but it's hasn't been a source of growth for me since the last post (which was great).
Recently I've really started to get into meditation. Just a quick five to ten minutes a day of relaxing, clearing my mind and openning up my self to more devine insight.
On Thursday on my commute back home I was trying to meditate but my mind was filled with all the news off of the games forum I frequent when I'm bored at my work (which is a considerable amount these days). In meditation you're suppose to merely acknowledge each thought and let it pass, which is what I was doing but it was thought after thought of utterly useless video game information, most of which I honestly don't even care about. Then devine insight happened. I'm obsessed with this site.
Ironically, that was a happy thought. Currently, as you know if you're following this blog, I'm reading Anthony Robbin's Awaken the Giant Within. In it Tony talks about using pain and pleasure to form life altering habits for the better until they become habitual or better yet, like an obsession. I had read that before and understood the principal but never had any success in trying to create an onsessive behaviour. And now, here I was discovering I had, unwittingly, done exactly that.
Reflecting on it, I could see how it had happened. When I started in my current position we were extremely busy in the summer but slow in the winter. So during the winter months I'd occasionally have some free time and fill it with a wide range of internet sites. I looked at comic book news (I worked in the industry in the 90's and still like to follow it even though I'm not a collector), video game news, movie news, political news, general news, date sites (don't tell), I even worked on my book until people complained about it. Over the course of the next nine years (Lord, has it been that long?) our business has become slower and slower to the point now where even during the summer months I need to fill considerable down time and the winter months are virtually all downtime needing to be filled.
So applying the pain/pleasure formula (we move away from pain and towards pleasure): boredom was the pain and the games forum provided the best escape from boredom for a couple main reasons, unlike news, there was always fresh posts on the forums and debates to get into and secondly at that time the Nintendo Wii was launching at it's success (which I predicted) came with tremendous uproar from the established gaming community. It didn't meet their predetermined idea of what a games console should be and many outright hated it as they resented the fact that it was vastly outsell the consoles that they felt did it 'right.' Such drama is always fun to watch - and occasionally stir up with more predictions of success.
Over time, it became a habit and over more time it became an obsessive behaviour where even if I'm at home and bore I feel a complusion to see what's happening on the forum.
The great thing about all this is that I now have a working example of how to create an obsessive behaviour. Now all I need to do is recreate that with something that's more beneficial to me over the long term, like my website.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Day 12 of the 100 Day Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge - Take 2
This is a record of my progress towards accomplishing my goals and dreams using the following tools:
The Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge (currently taking it for the second time, first of three times I will do the challenge this year)
Anthony's Robbins' book Awaken The Giant Within (currently on Chapter 3), alternating with Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich - each to be read three times this year
Six Minutes to Success by Bob Proctor - Daily motivational videos
I am ashamed. I am truly ashamed of myself. I talk a good talk but am I walking the walk? Sometimes but not the last few days, that's for certain. Not to say I haven't done anything. I have. I did goto the gym Saturday and did work on the website Sunday. Spent time with my kids and niece and nephew - that's not without merit. But I have terribly lacked focus. My weekend should have been much more productive than it was.
Great quote today from Six Minutes to Success:
"There is absolutely nothing that separates the elite from the paupers except expectations." J. Arthur Holcome
Currently I am dating a marvelous woman. One of her most admirable qualities is her persistence in maintaining great expectations. She demands more of herself, mostly for her children's benefit and expects to achieve it. She does not allow normal or even exceptional circumstances to sway those expectations. Therefore, she's accomplished a tremendous coming from the background she did. I'm very grateful to have her in my life.
My expectations at the moment are pathetically low. Not to say they couldn't be worse, they certainly could be. I have a nice house, car, job, kids, friends, wonderful woman in my life but I am settling for far, FAR less than I am capable of achieving. My house and car need repairs. I am not being a (pro)active enough part of my children's lives. I am not giving enough to my friends. Nor have I truly opened myself up enough to my woman. I am allowing myself to be content with less. The safer, easier route.
No. No. NO. It cannot continue like that.
One of the absolute best moments in the 100 Day Challenge is Day 11 - Shock Therapy. In it Gary Ryan Blair reads you a 'Dear John' letter from your own hopes and dreams. You know, the ones you keep promising that one day you'll be together. The ones you keep putting off time and again because it's too hard, your too tired, maybe tomorrow. Those hopes and dreams have had enough. If you cannot find it in yourself to come to them, they will find someone else who will. It may sound a little corny here but Gary delivers it excellently and it'll have you in tears.
