The climb over the wall can get crowded, and busy! Already 4 weeks into the the second challenge - the weeks have flown by.
Several of the habits and rituals I chose to form, reading, food log, push-up challenge (finally into week 3!), and family time, have survived the journey. Others, from journaling to listening to educational/motivational tapes have barely left the gate.
I'm blogging consistently, and have added the Stumpy & Bumpy Laugh Off The Pounds blog to the mix, which compartmentalizes my weight loss challenge. I'm down to 239, and I'm not looking back. I'm about to add another blog to the mix, focusing on speaking and speakers. If you're looking to write a book, create articles, or simply get noticed - blogging is a great way to create and hone content.
I've been focusing on building income on the internet, and partnered with several folks to sell Go Ahead and Laugh to their fans. Affiliate marketing has potential to be a great choice for me. There are several other opportunities I'm looking at, and if you have a product you'd like me to help you promote, let me know.
Twitter continues to be a growing fan base, as I close in on 19,000 followers. I'd originally set 25,000 as an August goal, but there's only so many I can follow per day, So I've ramped it down, expectation-wise. If I have 21,000 by end of September, I'll be doing well. My Facebook experience has been similarly favorable. You can Facebook me at http://facebook.com/richhopkins.
The kids are back in school, reducing my distractions. I'm back in Toastmasters, which has really given me back some joy.
As I look back at my original list, there are many things I have not done. Going forward, there are new things I see myself doing. Ritual works. The white board method, so far, does not. Working with my wife works better every day. Working when the kids get home from school does not. Saying that I'm going to do something, like write a book, or start a blog, doesn't work. Doing them, and then talking about it, works (yes, I know I talked about starting a blog earlier in this post...). I know that I am happier now than I was 4 weeks into the original challenge. The foundational changes I have made in my daily life are key.
My judgment, this morning at least, is that The Challenge, at this stage, is succeeding. I can improve its results, and I am feeling more empowered to do so than I have in weeks.
How is your Challenge going? Have you joined our community at NING? If you are there, have you posted? The community will be worth what we make it worth. I'm looking at some new activities for the community to liven it up - but the best way to do that is for its members to be alive!
Your Challenge (and mine) is meant to create growth. It is not meant to be an easy checklist. Instead, it is a gauntlet of activities designed to test our skills, and create growth, occasionally through pain. Don't judge your Challenge by whether or not it is completely met, but by the growth you have experienced learning to master it.
Make the choice to keep moving forward, to keep climbing the wall. To observe and take credit for the steps you've taken, even if its only been one. Its still one more than you had taken before.
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