I know this has been the site’s longest hiatus (a week, egad!) since 2011 rolled in, but I promise we haven’t abandoned you. Moving, apparently, once you’ve acquired a U-Haul worth of stuff, takes time. Several times this past week I found myself reminiscing about my youth, when I could fit everything I owned in a 1980 Toyota truck, including my motorcycle. Changing scenery, jobs, habits, boyfriends, whatever, was easier then. But regardless the size of the moving truck we can’t let it intimidate us into staying parked.
We know when it’s time to make a change, yet often ignore that wisdom, denying that something once so superb could be anything less. We may resist admitting that Café Sintra is no longer our favorite after telling the staff three visits in a row that our crepes were cold. We may buy flower pots and place them on the deck to detract from the tarp covering the building defects below. Deception is often easier to swallow, initially, than truth–even if it is coated in Polyethylene.
But at some point we either have to decide to park ourselves in the driveway of disappointment or do something different. Sadly, many opt for the cracked asphalt of disappointment. So what’s it take to get your giddy-up? A driving force, of course.
Think of it this way … the U-Haul will sit in your driveway all day, every day, no matter the cost. But when driven by [click to continue…]
Did you make any resolutions this year? Or have previous disappointments discouraged you from mentioning the R word?
After years of feeling as though I was missing something by boycotting the tradition, I learned to play a little game with myself. I learned to name the things I wanted to accomplish ”goals” instead of resolutions. They take on greater importance for me that way and a goal isn’t something you have to wait ’til the first of the year to take action on. Of course, the beginning of a new year isn’t a bad time to start either. The people behind the 100 Day Challenge know and cater to this tendency.
The 100 Day Challenge could very well be the motivation you need to kick start a new year and a new you. I took the challenge last January and learned things about myself I wouldn’t have otherwise. I’m doing it again and I want you to join me. Though the Goals Guy isn’t officially launching this session until the 3rd, you can start right away. I did. Here’s a short motivational clip, whether you decide to DO the program or not.
Remember that kid in elementary school, the one who tried to get your attention despite your overt measures to ignore him? Maybe he tailed you though the halls, stared at you in class, or followed you during recess. Perhaps he gave you his chocolate milk at lunch and sat facing you, two tables away. He was the guy who gave you valentines, year round. Your admirer may not have shown up in your elementary school (sadly, because the older they get the creepier), but at some point someone’s desperation turned you off—it may have even been your own.
Desperation is neither attractive in life or literature. I recently re-edited an essay I previously considered finished. In reading it again, a year after I shelved it, I saw its faults. Sentences I remember spending hours constructing—building momentum with cadence and choosing the perfect words—were insignificant and in some cases confusing. My stranglehold on eloquence constricted the movement of the piece. As a result I created an environment that would have made the most tolerant reader to run. In that “final” draft I had become that guy. [click to continue…]
Great News! Those who’ve expressed interest in committing the next 100 days to improving their life can save $50 dollars on Gary Ryan Blair’s 100 Day Challenge (see previous posts here and here).
The bad news is I don’t know how long this offer will be available, or when they’ll close registration for this year’s last launch. Imagine toasting the end of 2010 with a glass filled with recent successes and the confidence to tackle bigger goals in 2011.
Can’t wait to get started? Request your coupon code by sending me a quick e-mail via the “contact” tab on the nav bar above and mention 100 day or challenge in the subject line. I’ll send you everything you need in order to participate in the 100 Day Challenge for the discounted price of $147.
Remember that goal you set at the beginning of the year? I’d name it but you listed so many. I’m wondering how that’s going. Have you accomplished what you set out to? Have you moved closer to your ideal life or are you stuck, repeating the same scenarios? Setting several goals isn’t a bad thing. [...]