We do not live forever. Hell, tomorrow is not even guaranteed to you. You have now. This moment. How are you living now? Are you living a life you would be proud of? Or are you still waiting for that life to someday find you? You do not have endless tomorrows. Dreams cannot be put off indefinitely. They will die. Nor will the right moment ever come. You have to create it. And if it did come, right now, this instant, are you even ready to embrace it? Probably not. It'd pass you right on by. We must take action, I must take action, now. Today and every day.
It does not ultimately matter if I reach all my goals (and I never will because as long as I'm alive I'll keep setting new ones) but it matters entirely that I am running towards them. For then and only then am I living.
The rest of the time, we're in spiritual decay. It's time to run.
Anthony's Robbins' book Awaken The Giant Within (currently on Chapter 3), alternating with Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich - each to be read three times this year
Six Minutes to Success by Bob Proctor - Daily motivational videos
I am ashamed. I am truly ashamed of myself. I talk a good talk but am I walking the walk? Sometimes but not the last few days, that's for certain. Not to say I haven't done anything. I have. I did goto the gym Saturday and did work on the website Sunday. Spent time with my kids and niece and nephew - that's not without merit. But I have terribly lacked focus. My weekend should have been much more productive than it was.
Great quote today from Six Minutes to Success:
"There is absolutely nothing that separates the elite from the paupers except expectations." J. Arthur Holcome
Currently I am dating a marvelous woman. One of her most admirable qualities is her persistence in maintaining great expectations. She demands more of herself, mostly for her children's benefit and expects to achieve it. She does not allow normal or even exceptional circumstances to sway those expectations. Therefore, she's accomplished a tremendous coming from the background she did. I'm very grateful to have her in my life.
My expectations at the moment are pathetically low. Not to say they couldn't be worse, they certainly could be. I have a nice house, car, job, kids, friends, wonderful woman in my life but I am settling for far, FAR less than I am capable of achieving. My house and car need repairs. I am not being a (pro)active enough part of my children's lives. I am not giving enough to my friends. Nor have I truly opened myself up enough to my woman. I am allowing myself to be content with less. The safer, easier route.
No. No. NO. It cannot continue like that.
One of the absolute best moments in the 100 Day Challenge is Day 11 - Shock Therapy. In it Gary Ryan Blair reads you a 'Dear John' letter from your own hopes and dreams. You know, the ones you keep promising that one day you'll be together. The ones you keep putting off time and again because it's too hard, your too tired, maybe tomorrow. Those hopes and dreams have had enough. If you cannot find it in yourself to come to them, they will find someone else who will. It may sound a little corny here but Gary delivers it excellently and it'll have you in tears.
We do not live forever. Hell, tomorrow is not even guaranteed to you. You have now. This moment. How are you living now? Are you living a life you would be proud of? Or are you still waiting for that life to someday find you? You do not have endless tomorrows. Dreams cannot be put off indefinitely. They will die. Nor will the right moment ever come. You have to create it. And if it did come, right now, this instant, are you even ready to embrace it? Probably not. It'd pass you right on by. We must take action, I must take action, now. Today and every day.
It does not ultimately matter if I reach all my goals (and I never will because as long as I'm alive I'll keep setting new ones) but it matters entirely that I am running towards them. For then and only then am I living.
The rest of the time, we're in spiritual decay. It's time to run.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The 100 Day Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge - Day 9, Take 2
Technology really sucks sometimes. Although I didn't take the time to blog about each day, I did take the time to make a list of what each day's message was but now due to a technical glitch, that list is gone.
Obviously I could just go back and review each's days message, later, but as I've already delayed this posting this long I'm loathe to delay it even further. So I'm just going to take it as a sign from above to use a different approach and post anyway.
Over the last week the focus has been related to the theme of creating a sense of urgency. Each day is a somewhat different aspect, and todays was about asking for what you want but mostly it's all amount to getting yourself to act now.
And considering it's taken me a week to post, I can only surmise I haven't been following too closely. LOL. Sad.
So far my Challenge has been off to a very rocky start. I have not been able to focus enough to really make any sort of progress on any front at all. This is partly due to a private struggle I've been dealing with and partly due to a sense of disconnect with my goals (see Course Correction).
I'm also slowly making my way through Awaken the Giant Within but haven't had time (or focus) to do the first major excerise (writing out the pains of current behaviour and the pleasures of achiving desired behaviours). Currently on the 3rd (?) chapter on beliefs.
