Want to learn how exams, tests and challenges can improve your abilities significantly? Read on…
Remember the time when we were kids? We would have exams to test our abilities frequently. It was a scary time, wasn’t it? Most of us were afraid of exams because it would put us away from our comfort zones, and could expose our shortcomings! Some of us never studied throughout the year but the moment exam dates were announced we would get into vigorous action and would start studying as if there is no tomorrow! All because that fear of failing, or being the laughingstock in front of our friends, or in the fear of being beaten up by our parents or teachers. But we studied and sometimes it bore results beyond our expectations, didn’t it?
I am currently going through a similar feeling like that. Yes, you heard me right, I am going through an exam called ‘30 Day Blog Challenge’ to test my abilities to blog non-stop for 30 days! Sounds crazy, isn’t it? At least, to me it does. Even though I love blogging, I have never blogged daily. At the maximum, I would blog once a week. This challenge is going to be at a different level. What do you think will I be able to pass the challenge?
When we were kids we were forced to go through exams. This helped us stay on course and keep our body and mind agile, and open to learning new things easily. As we grew up to take the reins of our lives in our own hands, we started becoming lazy. We stopped putting ourselves through exams. We hated exams since childhood and now was our chance to get rid of exams forever! This increased our fear of exams, and if you notice carefully, you will see we gradually started avoiding anything that challenged our status quo.
This is one of the reasons why I have consciously chosen to take myself through exams and challenges often. Last month I was part of a 30-day video making challenge, and that broke a lot of my own fears and inhibitions. It improved my video making skills so much that I launched a video-based course for speakers, trainers and coaches who wanted to find their speaking niche and build their authority in it. You can check it out here!
A person who hated speaking in front of the camera to launching a comprehensive course, it’s great progress, don’t you think so? It’s amazing how challenges can help you overcome your fears, doubts and inhibitions quickly and effectively.
Seeing the results of everyone who were part of the last month’s video challenge, I jumped at the ‘30-Day Blogging Challenge’ hosted by the Professional Speakers Association India (PSAI) without lifeboat… Crazy me!
I signed up into the challenge without much planning or thinking, but there is definitely an intention to perform well in my own pace, competing with my own abilities. And, if I am lucky I may surprise myself too. Now, that’s too good a proposition to miss out, isn’t it?
The challenge started on Monday, as you can see I am already lagging behind. But what the heck, I am creating my own 30-day schedule. Honestly, it took some solid effort to decide on what am I going to be writing about for the next 30 days. It pushed me beyond my comfort zone once again. Do you want to know my blogging plan for the next 30 days?
I will be blogging about two different topics on alternate days, one day it will be different aspects of Setback Leadership, another day it will be various thoughts around Speaking Niche. Both of these are equally close to my heart. I have planned a few specific areas that I want to write on. I also want to hear from you, what would you want me to blog about? What exactly would be beneficial for you? Do let me know in the comments.
Do you regularly take yourself through exams, tests or challenges? If yes, how often? If, not, what’s stopping you? Simply remember your childhood, if you could do then with less physical and mental strength and fewer resources, why can’t you, now?
I encourage you to join me in this challenge or even better, create your own challenge and pursue that. I will be super happy to hear your success stories and failures too. Afterall, that’s what is Setback Leadership is all about.
