photo by JB Baker

“I did it. I told you, I told you I did.” – Dave Matthews Band

This is post #30 in my quest for 30 in 30.

So here we are. 31 days ago I announced that I would be attempting to write 30 new posts in 30 straight days. I am happy to say that I was able to pull it off. When I go back and I read some of what I wrote when I was just getting started I’m able to see a definite improvement in my writing. I also realized a few things about myself that will help me in future projects (apparently I work better under pressure).

Have A Goal
One thing that definitely became apparent is that completing a project is a lot easier when you have a definitive goal that you’re trying to accomplish. Knowing exactly what I was going for made the journey much more exciting. Even if your goal is to survive like mine was it gets you on the path. Making positive changes in your life can be as easy as not doing anything detrimental long enough to loose any bad habits that you might of had. Once you’ve lost the negatives you open space to replace them with positive actions that can get you to heights you only imagined you could reach.

Get Support
Once you decide what it is you want, surround yourself with people who will support you through it. I am very fortunate to have friends who were all understanding when I had to stay in to finish writing. Others insisted that I come out but let me use their computers to get my writing in first. Having good positive energy around you when you’re trying to accomplish something is really important. That’s not to say you can’t make it on your own but it’s so much sweeter when you have good people around you.

Be Open To Change
Taking on this project was eye opening in a lot of ways and not all pertaining to my writing. Having a purpose and doing something that was designed to improve my life actually did just that. As time went on and I found myself accomplishing goals with my writing I found myself accomplishing goals in the rest of my life as well. Change begets change. Once you start that ball rolling all sorts of great things can happen. Remember to keep your eyes and mind open so that you don’t miss anything. I am definitely in a better place than I was 30 days ago. I owe it all to starting something, staying positive and seeing it through to the end. I’m open to taking on whatever comes my way now and I feel like I’m more in the drivers seat of my life than I have ever been.

Believe In Yourself
This is huge. You can have a goal, get support and be ready to take on new challenges but if you’re unsure of yourself underneath it all then doubt has a foothold and can creep in and sabotage your efforts. Let that happen and you’ve only set yourself up for a less than desirable result. Despite everyone telling you how great you are and how well you’re doing you’ve got to believe it when you say it for it to count. Trust in who you are and what you’re doing and you will be unstoppable.

Put Yourself  Out There
It’s one thing to have a goal and to quietly trudge through with nothing really riding on it. It’s another to be loud and proud about it. Tell the world what you’re doing. It helps drum up support and it tends to make you a little more accountable for finishing. I made it a point to tell everyone I knew that I was doing this so that they kept tabs on me. Then I knew I wouldn’t just be letting myself down if I quit, I’d look bad in front of my friends. Saving face is a huge motivator. Never be afraid to tell people what you’re up to because you think you might not make it. Tell everyone who will listen and then keep them posted on your progress. I put my new posts on Twitter (almost) every day. It felt good to be able to say that  I was still on task.

Never Give Up
I have to admit that after a couple days there was no question in my mind that I was going to finish this thing. I felt good about what I was doing, it meant something to me and I knew that I would not accept failure. There were times when I got down to the wire and had to rush a post out (there’s the pressure I was talking about) but I was able to approach every day with nothing prepared and write something new. Quitting was never an option. If you set your mind on something that you want in your life and commit to never giving up you simply can not fail.

So this brings us to the end of the 30 in 30 series. I’m really grateful to all of you who were here with me on this little adventure. I’ll be posting again soon. I’m in a bit of a groove now and I don’t think I’ll be able to stay away for long. I want to thank all of my peeps and tweeps who supported me on this quest. A special mention to @liravaughan who acted as the inspiration for it in the first place and cheered me on throughout the month despite having her own monster project underway.

I look forward to all of the great things that the future is going to bring. I hope that you’ll all be here to share it.

Thank you all for being here. I’ll talk to you… later.
-JB
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Today’s Music: I Did It
By: Dave Matthews Band
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