A new year means our in boxes filling up with endless emails littered with ideas on how to improve our lives in these simple steps. My favorite time of year as I sift through memberships and subscriptions, trashing ones I’ve done or are outdated.

A goal at the top of my list each year, and maybe yours too, is trying something outside my comfort zone. This includes participating in challenges that tricking into my inbox. From writing challenges (50k words in a month) to getting organized (30 steps in 30 days), I’ve done them all and oftentimes more than one at a time. AGH!

While I’m an advocate for trying new ventures, especially those that push you to grow, before doing the bat crazy move I usually do and pile them on, consider asking yourself these questions before jumping in with both feet.

WHAT WILL I GET FROM THIS CHALLENGE

At the time, I needed both challenges to help with two major steps I wanted to accomplish, but I didn’t stop to ask myself what I’d get out of each one, whether they’d be worth my time, and if they fit into my big picture goals. While challenges do provide valuable content, make sure they’re inline with what you want to accomplish and you’re not getting tangled amongst the trees instead of seeing the forest.

CAN I DO THIS?

Don’t do more than one challenge in a month! That’s a no brainer right? They’re both great challenges and you need them so why not? But how does the rest of your month or year look? Will this challenge cause delays later or add stress instead of help?

I had a lot on my plate already so not a good choice for me. I got halfway through the month and then fizzled out. Thankfully, the LWSL challenge was structured so I could finish at my own pace. Which leads me to lesson three.

DOES IT HAVE TO BE NOW?

Many challenges are setup for you to participate at a specific time frame and with a special price. That works for the companies, but what about you? If the challenge is during a time that’s not convenient for you, then what? A couple of things  to consider is:

  • Is this a one-time challenge or something offered on a regular basis? Perhaps there’s another time that fit your schedule better.
  • Is there a self-teaching option you can download now and go through later at your own pace?

New challenges are fantastic resources for helping you grow, add value and knowledge to your skill set, connect with like-minded people, and prepare you for bigger and better things, so don’t be afraid to try them.

What challenges have you done and what lessons did you learn?