Monday Motivation: The 2011 “Do Something Great in November” Challenge!

Are you ready to finish this year by achieving something absolutely positively freakin’ AMAZING??

If so (and if not, why the heck not??), then you are in the right place – because it’s time once again for the “Do Something Great in November” Challenge!

Last year, I ran the “Do Something Great in November” challenge. It was a simple challenge, and there was no cost to participate. Basically, I challenged my readers to set a big goal for themselves in November and throw their all into achieving it.

This was inspired by my participation in National Novel Writing Month, (NaNoWriMo) which is a contest where writers from all over the world try to write a novel (50,000 words) just in November.

Since I was taking part in that in November, I asked my readers to join in with their own goals. We had some cool participation:

• Jack committed to going back to school to improve his IT skills
• Chris wanted to improve his leadership abilities both for work and in his community
• Several readers posted that they would finish their own non-fiction books they had been working on
• One reader wanted to focus on spending more time with his/her kids and have more fun
• And more!

At the end of the month, I know more than a few let me know that they nailed their goals that month (I reached my goal of 50,000 words for my novel). It was a fun, crazy way to spend the month, but it was incredibly rewarding. In fact, it was so rewarding that…

 I’m Doing it Again – and I Want You to Join Me!

Yes, I am participating in NaNoWriMo again. But this November I’m going bigger, and I  have some new goals as well, all for November.

This November, I will:

• Write a complete draft of a novel, which will most likely be around 100,000 words
• Write 30,000 new words of non-fiction (for my blogs, as well as for guest articles and new books)
• Finish the final draft of my upcoming “Say, ‘Yes And!’” book
• Finish first drafts of two additional books that will be based on Smart Ass blog posts
• Finish the outline for my upcoming “Ding Happens!” book
• Run the Smart Ass Success Telelesminar Series every Tuesday of the month.
• Take Wednesday, November 23^rd through Sunday, November 27^th completely off for Thanksgiving – and just site back, smile, and relax!

Sound like a lot? I think so, but that’s the exciting part! I am definitely the type of person who loves to take on a big challenge for short period of time. It excites me, energizes me, and maximizes my motivation.

Sure, you could set a small goal for the month – and frankly, a small goal is better than no goal – but why not join in the frenzy and take on something BIG? Even if you don’t quite reach the goal, you will probably make a lot more progress than you would otherwise!

Question: What big goal would you set for yourself if you just allowed yourself to think really BIG?

What Major Goal Do You Want to Take On?

I’m not saying you have to write a novel or participate in NaNoWriMo – or write anything. But I invite you to come up with your own goal or activity and attack it with a vengeance for the month of November!

If writing a novel is not your thing, here are a few things you could do:

• Take on a big fitness goal
• Learn a foreign language
• Start (or grow) a business
• Pick up a new skill, like dancing or karate
• Tackle a home improvement/maintenance/de-cluttering project

The specific goal you pick is up to you (tips on how to pick a “good” project are below).

The important thing is that you do something!

Question: What would you love to do that you have put off, neglected, or ignored for far too long?

Here’s the Deal

I am doing something great for myself in November, and I want you to do something great for yourself too! As such, I want to support you on your journey…

Here’s how I would like to help you:

• I will be posting regular updates in this blog about my progress, challenges, and surprises. Hopefully that will encourage you and make you feel like you are not alone
• I invite you to post your own progress, challenges, and surprises in the comment section of my updates. That way we can all help each other.
• Accountability helps! By publishing this blog post, I am making myself accountable. You can do the same thing by posting your November goal in the comment section below. At the very least, I will hold you accountable by emailing you periodically and checking in.

There’s no cost or sign up. Just post in the comments below letting me and the world know what you will be doing. Then check back in (or better yet, subscribe by RSS or Email) and update us on your progress.

Question: Are you willing to step up, declare your November intention, and be accountable?

“Sounds Good Avish, But November Is Not A Good Month For Me…”

Bah! It’s never going to be a good month! There will always be too much going on, you will always have too much to do, and “three months from now” will always seem like the perfect time to start.

Consider this your motivational kick in the ass! At least if you do it now, you won’t be alone – you can follow along with my progress and share your own.