Six Minutes to success has had some good stuff this week as well. Been more impactful than usual.
As for what I'm doing in my life as a result of all this goodness I've been pouring in - The primary thing I've been learning to do is stay within a sphere of joy.
For example - I had a situation which caused me considerable anxiety this week. Instead of focusing on the issue, I began to do fun things to distract myself. After a bit, I began to really question what I was doing as it seemed a total waste of time. However, my sense was to continue, to merely allow myself to be in a constant state of joy and that the answer would come to me if I stayed in that state. This isn't normal behaviour for me, usually I like to tackle things head on but it felt right so I went along with it. After a few days, the answers did come. As they came, I could immediately feel the 'rightness' about them. They came with a sense of peace and certainty.
In hindsight, I truly believe that if I had tried to focus on the problems, I would have continued to be in an state of agitation and anxiety. In such a frame of mind I would not have been as open to finding these answers and the peace they have brought.
In particular, I was intent on making a go of really developing my website. The clarity that it isn't my primary purpose isn't a shock I suppose but it is a departure from my thinking up until this point. In hindsight it seems obvious but before it was an issue I was struggling with and it was causing me to become detached to the very thing I was trying to convince myself I needed to focus so much effort, money and energy into.
If I hadn't taken these few days to 'goof off' and live in a state of joy despite the agitations on my life, I no doubt would be investing time, energy and money into more web development - consequently wasting far greater amounts of my time.
Now someone may look at this and say, 'oh he's just justifying quitting' but really it's more of realigning with my primary purpose. I am a writer, first and foremost and getting my books and stories published must be my main focus. This website should not be dragging me away from that and it most certainly would have if I had continued down the path I had been on.
Being in a continuous state of joy, whether by reaching out to God or merely playing my Wii or talking to my friends and girlfriend has also given me a much quicker return to balance after being knocked for a loop by an unexpected issue, than I previously would have.
Ironically, that personal development is about as far removed from having a sense of urgency as you can get. Or is it? I've often heard that high powered people are able to remove themselves mentally from their immediate situation, find that place of peace and balance within, make a decision on how to act from that peace (and not from the chaos) and then act on that confidently and decisively. That is what I am doing here. It's just taken me a while, and the more I practice retreating into joy, the faster and more effective I will become.
Obviously I could just go back and review each's days message, later, but as I've already delayed this posting this long I'm loathe to delay it even further. So I'm just going to take it as a sign from above to use a different approach and post anyway.
Over the last week the focus has been related to the theme of creating a sense of urgency. Each day is a somewhat different aspect, and todays was about asking for what you want but mostly it's all amount to getting yourself to act now.
And considering it's taken me a week to post, I can only surmise I haven't been following too closely. LOL. Sad.
So far my Challenge has been off to a very rocky start. I have not been able to focus enough to really make any sort of progress on any front at all. This is partly due to a private struggle I've been dealing with and partly due to a sense of disconnect with my goals (see Course Correction).
I'm also slowly making my way through Awaken the Giant Within but haven't had time (or focus) to do the first major excerise (writing out the pains of current behaviour and the pleasures of achiving desired behaviours). Currently on the 3rd (?) chapter on beliefs.
Six Minutes to success has had some good stuff this week as well. Been more impactful than usual.
As for what I'm doing in my life as a result of all this goodness I've been pouring in - The primary thing I've been learning to do is stay within a sphere of joy.
For example - I had a situation which caused me considerable anxiety this week. Instead of focusing on the issue, I began to do fun things to distract myself. After a bit, I began to really question what I was doing as it seemed a total waste of time. However, my sense was to continue, to merely allow myself to be in a constant state of joy and that the answer would come to me if I stayed in that state. This isn't normal behaviour for me, usually I like to tackle things head on but it felt right so I went along with it. After a few days, the answers did come. As they came, I could immediately feel the 'rightness' about them. They came with a sense of peace and certainty.
In hindsight, I truly believe that if I had tried to focus on the problems, I would have continued to be in an state of agitation and anxiety. In such a frame of mind I would not have been as open to finding these answers and the peace they have brought.
In particular, I was intent on making a go of really developing my website. The clarity that it isn't my primary purpose isn't a shock I suppose but it is a departure from my thinking up until this point. In hindsight it seems obvious but before it was an issue I was struggling with and it was causing me to become detached to the very thing I was trying to convince myself I needed to focus so much effort, money and energy into.
