The Next 100 Days!

Today begins the 100-day countdown to the end of the year. When I found this out yesterday, I began taking this “doomsday” tone:

“Only 100 days left in the year!”
“What will you accomplish in the last 100 days of 2009?”
I might as well have been saying, “How will you live these last 100 days of your life?”

Thankfully, most projects are not nearly as dire as life-and-death (Or are they? Hmm….), but it does put that critical physical element into fierce perspective: Time.

Historically, I have done fairly well in higher-pressure business scenarios, mostly because I can focus on what’s important without losing my composure. But it does wear a person down, and it’s not an environment I can work in over long periods. So like many people, I steer clear of these kinds of situations by preparing appropriately, by project planning, and by taking proper rest.

Then I heard we had 100 days to go in the year. And I started telling myself there were only 100 days left – for everything.

And that was a total lie.

The truth became real when I printed out a calendar in which I had re-cast the next 100 days in a matrix. (Calendar inspired by @WritingSpirit.) There were no more weeks or months. Just a 10x10 rectangle of 100 littler boxes. The days, weeks, and years became irrelevant squares. I was magically freed of the impending doom of year-end, and a very special thought came to mind:

It’s not the last hundred days.
It’s the next hundred days.

And while there’ll be another hundred days after that (and another hundred and another hundred), if I want something to happen badly enough, I can make each day count in some way toward making it actually happen.

I suddenly saw 100 magic steps, 100 exact tasks, a giant piece of work divided into 100 little nuggets of time, each of which would bring me closer to a completed goal. I haven’t been inspired like this for a long time.

My 100-day goal is to write and publish a book. (And now that I’ve said it to the entire Internet, I’ve got popular pressure/support to do it!)

And that’s what a 100-day challenge is about. I’ve never done this before, but I’m excited about what will unfold by the year’s end. Whatever it is, on this schedule, the unfolding can't be stopped and the results will be apparent. (For me, that’s an especially tough opportunity to turn away from. Can I really say, "No, thanks. I'm don't want to see what could happen"???) Such a short amount of time for so much difference to occur in a person’s life!

The Invitation:
Do the challenge with me! You can download my own 100-Day Calendar template and play along at home, or add a comment here expressing your goal and how you want to be supported by others in the challenge. You can also check out inspiring video on Gary Ryan Blair, the Goals Guy’s website http://startfastfinishstrong.com/.

Big thanks to Julie Isaac (@WritingSpirit) and to Gary Ryan Blair (http://startfastfinishstrong.com/) for the inspiration.

Cha-LAWNGE, Baby!