The way you start anything can be crucial to your success.  Well, 11 days into 2013 I have effectively demonstrated how not to start.  Today, I officially signed up for the Ultimate Blog Challenge, which runs from January 1st through January 31st.  Yep, I started 10 days late!

Time to accept the challenge

By accepting this challenge, I have agreed to set a goal to write and share a new blog post every day during the month.  I’ve completed the challenge before and the experiences were great.  This challenge didn’t catch me by surprise, as it is held every quarter.  I just put off signing up, put off making an official commitment, and didn’t focus.

Now here I am 11 days into the challenge, and I have written and posted 5 posts (3 on my site, 1 on BMWK, and 1 on CoachUp).  This post announcing I am accepting the challenge makes post #6, so I am only 5 behind!  #sarcasm

When you know better, you (should) do better

I am sure many people have written, talked about, and demonstrated how to start off a new year right.  Since, I apparently didn’t read, listen to, or pay attention to any of those, I am going to share ways I went wrong starting this year off in regard to the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

1. Do set goals before the year begins, not after
2. Do make decisions quickly and definitively, not wavering
3. Do share your goals with someone, do not make them secrets
4. Do start working toward your goals day one, not day 11
5. Do accept challenges that are worthwhile, do not quit because it may be hard

Correcting a bad start

Now that I’ve made this public, I know I have some work to do.  And this work has to begin yesterday, instead of waiting until today.  I know that made no sense, but neither did me waiting 11 days into the year to begin something I knew I wanted to do anyway.  Hopefully these 5 steps to correcting my bad start will make more sense.

1. Admit what you are doing will not get you what you desire.  Until you admit it you can’t fix it.
2. Set aside time daily to work toward the goals you have, and actually work on them.  For me that means to actually write every day!
3. Focus on helping other people.  My blog is more about the people who read it than me.  When I do not write, I miss opportunities for my experiences to help others.
4. Connect with others who can help you.  I am a regular contributor for three other sites (BMWK, The Educator’s Room, and CoachUp).  Regular communication with the people on these sites encourages me to keep moving when it gets tough.
5. Work your butt off.  I know writing 25 posts in 20 days will not be easy, but I know if I focus, and work really hard I can get it done.  In addition, I am looking forward to the learning experience that will come with it.

Be encouraged if you have started the year off the wrong way.  It is not too late to correct your bad start.  The five steps above can help you, but you have to make the decision today.  Then you have to make it every day to stay the course.  I am confident you can do it, and I’m rooting for you!

Question:  How has the start to your new year been?  Please share (the good, bad, and ugly) in the comment section below.

photo credit: kag2u via photopin cc