If I hadn't taken these few days to 'goof off' and live in a state of joy despite the agitations on my life, I no doubt would be investing time, energy and money into more web development - consequently wasting far greater amounts of my time.
Now someone may look at this and say, 'oh he's just justifying quitting' but really it's more of realigning with my primary purpose. I am a writer, first and foremost and getting my books and stories published must be my main focus. This website should not be dragging me away from that and it most certainly would have if I had continued down the path I had been on.
Being in a continuous state of joy, whether by reaching out to God or merely playing my Wii or talking to my friends and girlfriend has also given me a much quicker return to balance after being knocked for a loop by an unexpected issue, than I previously would have.
Ironically, that personal development is about as far removed from having a sense of urgency as you can get. Or is it? I've often heard that high powered people are able to remove themselves mentally from their immediate situation, find that place of peace and balance within, make a decision on how to act from that peace (and not from the chaos) and then act on that confidently and decisively. That is what I am doing here. It's just taken me a while, and the more I practice retreating into joy, the faster and more effective I will become.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Course Correction
LOL
Okay, I just have to laugh at myself. Here I am, promising daily updates and it takes me a week to post another one. I have had some personal issue occupying my time and thoughts but moreover, I had a feeling of disconnect with my website ambitions.
As a consquence, and taking a lead from my spiritual being, I focused on finding my joy, while letting the thoughts of where to take my website, and other ambitions percolate in the back of my mind. In time the answers, to the questions I didn't even know I had, came to me.
While I do have a very firm desire to really build up my website, make a decent living from it and use it to reach thousands, if not millions of people with a message of hope, it is not my primary purpose in life. I will do it, one day, in due time. But for now I need to focus on my writing career, on my budding relationship and on my current source of income.
Turning this blog into the full-blown website I envision would be a full career in itself and not a hobby. While I'm happy to leave my current career path as a civil servant, I would not ultimately want the development, marketing and maintainance of this site to occupy my time so much that it takes away from my writing and relationship. And if I am to do it justice, then that's exactly what would happen. Not forever but for a considerable period of time until I was earning enough to hire additional support staff.
Now that might be limited thinking on my part but the bottom line is this: My purpose is to write and reach people through my writing first and foremost and that is where I need to focus the bulk of my attention. I will continue to blog and develop this website in my spare time.
Coming to this conclusion has really put my mind at ease and has put the 'joy' back into working on this blog.
I look forward to having fun, implementing much of the functionality I have been planning and working on, without going crazy trying to make a 'professional' site. More of a personal journey we can share together.
Okay, I just have to laugh at myself. Here I am, promising daily updates and it takes me a week to post another one. I have had some personal issue occupying my time and thoughts but moreover, I had a feeling of disconnect with my website ambitions.
As a consquence, and taking a lead from my spiritual being, I focused on finding my joy, while letting the thoughts of where to take my website, and other ambitions percolate in the back of my mind. In time the answers, to the questions I didn't even know I had, came to me.
While I do have a very firm desire to really build up my website, make a decent living from it and use it to reach thousands, if not millions of people with a message of hope, it is not my primary purpose in life. I will do it, one day, in due time. But for now I need to focus on my writing career, on my budding relationship and on my current source of income.
Turning this blog into the full-blown website I envision would be a full career in itself and not a hobby. While I'm happy to leave my current career path as a civil servant, I would not ultimately want the development, marketing and maintainance of this site to occupy my time so much that it takes away from my writing and relationship. And if I am to do it justice, then that's exactly what would happen. Not forever but for a considerable period of time until I was earning enough to hire additional support staff.
Now that might be limited thinking on my part but the bottom line is this: My purpose is to write and reach people through my writing first and foremost and that is where I need to focus the bulk of my attention. I will continue to blog and develop this website in my spare time.
Coming to this conclusion has really put my mind at ease and has put the 'joy' back into working on this blog.
I look forward to having fun, implementing much of the functionality I have been planning and working on, without going crazy trying to make a 'professional' site. More of a personal journey we can share together.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The 100 Day Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge, Take Two, Day 2
For us 'Alumni' members they restarted the challenge a little later than the rest of the world so I'm only on Day 2 as of this writing.
I'm going to attempt to blog daily on my progress.
Let me mention that as well as doing the 100 Day Challenge, I am also reading Awaken the Giant Within and may reference that from time to time. Also I get daily videos from Six Minutes to Success and various e-mail from different inspirational sources.
