Motivation Through Challenges

I am not going to lie. My current challenge to write 500 words per day is hard. I have ran into many mental blocks that make getting the words for the day written nothing short from a true challenge. I am sitting in my office nook at day nine after just making it through the mental barriers that were telling me I could write later this evening, I did not have to write, this challenge is stupid and the list goes on.

I find it easier to stay motivated through these times when I can answer one simple question with good logic. Why do I even do these challenges in the first place? It is certainly not to prove something to anyone but myself.

I take on a new 30 day challenge each month. In the case of February my challenge was 28 days, but I have continued meditating each day for at least a few minutes, because of the positive result I got. I guess that is just it. I really never know if something will have a positive impact on my life until I give it a try. Testing something in your life for more than a day will give you an actual result, which is why I have opted to really commit to doing these challenges for a prolonged period of time.

Doing something once is relatively easy when compared to doing it everyday for a whole month. And, a single day does not really produce a visible result. So how do I stay motivated to continue?

With each challenge I know that I am investing in myself. I am proving to myself that I have the courage and perseverance to work through challenging tasks. I am investing my knowledge, wisdom and ability to push through challenging times.

Also, I have a commitment to reach my full potential. By doing the same thing day in and day out I am not going to come even close to that potential. I may find a glimmering light through trying a new thing here and there, but nothing like what I have experienced through these challenges.

The ROI on these challenges is huge and I would not stick with them not knowing that. I have learned more about myself as a result of sticking to a commitment that I set at the beginning of each month than I did in some college classes that lasted three months.

If you are looking for change in your life then start with something small, commit to doing it for an entire month and write about it. Write about why you are doing the challenge at the beginning so when things get hard you can look back and remind yourself of what you are striving toward. Write about how you honestly feel at the beginning and throughout the experience. Is the challenge serving you or are you serving it?

I chose to write 500 words per day out of a desire to get better at writing and speaking. Ten days and 5000 words into this challenge I can honestly say the results are coming to light. I can crank out these articles in 15-20 minutes, add some pretty good flow to them and speak about them in the future.

For some ideas and a framework for your thirty day challenge check out my article called Creating New Opportunities for Your Life.