Eff you! And The Positive Potential of a Personal Challenge

Challenge is s great word.  By its very appearance, whether written or spoken, it establishes a call to action.  Human nature dictates that we rise to the occasion when we are challenged, and often before we even know what the challenge is.  Our response is primal and it says " challenge me? Eff you!  Bring it!" Our cerebral fight or flight response is triggered by the mere insinuation of a challenge so we fight fight or fly, and sometimes we do both.

One of the most successful ways for us to accomplish personal goals is to set a challenge before ourselves.



This is the technical definition:

1. 1. 

   a call to take part in a contest or competition, especially a duel.

   "he accepted the challenge"

   synonyms:

   dare, provocation; summons "he accepted the challenge"
2. 2. 

   an objection or query as to the truth of something, often with an implicit demand for proof.

   "a challenge to the legality of the order"

   synonyms:

   test, questioning, dispute, stand, opposition, confrontation "a challenge to his leadership"

verb

1. 1. 

   invite (someone) to engage in a contest.

   "he challenged one of my men to a duel"
2. 2. 

   dispute the truth or validity of.

   "employees challenged the company's requirement"

   synonyms:

   question, disagree with, dispute, take issue with, protest against, call into question, object to "we challenged their statistics"

Lets define the terms as it relates to self improvement:  when I say "challenge"I  don't mean to a duel, or to take an opportunity to prime our ego or flare feathers.   I mean a personal challenge, something that impels us to improve a skill or an understanding, of our own initiative.

For example, we can challenge ourselves to better our physical health by exercising a few minutes more per day; or we can challenge ourselves to work more productively by meeting a certain goal every day for a number of days.

I recently came across a blog challenge wherein new bloggers are motivated to improve their writing by posting a new entry every day for a certain number of days.   My Fitbit challenges me to attain a certain step goal per day.  Rather than a challenge that triggers self-defense mode,  these are positive, self initiated and self propelled challenges, that help improve us.

Now it's about you!  Remember, how you communicate with yourself determines your entire experience.  It's a great idea to talk to yourself about your goals, and better to write them down. (read my 3 step communication post here) And adding a positive challenge for yourself will drive you closer toward your goal.

What is your challenge?  Share it here in the comments section - because written communication helps cement what's on your mind :)