Adding two more...

So, I'm adding a couple more to my goals:
4. Work on my relationship with God. I'm going to give God (and Christians, actually) a second chance. I'm going to believe that he wants peace and hope for me and a future. I'm going to hang tight and hold on and look for his hand in my life.

5. Eliminate the negative words from my vocabulary. Instead of saying "not" "won't" "can't" and "don't" I'm going to speak POSITIVELY and speak things that are not as if they were! Lets see if The Secret works for ME! :-)

MY 100 Day Challenge

I decided to come up with more than one goal. I'm a multi-tasker. Plus, if I have more than one goal, I'll have more to blog about (and I like to blog). Like everyone, I have things I would like to see different in my life. There are things I can do in order to embrace those changes. So... my goals for the 100 days beginning September 23 are these:

1. SERVE OTHERS
Slavery is obligated, required, unavoidable, duty, and generally not at all satisfying.
Servant hood is intentional, purposeful, and stems from love and commitment rather than obligation.

Slavery results in resentment, unhappiness, and anger.
Servanthood results in fulfillment and contentment.

I am going to spend the next 100 days serving my co-workers, my boss, Mark, my friends, my children, and my community in any ways I can find – not just serving them, but serving them as I would want to be served, and doing it cheerfully and happily, expecting nothing in return. I will commit to one act of service per day - a choice to make someone else's day a little bit more enjoyable.

2. BE GRATEFUL
definition: warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful

Every day I will find something to be thankful for. I will record it, I will remember it, I will appreciate it.

3. EXPRESS MYSELF THOUGHTFULLY
I will choose carefully the words I say. I will seek wisdom and speak less. I will use language that is reflective of the person I want to be. I will not curse (unless I am in extreme pain- LOL), I will not say things in anger that I don't mean, I will not make promises I can't keep, I will continue to be radically honest. I'll write what I do, I'll notice my slip ups and mistakes, and I'll correct them.

OK, so the first and the third could be big goals. Huge even. I'm going to do it though - for 100 days, I can do anything, right? We'll see... I'm going to blog about my 100 days experiment here! :-) I'm going to end the year - AND THE DECADE - with success!!!

More tidbits on the 100 day challenge...

http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com/2009/09/14/the-100-day-finish-strong-challenge/

Check out this blog! It specifically addresses our goals for the 100 day challenge!

Some highlights from the blog:

One of the principles that Gary emphasizes in the “100 Day Finish Strong Challenge” is the Law of Exposure. The Law of Exposure tells us that our minds think about what they’re most exposed to.

This performance law is fueled by the following understandings:

1. Whatever enters your mind repeatedly first occupies your mind and then eventually shapes both your perceptions and reality.
2. Your mind will absorb and ultimately reflect whatever it gets repeatedly exposed to.
3. The events you attend, the materials you read, the music you listen to, the images you watch, the conversations you hold, the friends you hang out with, and the daydreams you entertain, all of these are shaping your mind, then your character, and eventually your future.
4. You expose people to your behavior all day long and as a result you either make deposits or withdrawals into their psychological bank account.

Now think of the following questions as they relate to the Law of Exposure:

• What am I currently exposing my mind to on a daily basis?
• What impact is that exposure having on my performance?
• What should I be exposing my mind to on a daily basis?
• What am I exposing other people to when they look at my behavior?
• What indecencies should I no longer be exposing my mind to?
  

Indecent Exposure
As it relates to your personal and professional performance, indecent exposure consists of anything that pollutes your mind, body, or soul, such as the following:
Excuses
Procrastination
Junk Food
Violence
Lack of integrity
Worry
Lying
Mediocrity

Far too many people are overly exposed to these indecencies which negatively impacts their results. It’s amazing how many people think that they can avoid the Law of Exposure: they think they can read anything they want–tabloids, gossip magazines, and so on–, they can watch bad images, they can listen to nasty music, and it will not have any impact on them.

Introduction to the 100 Day Challenge!

“Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It requires you to connect today’s actions to tomorrow’s results. There’s a season for sowing and a season for reaping. Self-discipline helps you know which is which.”
-Gary Ryan Blair

In The Traveller’s Gift by Andy Andrews, he states “I am responsible for my past and my future – my past can never be changed, but I can change the future by changing my actions today.”
September 23 is the first day of the last 100 days of 2009. Before this year (and this decade!) is over, I’m going to push forward with my goals, and I hope you will too! Make this last 100 days of 2009 count: what would you like to see changed in your life? What goals do you have that sit in a holding pattern as your days pass by? I am extending a challenge to all of you to come up with a what, a why and a how for yourself in these last 100 days:

• WHAT would you like to accomplish? It is a goal, with a fixed criteria, that is specific, measurable, and time-bound. It could not be “lose weight”, but it COULD be “lose 10 pounds in the next 100 days”. It could not be “be a better dad” but it COULD be “schedule an hour more a week in quality time with my kids doing activities that they enjoy.” You get the picture!
• WHY do you want to accomplish this goal? You should have three compelling, emotional reasons that will sustain and drive you, whether it’s a personal goal or a professional goal.
• HOW can you accomplish your goal? You should have five individual ACTION steps that will identify exactly what you need to do in order to achieve the goal. One of my action steps will be to purposefully do something I wouldn’t normally do to reach out of myself and serve others every single day. It doesn’t have to be something big, but it does have to be something measurable – “I did ___ today to accomplish my goal.”

Write your goal down, or find someone to be accountable with – your spouse, or your co-worker, friend, etc – and speak your goal out loud.

So, what are your goals? We have 100 days to create our goals! Work or personal: gaining wealth, raising profits, paying off your credit card bills, becoming closer to your children or spouse, losing weight… Make them unreasonable, make them massive, make them life changing! Let’s do it together and see results!