To be honest, November is not the best month for me either. I am very tempted to push it off (January is looking mighty good for this…). But NaNoWriMo is November, so that’s when I’m going to do it. Besides, there’s no time like the present!

As a self employed person, it would be easy for me to spend all of my time writing a novel and let my business slide for a month. That would be stupid. Colossally stupid. So, for the month of November, I plan on maintaining all of my regular “life obligations.” These include:

• Regular posts to this blog
• Working on and writing posts for another site I am doing with a partner
• Developing and delivering speaking engagements I have in November
• Completing a side freelance assignment I have taken on
• Exercising regularly
• Having a social life
• Going away and seeing my family for Thanksgiving

Question: Is November really not a good month or are you just putting up one more in a long line of excuses that perpetually keep you from achieving what you truly want?

Tips On Picking the Right Project

There’s really no right or wrong here; whatever you truly want to do and are willing to commit to is fine.

If you are stuck, however, here are a few tips to help you pick a great project:

• Make it big enough to stretch you – A big goal is not about the status quo. It’s also not about “slow and steady improvement (a perfectly valid approach, but not the point of this project). Pick something big enough that you know you’ll have to push yourself. You’ll know you’re on the right track if your goal mostly excites you but also scares you just a little bit.
• But not so big you snap – Of course there are limits to stretching yourself. Don’t pick a goal that is so big that you’ll give up after three days. There is an art to picking the right size goal. Unfortunately, everyone is different so I can’t give you a hard and fast guideline. I will say this: if, when you think about the goal, you feel more fear than excitement, you’ve probably made it too big for yourself.
• It should be motivating – Sounds obvious, right? The key is that you pick something that gets you going. What you want to do, not necessarily what you think you should do. For example, I could make the argument that I should be spending all that time on my business. However, what I really want to do, what really motivates me, is the thought of writing the novel. As long as I don’t let the business lapse (see above) I’m going with the motivating one.
• What does your gut tell you? – When in doubt, pay attention to your gut. Chances are, when I asked you what you really wanted to do, an answer popped into your head. It’s probably an answer that’s been popping into your head for years and you have been ignoring it. Stop ignoring it! Spend just one month throwing yourself fully into that project and see what happens.

Question: What is the big goal your gut is telling you to pursue?

Why You Should Do This

If you’re wondering why you should bother doing this, here are a few reasons:

• Achieving Your Goal – Clearly, the primary benefit of doing this is that you achieve (or make great progress towards a goal. That in and of itself should be more than enough. However, there are a few more benefits…
• Building New Habits – There is some disagreement on how long it takes to form a habit, from the colloquially stated “21 days,” to the more scientifically researched 66 Days. By the second number, 30 days is not long enough to fully instill a new habit, but it is well on the way. And let’s face it, while achieving something great in a month will be awesome, wouldn’t it be more awesome to build a habit that allows you to continue progressing long after the month is over?

• Developing New Awareness – One reason to take on a large goal that stretches you is to simply show yourself that you can. You can find the time, you can exert the discipline, you can achieve that which you were previously unable to achieve. One of the primary things that holds many people back is simply their own lack of belief in their own potential. By busting your ass and making major progress on a major goal, you can overcome that belief and build momentum to do more.
• Just so you can say, “I did it!” – On December 1^st, you can either be more or less where you are right now, or you can look back over the previous month and say, “Damn! I did something great!” The choice is yours…

Question: If you don’t do this, what will you do to achieve your goals, build new habits, and break limiting beliefs?

The Next Step

November first is fast approaching. Here are a few things you can to get ready for the “Do Something Great in November” challenge:

1. Pick your goal
2. Declare it below
3. Read this post with tips on making November a success:  Tips to Making “Do Something Great In November” a Success
4. Check back in (or subscribe by RSS or Email) to this blog for updates and progress, and to comment on your own progress
5. Also, consider joining the Smart Ass Success Teleseminar Series – it’s a weekly conference call for seven weeks, starting on November 1^st, where I interview a different expert on each call. The focus of the program is to help you figure out what you want, make a plan, and then implement that plan and stay on track. It’s the perfect accompaniment for the Do Something Great in November Challenge! Click here for more info! (There is both a free and a paid version)

Question: Are you going to join me in a crazy, wonderful November, or are you going to let yet another month pass you by?

About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

• Mail
|
• More Posts (483)