The 100 Day Challenge

In general, I have never been one to get caught up in New Year's resolutions. Partly, because I figure improvement shouldn't be saved for a certain time of year, partly because "New Year's Resolution" smells of exercise equipment and deprivation, and partly because writing goals down is akin to peeling off my toe nails. At any rate, a long while ago I jumped off the band wagon and decided to avoid the whole charade altogether.
Well, the other day I was perusing a friend's blog and found their "100 Day Challenge". After their son came home from kindergarten on his 100th day of school with a list of all that he had accomplished in that time frame, they were inspired to use that time period as a motivational tool for their own goals- and invited others to do the same. I have been highly inspired by this idea, and have been pondering it quite a bit the past week (rather, pondering whether I want to actually commit to a goal or not). This challenge appeals to me for two reasons: 1.) it is shorter than 365 days, and 2.) I love acquiring new skills with the attitude that some progress is great.
It is coincidental that I stumbled upon this challenge around the New Year, but timely, because I have been in need of a boost. Lately, I realized my creative growth has plateaued... something I have dubbed a "Creative Crisis." A little melodramatic, yes, but true nonetheless. For roughly the past year, as I've adjusted myself, my family, and my baby to a new routine, creative endeavors mostly fell by the wayside. But, routines have been formed, adjustments mostly made, and I now recognize windows of time that I can use for persuing creative projects again. And most importantly, I recognize that I should persue those efforts for my happiness.
Almost a year ago, I received a tablet and software for photo editing. It even came with tutorials for the software. At that time, my days did not allow the time I desired to sit down and learn the equipment. But now, it does. So...here's the part I hate... for the next 100 days (starting tomorrow), I plan to do something each day to further my proficiency with my tablet and software. My plan is to start by watching/rewatching all of the tutorials until I've mastered the concepts. We'll see where it goes from there. I'm not sure how much time each day will lend to this pursuit, but I feel confident that I can spend some time improving my skill each day. But let's be clear on one thing: This is NOT a New Year's Resolution.

Have you ever wondered what you can do in 100 days?