Day one the 100 Day Challenge prompts you to 'Get Serious' and prompts you to seriously address your goals and make sure you are actually 100% serious about accomplishing them. In retrospect, I reduced one of my goals - paying off my credit card to paying down my credit card by a set amount as I felt I couldn't forsee how I would pay it off. If you don't believe it, it's not going to happen. In fact, you will only make a token attempt at it. With my reduced goal I do believe it's possible, if very challenging, so I am more likely to really do everything I can to accomplish it.
Day two and the message is to 'Be Bold'. Oddly, this is the same message as Six Minutes today. In Six Minutes Bob Proctor notes that in a book looking at 18 young millionaires, they acknowledge that each one of them makes decisions regularly take could have a major impact on their finances. That is to say, they are risking it all regularly, or at least risking large parts of it. How often do we do that? I don't think I've ever done anything that could potentially risk my financial future, not even for a great reward. I doubt many very much the vast majority of you have either.
We all guard over our precious little funds. Afraid to lose what little we have. But those who succeed in making large fortunes regularly risk what they have in the interests of gaining more. Does it always pay off? No. Look at Donald Trump's rise, fall and rise again. However they take calculated risks. They are not fools. They are not gambling thier fortunes at Los Vegas casinos (not to say they don't ever gamble, but just for fun not profit), they are making shrewd business decisions. But it's still a risk.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not recommending you start betting your future on some idea you've had. Remember, everyone makes mistakes. People like Donald Trump has made many, and learned from them, and now makes very shrewd decisions because of them. Also, most of these people have mentors, or role models they learned from and emulate. Just betting the farm on some idea, no matter how great, is foolish, when you've no experience in making such decisions. Take the time to study, and find a role model. Someone who has already gone down the path you're looking at and learn from them. Then start making smart calculated risks. You will win some and lose some. Fine. Learn from the loses, capitalize on the wins. As you progress, you'll get better and better and richer and richer.
Point is though, you've got to be willing to accept risk at all. Until you are, you are not going anywhere.
As for myself, that's an issue I too need to address. However at this moment, the only place where I might be risking money is in website development and that's an area where I need to sit down still and really, really nail down my business plan before I shell out anymore.
I've set my goals as follows:
1) To finish revising my book Dillon's Dilemma and get an agent.
2) To create a sound business plan for my website, get developing underway and start marketing
3) To hit the gym 4 days a week and increase my weight (muscle only) to 180lbs, eat healthy and regularly
4) To continue to develop my relationship with the wonderful woman I attracted during the last 100 Days
5) To pay off my cc debt by a third
Biggest challenge right now is self motivation and discipline.
I'm going to attempt to blog daily on my progress.
Let me mention that as well as doing the 100 Day Challenge, I am also reading Awaken the Giant Within and may reference that from time to time. Also I get daily videos from Six Minutes to Success and various e-mail from different inspirational sources.
Day one the 100 Day Challenge prompts you to 'Get Serious' and prompts you to seriously address your goals and make sure you are actually 100% serious about accomplishing them. In retrospect, I reduced one of my goals - paying off my credit card to paying down my credit card by a set amount as I felt I couldn't forsee how I would pay it off. If you don't believe it, it's not going to happen. In fact, you will only make a token attempt at it. With my reduced goal I do believe it's possible, if very challenging, so I am more likely to really do everything I can to accomplish it.
Day two and the message is to 'Be Bold'. Oddly, this is the same message as Six Minutes today. In Six Minutes Bob Proctor notes that in a book looking at 18 young millionaires, they acknowledge that each one of them makes decisions regularly take could have a major impact on their finances. That is to say, they are risking it all regularly, or at least risking large parts of it. How often do we do that? I don't think I've ever done anything that could potentially risk my financial future, not even for a great reward. I doubt many very much the vast majority of you have either.
We all guard over our precious little funds. Afraid to lose what little we have. But those who succeed in making large fortunes regularly risk what they have in the interests of gaining more. Does it always pay off? No. Look at Donald Trump's rise, fall and rise again. However they take calculated risks. They are not fools. They are not gambling thier fortunes at Los Vegas casinos (not to say they don't ever gamble, but just for fun not profit), they are making shrewd business decisions. But it's still a risk.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not recommending you start betting your future on some idea you've had. Remember, everyone makes mistakes. People like Donald Trump has made many, and learned from them, and now makes very shrewd decisions because of them. Also, most of these people have mentors, or role models they learned from and emulate. Just betting the farm on some idea, no matter how great, is foolish, when you've no experience in making such decisions. Take the time to study, and find a role model. Someone who has already gone down the path you're looking at and learn from them. Then start making smart calculated risks. You will win some and lose some. Fine. Learn from the loses, capitalize on the wins. As you progress, you'll get better and better and richer and richer.
