Pick One Challenge

October 14, 2014

People continually comment on how much I get done in an average day, and ask me pretty much daily if I actually sleep.  The answer to that question is yes.  I do sleep, and quite well.  What I think sets me apart from many other people is that I set challenges for myself and commit to going after them.  Do you have a challenge?

For me, those challenges have included getting into Duke for my MBA, then completing the degree.  I also challenged myself to completing my Entrepreneurship and Innovation concentration while I was there, which was additional work, beyond the regular classes, and took several extra months of work.  I then challenged myself to start Extension of You Home Care.  Then I challenged myself to also buy and successfully run a Care Patrol Office, at the same time I was starting Extension of You Home Care.  Pretty crazy, right?  Then I challenged myself to write a book, and I have done that as well.  We are nearing the final stages before publishing the book.

What do all of those challenges have in common?  Each of those challenges is a single challenge on a longer road.  I didn’t try to do all of them at once.  In fact, I couldn’t have done so, because that would have been impossible.  But each one was a challenge, a stretch, when I started.  Each one required hard work.  Sometimes a LOT of hard work.  Some of them continue to require a lot of hard work, and dedication, and will need a lot of care and feeding for the next few years.

My challenge to you is to pick something that’s important to you, and maybe a bit difficult to obtain, and go for it.  Figure out what it will take to get there.  Have you thought about what your goals are?  In 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years?  What steps is it going to require to get there?  I have found that it’s important to pick one of those steps and set it up as a challenge to achieve.  Because if you challenge yourself to accomplish that task or challenge, then you are much more likely to do so.  Goals are an amazing thing.  Pick a challenging goal, and go for it.

Better yet, set yourself a goal, and tell others about it.  You make yourself much more likely to achieve that goal.  How cool is that?  Getting somewhere you never thought you’d get, and amazing yourself.

Where is your life going?  What are your goals?

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