Why I'm cheerfully withdrawing from the #HAHD challenge

The #HAHD challenge is an event put on by EzineArticles, my favourite article bank website.  As a way of encouraging their members to put the incredible power of article marketing to use in a BIG way, they challenged us to post 100 articles in 100 days.

Though this is their second challenge, the first I heard of it was when I noticed my friend Kimberley Simon's tweet at the end of July.

I got a bit caught up in the excitement and pledged to post my own 100 articles in 100 days.

Fast forward to today, when I am officially (and cheerfully) withdrawing my commitment. And here are the reasons why:

1. It wasn't a SMART goal for me right now. While it was a very specific and measurable goal, it wasn't achievable within the time I was willing to put towards it (see #4). It wasn't a relevant goal specific to my business and marketing plan for 2009, and it didn't fit into the time line of activities that WOULD help me carry out that plan. (Don't get me wrong, my plan is flexible, and I've already adjusted it several time since the beginning of the year.)
2. I would much rather join my Pink Spoon Telecamp campers in our own challenge - create a new pink spoon for my own business during our 6-week class. (Care to join us?)
3. I don't respond particularly well to competition.  It is healthier and more self-caring for me to set my own SMART goals and work towards them within collaborative, supportive and loving relationships.
4. My project list is full. Burning the midnight oil to add something to it would kind of defeat the purpose of having one. And I am simply not willing to sacrifice my self-care or personal time with friends and family to do this.

Good luck to all of the #HAHD participants! I know that whether you reach the goal of 100 articles in 100 days or not, you will likely publish more articles than you would have otherwise, and even just one of those articles could land in front of your next great client or customer and bring you miraculous results. Especially with the power of EzineArticles behind you!

Comments

[Linda Dessau]

Thank you for comment and kind words, Charles. In answer to your question, I can only say "stay tuned!" because something is brewing around here that will do just that!

[Charles W. Thomas, Jr.]

This a very thoughtful post. Thanks for sharing your reasons for withdrawing, they are instructive for anyone setting and pursuing goals. Being SMART in your goal setting, maintaining flexibility and staying sensitive to your "big picture" are qualities we all can use in the pursuit of our goals and execution of our projects.
I can also relate to your response to competition. What is a cooperative endeavor that could encourage people to create significant numbers of articles in a relatively short time?
Thanks for your insights?