Today is the day. I planned this out 100 days ago and I am finally here. Today is day 100.

For several years I have had the thought that I would get a head start on the next year and get my fitness (and life in general) in better shape. The thought usually hits me some time around October. I mull it over and then watch the idea fade.

This year has been very different. In the past I have “wanted” to change. This year I made the change. In so doing I clearly distinguished the difference between wanting something and working for something. It has been quite a journey.

Let’s recap the goals I have been pursuing:

1. Follow my exercise program. I had been lifting weights for about a year, but needed a more clearly defined regimen. To the weight lifting I added walking daily and yoga. This goal also included exercising every day for 100 days straight. I finished this goal today. It feels good.

2. Follow an eating plan. I discussed this in a previous post, but it bears repeating in part. I had to figure out how many calories I needed to eat every day and stick to it. I chose 2600. This is well below the calories I burn for the day when I am active, so it creates a sufficient deficit. I have lost almost 35 pounds in the last 100 days. I am down over 40 since the beginning of the summer.

3. Read or listen to a chapter of a book daily. This is what I have accomplished:

Books Read:

• Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss
• Creative Calling – Chase Jarvis
• Building a Storybrand – Donald Miller
• Make Your Bed – William H McRaven
• Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink
• Ted Talks – Chris Anderson
• As You Wish – Cary Elwes

Working on:

• The First 20 Hours – Josh Kaufman
• The Dichotomy of Leadership – Jocko Willink
• Platform – Michael Hyatt
• The Storytellers Secret – Carmine Gallo
• The Screwtape Letters – CS Lewis

4. Write daily. You can look back on this blog. There are 100+ posts since September 12th. There is a lot of room to improve here and I am looking forward to doing just that. First step was writing. I have done that.

5. Drink 100 ounces of water daily. I have made this a core habit. I am proud of this one. I do not want to live my life dehydrated.

6. Take a progress picture daily. I have done this every day. It has been strange and there are many photos no one will ever see, but I will share some of the progress photos (that I am comfortable with) at some point. I would like to share this one for the moment.

The photo on the left is from last week. The photo at the top right is me in May of this year. The photo at the bottom left is me in September. The journey has taken me a long way.

7. Encourage someone daily. I have done this every day. This may be one of my favorites of all the goals. I want to be a persons who actively lifts others up. This one has felt good.

This journey has been so worth it in multiple ways. I feel better. I look better. I have been living on purpose. I have been actively trying to uplift. This has been awesome.

So, what’s next? I am going to celebrate Christmas with my family and then…write the next 100 Days Strong list and do it all over again.

Today is day 99. One. More. Day. To. Go.

I say this like I am going to quit what I have been doing. I’m not. I am going to look at the goals and see if they still match what I want to pursue, but the journey will go on. I may eat a little more over Christmas, but this has been too good to not keep going.

This has been a journey worth taking. More to come tomorrow.

It is day 98. I am two days away from the goal. I have made it 98 yards and I have two yards more to go for the touchdown.

Some thoughts as we wrap this thing up:

1. This is not rocket science. It is straightforward. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it is doable.

2. Ambiguity is the enemy. If you want to achieve a goal you have to be specific about what you are after. Otherwise you won’t be able to measure it.

3. Keeping The List small is a necessity. I have seven daily items I am working on. Any more than that and it is harder to keep moving forward.

4. 100 days is long enough to work on something and achieve results. After 100 days you have enough achievements to start analyzing what works and what doesn’t. I truly expect to be more productive in the next 100 days.

This 100 Days Strong journey has totally been worth it. Time to finish strong and start the next round.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. -Harriet Tubman

I love this quote. I have been working the last 97 days to reach further than before. My world has changed for the better because of it.

#keepmovingforward

As I come to the end of my 100 Days Strong journey, I am now looking towards my next steps. What is it that I want to accomplish next? Do I continue on with my current goals, or set new ones? I have some thinking to do.

To that end, I had an interesting conversation this week. I had mentioned to a colleague that reading was one of my current goals. The person I was talking to told me that she would also like to read more. With a few questions I found out her goal was a bit different than mine

She told me she has a goal to read for maximum comprehension. She told me about a book she wants to read by Jordan Peterson that outlines 12 distinct steps that need to be taken. To master those 12 steps, she will have to take a different approach than I have. She wants to internalize the material.

Over these past 96 days, I have read or listened to a chapter of a book every day. I am an auditory learner, so this works well for me as I can listen and learn generally about topics. I’ve read several books over the last 96 days and it has been quite the experience.

However, the idea of mastering the material inside of a singular book presents a different challenge all together. To learn the concepts and become proficient at them. To really understand the material in its entirety. A different planning regimen would have to be put into place.

I say all of this to make this point: her goal sounds similar to mine, but is not. Both goals are worthy of pursuit. However, the level of effort for one is much different than the other. I find this very interesting.

How many times do we tell people about our goals and think people understand? Only then to find out the difference and that there are nuances that we can learn from. There are different tactics we can take to achieve the goal we are after.

I love it that her goal was different than mine. I love that she had a focus that I had not considered. It makes me want to learn more and adopt some of her approach.