Point is though, you've got to be willing to accept risk at all. Until you are, you are not going anywhere.
As for myself, that's an issue I too need to address. However at this moment, the only place where I might be risking money is in website development and that's an area where I need to sit down still and really, really nail down my business plan before I shell out anymore.
I've set my goals as follows:
1) To finish revising my book Dillon's Dilemma and get an agent.
2) To create a sound business plan for my website, get developing underway and start marketing
3) To hit the gym 4 days a week and increase my weight (muscle only) to 180lbs, eat healthy and regularly
4) To continue to develop my relationship with the wonderful woman I attracted during the last 100 Days
5) To pay off my cc debt by a third
Biggest challenge right now is self motivation and discipline.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
100 Day Start Fast, Finish Strong Challenge Review
So I completed 'The Goal Guys' 100 Day Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge.
I have blogged on my progress throughout the 100 day period and you can go back and see how I progressed throughout. In this blog I'll do a quick summary of my experience.
At first blush ending the year with a 100 Day Challenge seemed like a wonderful idea. However, in practice this is not an ideal time to do the challenge. The main reason being Christmas. The holiday season totally derailed both myself and my challenge buddy and I'm sure a lot of other people as well. So much for Finishing Strong.
My other major thought about the entire experience is that they encourage you to set lofty goals. Five of them in fact. Any one of my lofty goals would have consumed all of my available spare time if given thier full due. Having five to juggle was an act of insanity. I did benefit greatly at the start from two things: 1) I had taken a month of work and used it to kickstart my goals. 2) I delegated.
Add the insanity of Christmas with gift buying, visiting relatives, planning, preparing and hosting Christmas dinners and something simply has to give.
In the end I do consider 2 of the 5 successfully accomplished. Which is in fact a marvelous accomplishment! All 5 were significantly propelled forward and the timelines for the other 3 were never really realistic in the first place, however I didn't realize just how unrealistic my website goals were until I was well invested in it.
To add further insult to injury, the 100 Day Challenge gives you daily goals to work on. Truth be told I never did a single one of them. I was already overwhelmed with the five goals I had set, on top of my daily responsibilities. I know Cathy did aspire to work on them but in the end, I know she wasn't very successful on that front either for the same reasons.
In retrospect I would have been better served with setting only two, maybe three major goals to work on during the challenge. That would have allowed a lot more focus on those specific goals. Having only two goals would also have allowed me to actually focus on the given daily goals. Either that or 5 fairly manageable goals.
In the end, was it worth doing?
Absolutely!!
Anything that gets you to take constant, direct and ongoing action towards your goals is worth doing.
Since it's the beginning of a new decade I was looking back and reflecting on what I have accomplished over the last decade. Much of what went on that list was done within the last 100 days. If I had been as focused as I was during the challenge for the rest of the decade, I would be in a very different place than I am at today.
Which is why I am doing it again!!
Yes, that's right, as of January 11th I am restarting the 100 Day Challenge. I will repeat it two more times after that. There are 365 days in a year and for 300 of them, I will be focused on my goals and on bettering myself. The other 65 I'm going to screw off. lol. Well, I'm sure I'll still be moving things forward, but I'll be doing it at a different pace. Likely take a vacation in those pauses too.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
My goal in doing this is to create a lasting pattern of change. Through continued focus and repetition I expect to be able to make some permenant changes to my habitual way of being. Resulting in explosive growth in my life.
Ultimately, it's not what you know. It's what you do. As Marvel Entertainment was so fond of bashing into our heads as kids during G.I.Joe and Transformer cartoons; "Knowing is half the battle!" Yes, but only half! A lot of people know what they should be doing, but they are held back by their habitual way of being. Living in their comfort zones.
2010 is my breakout year. I will achieve substancial results this year through direct and continous action.
The 100 Day Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge will be one of the key components to making truly life changing differences in my life.
I encourage you all to take this journey with me. Sign up for the challenge yourself or just continue to follow my progress in this blog and it's sister website - http://www.thecuphalffull.com/
If you are considering taking the 100 Day Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge here are my recommendations.
