Who cares about a 100 Day Challenge? I mean it was just a made-up bet to myself. All I win is a sense of accomplishment. Today is day 86, and how I think about the challenge today is alien from how I thought about it on day 1. For one thing, I didn’t believe I’d still be searching for a job. I actually was worried a new job would get in the way of the podcast. That would be a good problem to have. Some problems we like to complain about are actually good to have.

I haven’t been perfect. I guarded against failure by making the goal easy to achieve, but I missed exercising one day. I made it to day 80 without missing a day. You know what? I learned a valuable lesson. Get the important work done first. The day can get away from you. Eat dessert first. Life is uncertain.

I've had a hard week. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would have rated it a 7 or 8.  And then I got the news a friend of mine heard she has breast cancer. My week went to a 3 or 4. Changing perspective is key. At times, the change is forced upon me like a message from a friend about her breast cancer. Sometimes I need to force the change upon myself. When forced proactively, I need frame the situation or reframe if needed. How I ask questions of myself become very important. The self-talk can be deadly. Next week I’ll think about self-talk, framing, asking questions, and narrowing in my focus. I’ve noticed I’m not making progress on all the fronts I’ve engaged. I need to shelf some agendas to make room for the few that are important.

So, what’s changed since day 1? How do I think about the 100 Day Challenge now? At day 10, I panicked with so far to go. Day 50 was curious but didn’t offer relief. Day 75 was a celebration since the end was in sight. Day 80 I realized I was wrong. I still have to fight for one day at a time. Day 86 I realize progress is a temptation. It’s not about the number. It’s about each day. What matters. What lessons are important. Can I apply the few things I know to the situation at hand? Talk to you tomorrow.

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