Lately, I’ve given a number of presentations and written a number of posts on my 3 steps to creating change. 

A.W.E. 

  • Awareness – what do you want to change?
  • Work – what steps will you take?
  • Evaluation – what worked, what didn’t, what adjustments will you make going forward?

To illustrate this concept – I’m going to break down my experience with the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month.

AWARENESS –

31 days ago I decided to participate in the Ultimate Blog Challenge for a second month.  The first time I completed the challenge, my goal was to blog more consistently and increase my exposure.  This time, I set some very concrete goals.

  •  Increase my “stats” by 25%
  • Connect with 8 like minded individuals that I meet through the UBC

WORK –

I realized that last time I completed the UBC, I invested far more time than I had intended.  This time, I created a plan for keeping the time commitment more manageable.

  1. I’ll utilize the 80/20 rule
  2. I also have an efficient system for promoting my posts
  3. I will have guest bloggers post on Thursday
  4. Friday’s posts will be inspirational quotes instead of posts
  5. I will use more video
  6. I will also create more posts in a series, which will allow me to write one post, but break it up into 3
  7. I will strategically repurpose 4 posts throughout the month

EVALUATION –

As I sat down this morning to evaluate, I realized, I didn’t hit any of my goals.

  • I increased my newsletter subscribers to 210 – a 9% increase
  • My Facebook Fans are now 184 – an increase of 5%
  • 676 awesome people are now following me on Twitter – a jump of 4%
  • I connected with 2 like minded professionals

Does this mean the challenge wasn’t a success?  No – I DID increase my stats.  Plus, by inviting 4 people to guest blog, I’m starting to increase my visibility – which is a major incentive to doing this challenge.

Did I follow the WORK plan I developed at the beginning of the challenge?  Yes!  In fact, I’m really excited about my Stress Free Holiday Series – and envision turning this into an eBook.

All the posts I created around A.W.E., I repurposed as I started to promote my 30 Day A.W.E. Inspired Challenge (starting soon – have you signed up?)

I published posts 29 of the 31 days.  I had been averaging 12 posts each month – so this is certainly an increase in content for my readers.

But, I didn’t make connections.   This was a key point in participating in this challenge again.  What I realized, was once I created the post and graphic, then edited and published the post, I had used up the time I allotted for blogging.  So, I quickly commented on two posts, responded to the comments on mine, and started over the next day.

I did not go searching for people to connect with.  I did not interact with the fabulous readers who commented on my blog, other than to reply to their comments.  I missed out on my main reason for participating in the challenge!!!! 

So, as I sit here fully in the evaluation phase, I ask myself, “What’s next?”.

  • Will I participate again?
  • If so, what adjustments will I make?
  • Will I adjust my expectations, my approach, or both?

My initial answer is, “I will adjust the action steps, not the goal!”.  I certainly don’t want to lower my expectations!  But, is it realistic to expect an a different outcome when I participate again in a few months – without changing the plan?  Of course not!

The good news – I have plenty of time to ponder and create a different plan of  action for moving forward.  Some adjustments I’m considering . . .

  • Post 4 days a week and connect the other 3 days (I wouldn’t be completing 30 posts in 30 days – but I would be posting consistently)
  • Post every day for the 30 days of the challenge, but create (completely create with pictures and everything!) 8 posts ahead of time, and use these 8 days to connect
  • Invite more guest bloggers – and have these posts ready to publish the month before – once again allowing more time for connecting

I invite and encourage and am looking forward to your feedback! 

Have you used a process similar to the A.W.E. process when working through a challenge or to create change? 

What have you learned from a recent challenge?

What adjustments could I make if I decide to participate in the UBC for a third time?

Please – post your comments below!