Remember that you only have 100 days to achieve your goals and that the rest of your life is not going to suddenly disappear while you work on them. You can change your priorities but you likely cannot divest yourself of your other responsibilities.
Therefore either focus on only a couple of huge goals, and the daily goals or make your goals aggressive but not monstrous. Ask yourself, "How will I find time daily to work on each of these goals?" Be realistic about the time commitment of each.
For myself I had a fitness goal of putting on 10-15 lbs of muscle. That required going to the gym for an hour five or six days a week. That's already an hour out of each day and I still had four other goals to see about!!
Commiting myself to get into a relationship proved a monsterous time consumer as I spent endless hours on websites, on the phone with women and on dates, not to mention the financial reality of dating a lot of different women over a short period of time. I probably spent three hours a day on average on this single goal.
My website goals proved far more ambitious than I had even thought. Even delegating much of the work out, I still spent about two or three a day average, (often more) working on not only blogging, but researching, designing, marketing and building a website. Just getting a logo alone was a massive time drain with a constant back and forth trying to get the concept I had in my head captured in an image.
Which those three goals I already had a time investment of six to seven hours a day! Plus my job, my kids, my regular boring life (laundry, repairs, showering, friends, etc.) there was no time left for anything else!
Most of the work that was done on my book was done by someone other than myself and thank God for that!! However I was trying to squeeze in time for that too.
My last goal, a financial one ended up being totally reliant on my website development and my book getting published as there simply wasn't any time left to look into or work on other possibilities.
So do yourself a favour, if you're going to take on five goals, make sure you can move each of them forward meaningfully with as little as a half hour a day commitment. That may work for some (health) but not others (relationships). Do the math. In 100 days at 30 minutes a day, you will spend 300 hours working on each goal. What is a realistic goal to finish in that time?
It's okay to want to make a million dollars but unless you have some incredible gem of an idea, it won't happen in 100 days. But you can set a goal that will help set you up to be earning a lot more than you do now. Like finding a new job or taking a college course (which I was also doing!) or getting a business going.
Find a challenge buddy. It was very beneficial to have someone to report too and to hold me accountable.
Be prepared for the mid-way slump. Both Cathy and I got discouraged at the half way mark. Mainly because you're forced to realize that you are half way to the end of your time frame but do not have your goals fifty percent completed. This will most likely be your reality too. Things always take longer than expected and unexpected problems are sure to arise. Don't sweat it. The ultimate point is that you are making your life measurably better. Also, change can be slow but at times it can be incredibly swift. You could come in touch with the right person, situation or opportunity to suddenly propel you forward. You never know when those will come so just stay committed to your goal.
In the end, even if you miss your completion date it doesn't mean you failed, you just need to keep on keeping on. In the end 100 days of action and focus can ultimately only do one thing: make your life better.
I look forward to seeing you in the circle of excellence.
I have blogged on my progress throughout the 100 day period and you can go back and see how I progressed throughout. In this blog I'll do a quick summary of my experience.
At first blush ending the year with a 100 Day Challenge seemed like a wonderful idea. However, in practice this is not an ideal time to do the challenge. The main reason being Christmas. The holiday season totally derailed both myself and my challenge buddy and I'm sure a lot of other people as well. So much for Finishing Strong.
My other major thought about the entire experience is that they encourage you to set lofty goals. Five of them in fact. Any one of my lofty goals would have consumed all of my available spare time if given thier full due. Having five to juggle was an act of insanity. I did benefit greatly at the start from two things: 1) I had taken a month of work and used it to kickstart my goals. 2) I delegated.
Add the insanity of Christmas with gift buying, visiting relatives, planning, preparing and hosting Christmas dinners and something simply has to give.
In the end I do consider 2 of the 5 successfully accomplished. Which is in fact a marvelous accomplishment! All 5 were significantly propelled forward and the timelines for the other 3 were never really realistic in the first place, however I didn't realize just how unrealistic my website goals were until I was well invested in it.
To add further insult to injury, the 100 Day Challenge gives you daily goals to work on. Truth be told I never did a single one of them. I was already overwhelmed with the five goals I had set, on top of my daily responsibilities. I know Cathy did aspire to work on them but in the end, I know she wasn't very successful on that front either for the same reasons.
In retrospect I would have been better served with setting only two, maybe three major goals to work on during the challenge. That would have allowed a lot more focus on those specific goals. Having only two goals would also have allowed me to actually focus on the given daily goals. Either that or 5 fairly manageable goals.
In the end, was it worth doing?
