Today is Day 100 of the 100 Day Challenge and it is time to celebrate.  100 Days is a very long time.  To stay committed to something for that long takes real dedication.  It means you have to keep showing up, even if it at a point where you would normally give up.  As one of the challengers put it “you just have to keep going and the answers will come.”  It’s true – with any challenge in life, if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, the answers, support, the finish line will eventually reveal itself. 

This year my challenge was playing with social media.  This was an excellent challenge for me – it forced me to learn about technology (which I don’t particularly like to do), it made me think about how I can use social media to share my message and it gave me opportunities to connect with new people.  In the last 100 days I learned how to organize groups on Facebook, how to schedule posts for days when I wasn’t at my computer, how to pin something to the top of my page, upload videos, create photo albums, create personalized pictures to post on my page and I posted about all kinds of things that were happening in my life and business.  I learned how to create a Pinterest account, set up boards, pin pictures, repin pictures, follow people and create visually appealing boards to look at.  On Linked in I learned how to maximize my profile, improve my “searchability” change my privacy settings, update my experience and create better connections with my connections!

 I also took a three day video course and a half day Social Media for marketing course.  As I type all of this now, I am reeling a bit from everything that I did and learned.  100 days can add up to something pretty significant. 

And that is one of the main purposes of the 100 Day Challenge.  Taking small steps every day, consistently for 100 days in a row will add up to big changes.  How did you do?  What did you learn about yourself?  What is next for you as you complete your challenge today?  I’d love to hear from you!

Joyfully,

Deb

It can be hard to think about resting, never mind actually resting when you are faced with a challenge.  The 100 Day Challenge is coming down to the last few weeks and you may be tired of your challenge, tired of trying to keep up with it or tired of not seeing the results that you hoped for.

This can be the experience of any challenge we face in life.  Often the advice is to just keep fighting, keep plowing through it, suck it up and keep pushing…not wrong advice in general but somehow, it lacks some balance for me.  We are far too quick to think that we must keep pushing when resting is the very thing that will help us to make it to the end.

There is tremendous power in resting but we never stop long enough to experience that power.  Resting is when we receive guidance and inspiration about what to do next.  Resting is when we regenerate and build our reserves so that challenges become slightly less challenging.

How do you rest when you are in a challenge?

v  First, give yourself permission to rest.  This step alone will give you more energy than you ever thought possible.  Resisting yourself and your need for rest is a BIG energy drain.  Start with permission.

v  Next is to change your thoughts.  Stop beating yourself down, judging yourself and telling yourself you are failing.  Judgemental, spirit bashing thoughts are exhausting, NOT motivating.  Stop them right now and in exchange think more restful and supportive thoughts.

v  Then look for times in your day when you can take a break.  Maybe it’s two minutes, maybe it’s 5 minutes, maybe there’s occasionally time for a 20 minute nap.  Can you sit instead of stand?  Can you put your feet up while you work?  Can you play restful music or reduce the noise that surrounds you.  Can you simplify something that you are doing?  Simply closing your eyes for 30 seconds begins to regenerate energy in your body!

Rest is not just about sleeping.  Rest includes the way you think about yourself and your situation, your belief that you deserve to rest and looking for small ways to take breaks through your day.  Of course, building in nap time everyday is a pretty good idea too!

Share your ideas here for ways that you like to add rest to your day.  You’ll be an inspiration to more of us who need to rest!

Joyfully,

Deb

Okay, I’ll admit it…I’m not really interested in my 100 Day Challenge right now.  Truthfully, I’m kind of bored.  It seemed like a really good idea at the time – when I first put it together but now…it’s more of a chore than a challenge. 

When I noticed my lack of interest in my chosen challenge, I thought that maybe it was just too hard or there was too much work involved.  Then I examined my feelings more closely and realized that what I am doing is just not that interesting to me.  There’s very little joy (even though I find learning joyful). 

Originally, I wanted to focus on Facebook, You Tube and Pinterest.  I was excited about the possibilities of being more creative and playful with these three types of media.  There are some really interesting things that can be done especially with video and pictures.  But into the second week of the challenge I changed my mind and switched Facebook for Linked In.  Why?  Because I learned that using Linked In might be more effective for business.  That’s where the challenge started to go off the rails for me.  I started to do something that I “should” do, according to the opinions of others.  Oops…I disconnected from myself …again! 

So it’s time for a readjustment.  Giving myself permission to change course slightly and add the joy and playfulness back into the challenge.  Getting back into alignment with me and what I want will keep me centered and give life to my challenge again. 

Keep this in mind for your own challenge – whether it’s the 100 Day Challenge or anything else you are up to in your life.  Can you feel the energy of excitement and growth?  Is there a little tingle or secret giggle when you think of what you are creating in your life?  Notice if you get bored, disinterested or wander away from your focus.  These feelings are your indicator lights, so to speak, that tell you that there is something out of alignment.  The sooner you notice the feeling, the sooner you can get back to feeling your joy again! 

