“Everybody has goals, aspirations or whatever, and everybody has been at a point in their life where nobody believed in them.” ~Eminem
Time flies when you’re having fun. Can you believe there are exactly 100 days left in 2014? I know. It seems like we just closed the door on 2013! So let’s talk about our goals, shall we?
Goals are just dreams with deadlines, if you ask me. And what better way to get what you want than to set one for your most passionately desired goal?
My initial 100-days thought, of course, was some to launch some kind of 100-Day challenge here on the site. But then I realized that I don’t have time to organize that before the end of the day…sooo, I figured I’d go a little smaller.
I thought I’d like to find and focus on a particular item that I need to change or better myself about. But I think in my case, I’m going to focus on being happy, being present in the RIGHT NOW for the next 100 days. That shouldn’t be too hard, but then again, I like to be an optimist.
See, over the past few years, my life has changed significantly. In addition to losing a bunch of weight and clearing my life of some really negative elements, I went from being a freelancer to a business owner. My husband and I bought our new home. And I figured out that what I think and feel about my own life is far more important than what anyone else thinks or feels about it.
As we begin the journey toward 2015, I’m ready to create new positive changes in my life. I have a few personal goals that I’d like to achieve before the New Year begins, including some health-related ones and some career-related ones.
That’s why I am starting my own 100-day challenge. Research tells me that a 100-day challenge can be really ideal for changing habits, creating new ones and it’s pretty obvious that committing to and sticking to anything for 100 days can create some pretty serious change in your life.
Being the nerdy-research-geeky type that I am, I did what I do and found a couple of pretty cool entire websites dedicated to this 100-day-practice thing. Here are three that I found interesting.
100HappyDays.com
There’s 100HappyDays.com, which is free and asks its members to sign up, post 100 pics over the course of 100 days via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram of what makes them happy. They’re asked to use the hashtag #100HappyDays and/or to come up with their own hashtag (for privacy’s sake). Or, if they want to keep it really private, they can email the pics.
According to the site’s creators, people who have successfully completed these 100 day challenges have claimed many benefits, such as being in a better mood on a regular basis, recieving more compliments from other people andd realizing how lucky their lives make them feel. Others have reportedly fallen in love during the challenge.
Another benefit of these photos, the site reminds us, is that we’ll have a nice collection of photos to remind you of what makes you happy (and you know, to commemorate your journey). And, if you offer a small investment toward the movement, you can receive a 100-page book from 100happydays.com when you finish a challenge successfully.
I haven’t done any research on the site’s creators and their legitimacy, but I love the concept.
GiveIt100.com
The concept for GiveIt100.com hit co-founder Karen like a bolt of lightning after a time-video of her learning to dance in 100 days struck YouTube gold.
The video, which can be seen here, is pretty inspiring. So much can be accomplished in 100 days – it’s a great visual.
“It’s about having a dream and not knowing how to get there – but starting anyway,” Karen writes on the site’s About page. “When you watch someone perform or score the winning point – you’re only seeing a brief moment of glory. What you don’t see is thousands of hours of preparation. You don’t see the self doubt, lost sleep, the lonely nights working. You don’t see the moment they started. The moment they were just like you, wondering how they could ever be good.”
She says that GiveIt100 offers participants an opportunity to see that moment.
“We made Giveit100 for you to capture the moment you start out, and every moment after that,” she writes. “One day you may look back and cringe. But that will be the same moment you realize: Woah. I’ve come a long way.”
You know what I say? I love it and I love everything about it! I know, you’re surprised.
One more thing: GiveIt100.com’s FAQ page is super helpful for anyone who is interested in this concept. It even offers tips on what you should do for 100 days, whether or not you need to do it daily (and what happens if you don’t) and much more. Definitely worth a look.
100DayChallenge.com
And then there’s Gary Ryan Blair, the owner of 100DayChallenge.com, who says that you can get “10 years worth of results in just 100 days.” For $147, Blair will walk you through an intensive 100-Day-Challenge, and he even offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
“The success of other 100 Day Challenge participants is proof that this program will get you extreme results in just 100 days. Plus, we’re so sure you’ll love this program, we’re giving you our 30-day money-back guarantee,” his website says.
And from Blair himself: “I will help you clarify your goals, build a massive action plan, enforce accountability and implement discipline in all the right places. And you’ll love every minute of it.”
For your money, Blair says you’ll learn how to “rapidly and significantly” increase your performance, change your life on a grand and revolutionary scale and to “live an epic life and rip the lid off of any past performance.”
Interesting. But would I pay $147 for it? Honestly, I’m not going to, because I’m a cheapskate and I’m not sure it would benefit me personally more than a free option. That’s just how I roll – but I’m sharing it in case anyone who needs this kind of support is interested.
“I created the 100 Day Challenge to share with you the same methods I have used to shatter sales goals, quickly grow a number of multimillion dollar businesses, and coach people to extraordinary performances,” Blair writes. “My style is to mix a blend of encouragement, strict discipline, hyper accountability, and a strong sense of urgency to keep you performing at the very top of your abilities.”
Bottom Line
I know that habits are typically formed in anywhere from two weeks to 90 days, depending who you ask. I think a 100-day challenge is a totally feasible option for anyone looking to begin to create and promote positive change in her life.
What do you think? Would you be interested in participating in one of these?