Absolutely!!
Anything that gets you to take constant, direct and ongoing action towards your goals is worth doing.
Since it's the beginning of a new decade I was looking back and reflecting on what I have accomplished over the last decade. Much of what went on that list was done within the last 100 days. If I had been as focused as I was during the challenge for the rest of the decade, I would be in a very different place than I am at today.
Which is why I am doing it again!!
Yes, that's right, as of January 11th I am restarting the 100 Day Challenge. I will repeat it two more times after that. There are 365 days in a year and for 300 of them, I will be focused on my goals and on bettering myself. The other 65 I'm going to screw off. lol. Well, I'm sure I'll still be moving things forward, but I'll be doing it at a different pace. Likely take a vacation in those pauses too.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
My goal in doing this is to create a lasting pattern of change. Through continued focus and repetition I expect to be able to make some permenant changes to my habitual way of being. Resulting in explosive growth in my life.
Ultimately, it's not what you know. It's what you do. As Marvel Entertainment was so fond of bashing into our heads as kids during G.I.Joe and Transformer cartoons; "Knowing is half the battle!" Yes, but only half! A lot of people know what they should be doing, but they are held back by their habitual way of being. Living in their comfort zones.
2010 is my breakout year. I will achieve substancial results this year through direct and continous action.
The 100 Day Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge will be one of the key components to making truly life changing differences in my life.
I encourage you all to take this journey with me. Sign up for the challenge yourself or just continue to follow my progress in this blog and it's sister website - http://www.thecuphalffull.com/
If you are considering taking the 100 Day Start Fast / Finish Strong Challenge here are my recommendations.
Remember that you only have 100 days to achieve your goals and that the rest of your life is not going to suddenly disappear while you work on them. You can change your priorities but you likely cannot divest yourself of your other responsibilities.
Therefore either focus on only a couple of huge goals, and the daily goals or make your goals aggressive but not monstrous. Ask yourself, "How will I find time daily to work on each of these goals?" Be realistic about the time commitment of each.
For myself I had a fitness goal of putting on 10-15 lbs of muscle. That required going to the gym for an hour five or six days a week. That's already an hour out of each day and I still had four other goals to see about!!
Commiting myself to get into a relationship proved a monsterous time consumer as I spent endless hours on websites, on the phone with women and on dates, not to mention the financial reality of dating a lot of different women over a short period of time. I probably spent three hours a day on average on this single goal.
My website goals proved far more ambitious than I had even thought. Even delegating much of the work out, I still spent about two or three a day average, (often more) working on not only blogging, but researching, designing, marketing and building a website. Just getting a logo alone was a massive time drain with a constant back and forth trying to get the concept I had in my head captured in an image.
Which those three goals I already had a time investment of six to seven hours a day! Plus my job, my kids, my regular boring life (laundry, repairs, showering, friends, etc.) there was no time left for anything else!
Most of the work that was done on my book was done by someone other than myself and thank God for that!! However I was trying to squeeze in time for that too.
My last goal, a financial one ended up being totally reliant on my website development and my book getting published as there simply wasn't any time left to look into or work on other possibilities.
So do yourself a favour, if you're going to take on five goals, make sure you can move each of them forward meaningfully with as little as a half hour a day commitment. That may work for some (health) but not others (relationships). Do the math. In 100 days at 30 minutes a day, you will spend 300 hours working on each goal. What is a realistic goal to finish in that time?
It's okay to want to make a million dollars but unless you have some incredible gem of an idea, it won't happen in 100 days. But you can set a goal that will help set you up to be earning a lot more than you do now. Like finding a new job or taking a college course (which I was also doing!) or getting a business going.
Find a challenge buddy. It was very beneficial to have someone to report too and to hold me accountable.
Be prepared for the mid-way slump. Both Cathy and I got discouraged at the half way mark. Mainly because you're forced to realize that you are half way to the end of your time frame but do not have your goals fifty percent completed. This will most likely be your reality too. Things always take longer than expected and unexpected problems are sure to arise. Don't sweat it. The ultimate point is that you are making your life measurably better. Also, change can be slow but at times it can be incredibly swift. You could come in touch with the right person, situation or opportunity to suddenly propel you forward. You never know when those will come so just stay committed to your goal.
In the end, even if you miss your completion date it doesn't mean you failed, you just need to keep on keeping on. In the end 100 days of action and focus can ultimately only do one thing: make your life better.
I look forward to seeing you in the circle of excellence.
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