365-Day Challenges

365-Day Challenges(ˈCHalənj)

By Steve Pavlina

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I’m considering a 365-day challenge for 2020 that might be a little crazy – okay, a lot crazy – but could also create tons of extra ripples.

I’m on the fence(fens) about doing this but currently am leaning(ˈlēniNG) towards it.

The challenge would be to publish a new blog post every day of 2020, so 365 posts for the year. A post could be text, audio, or video. If it’s video then I’ll likely post it to YouTube(ˈyo͞oˌt(y)o͞ob) as well.

I wouldn’t have to create content every day per(pər) se(ˈsā), just publish something new each day. So I could batch-create sometimes, like record(ˈrekərd) a few videos in a row. But most of the time I prefer to publish right after I create.

The most I’ve ever blogged in a year was probably 150-200 posts, and that was many years ago. I’ve done multiple 30-day blogging challenges and of course lots of other 30-day challenges too. In 2017 I did a 30-day video challenge while water fasting.

I’ve also done some 365-day challenges before like for daily exercise (twice). And Rachelle has been doing daily yoga(ˈyōgə) for more than 2 years now without missing a day (she loves Yoga with Adriene(ā) workouts on YouTube).

One nice benefit of completing(kəmˈplēt) a full 365-day challenge is that it serves as a powerful reference(ˈref(ə)rəns) experience for life. I still remember my first 365-day exercise challenge from 1997 (minimum 25 minutes of cardio(ˈkärdēō) per day), which I think was instrumental in eventually running the L.A. Marathon(ˈmarəˌTHän) a few years later. It elevates(ˈeləˌvāt) your self-image about what you think is possible for you.

A 365-day challenge can feel pretty(ˈpridē) edgy(ˈejē) because if you miss a single day, it will probably feel like you failed. Who wants to experience that six months in? But that same edginess(ˈejēnəs) also nudges(nəj) you to raise(rāz) your standards and move beyond your comfort zone. Such a commitment once nudged me to go running at 2am in the rain while I had a cold, after a long day at a workshop followed by a long drive. I was dead tired but still did it. It was physically hard but spiritually(ˈspiriCH(o͞o)əlē) powerful. I wasn’t going to miss a day halfway through the year. I still remember that run 22+ years later because of what it meant to me at the time. And now I have the gift of knowing that I’m capable of exercising every day for year without making excuses because I’ve done it twice before.

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Let’s Do It!

I wrote the part above yesterday. Now on the morning of the 26th as I’m getting ready to post this, I also feel ready to say yes to it. So yeah, I’ll do it.

Simply sharing this idea with others when I felt 60-70% ready helped me process how I felt about it. That resulted in extra encouragement from friends, along with several other people stepping up and saying they’re ready to take on similar challenges for 2020. So this isn’t just about me or my blog. It’s already creating ripples(ˈripəl) well beyond, and 2020 hasn’t even started yet. Maybe posting this to my blog as well will encourage other people to join in… or at least to consider stepping outside their comfort zones for 2020.

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https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2019/12/365-day-challenges/