Feel free to share your feelings about any challenge that you are facing right now.  What are you doing to come back to your center?

Joyfully,

Deb

Sometimes the best laid plans can go astray!  I started my 100 Day Challenge with a clear plan of focusing on Facebook, You Tube and Pinterest.  But…things are about to change!  I had the chance to take a workshop on social media for business this past week and as I worked through the information and the steps to creating a marketing plan, I realized that I needed to adjust my plans for the 100 Day Challenge.  So, my focus is now shifting to learning about Linked In, Pinterest and You Tube!  Just a slight change but I wanted to share this with you because you may have hit a similar place in your challenge. 

The first couple of weeks of any new plan, in my opinion, are always the testing phase.  If you are at all like me, you have great ideas about what you want to accomplish with any plan – whether it’s for your day, for an event or for something like the 100 Day Challenge.  As a Life Coach, I am quite good at coaching my clients to adjust their plan greatly, especially at the beginning, when they have set a new goal for themselves.  There are so many factors that can affect your plan that you can’t anticipate - the biggest one being that you ALWAYS underestimate how long it will take to complete a task!  Another factor that often plays into having to adjust is that you get new information which may require a change in approach. 

So, take a look at where you are at with your challenge.  Has it been too hard?  Has it been too easy?  Do you need to adjust in some way?  Don’t worry if you need to adjust – that’s part of learning and part of the challenge!  And if you are not sure how to adjust your challenge, let me know in the comments and I’ll give you some ideas to help you along! 

Joyfully,

Deb

One week in and I have already learned so much about the topic of social media!  My 100 Day Challenge is playing with social media – specifically Facebook, You Tube and Pinterest.  I started my challenge by creating a plan to help me stay on track and to keep me out of overwhelm.  By choosing three types of social media I narrowed down the topic and then decided that for each area I wanted to learn at least 5 new things, create something to post and post a minimum of 3 times per week.  By creating this outline, I have been able to stay focused and not waste time surfing around these social media sites and getting sidetracked by all the interesting items that people post!  I always recommend that you take a few minutes and outline your 100 Day Challenge plan – that way you will be able to stay with it more easily. 

So, one week in on Facebook and I have already learned how to search for information on someone’s page, remove people from my newsfeed without removing them as friends (because while I still want them as friends, I don’t need to see what they are posting all the time – I just take a quick visit to their page when I want to catch up on their news), I’ve learned how to create documents and how to create a vanity URL!  The vanity url comes in handy when you want to put your Facebook contact information on your marketing material.  You can create a name that is easy to remember instead of trying to tell someone your Facebook address with a ton of numbers, letters and slash marks!  My new url for my Facebook business page is www.facebook.com/GetItDunnJoyfully - feel free to check it out and comment on my posts! 

I hope you have enjoyed your first week of the challenge.  Be sure to let me know how you are doing.  Leave your comments here and others can also benefit and be inspired by what you are doing! 

Joyfully,

Deb

On February 1^st, I had the pleasure of being a guest on Stephanie Staples’ radio show – Your Life Unlimited (www.yourlifeunlimited.ca).  I shared the guest spot with fellow coach Laurel Kidder (www.laurelkidder.ca) and together, all three of us discussed ways to set and reach goals that will help you live a more meaningful and joyful life.  The three of us have formed a mastermind group which has helped us to stay focused on our own goals and navigate the world of self-employment. On the show, we talked about how mastermind groups can be used by anyone, how to be more effective and efficient with your time and how challenges can add to your life.

Because I am a coach, through and through, I couldn’t resist seizing the moment when Stephanie mentioned that she would never be able to limit checking her emails to four times a day.  I suggested that she limit it to twice a day and make it into a 100 Day Challenge!  So, after some resistance and with great reluctance, she agreed to take on the challenge. 

This is why I love the 100 Day Challenge so much.  It has the power to make you uncomfortable, test you, stretch you and ultimately give you a confidence and freedom that you may never have experienced before.  When you challenge yourself to do something that you don’t think you can do, your self esteem immediately goes up.  Working your way through the challenge, one day at a time teaches you about perseverance, flexibility and commitment. 

You can listen to our radio show by visiting Stephanie’s blog at: http://yourlifeunlimited.ca/mastermindthis/#

I hope you’ll consider joining us for the 100 Day Challenge!  It’s worth it!

Joyfully,

Deb

Today is the final day – Day 100 – in the 100 Day Challenge and I thought I would share some of the things that I learned during the challenge this year.  100 days is a very long time to commit to something new and if you are paying attention, the process can open your eyes to your strengths and your weaknesses and all interesting attributes in between!  My challenge was to write everyday and here is what I noticed: