Will you join me for a 5-Day Challenge?
I have been challenging myself with different strategies for over a decade now. The 5-Day Challenge continues to work for me, so now I’ll share what this is all about with you, in hopes that you will join me…
I came up with an idea on how to better serve my audience of online entrepreneurs, marketers, writers, and coaches. This will take the shape and form of a 5-Day Challenge, in which participants will spend about an hour each day, preferably first thing in the morning on being mindful and intentional about what they wish to achieve that day. This requires trust and commitment in the process, and the belief that this time will be of great help and value and can be thought of as an investment and opportunity to change your life in the exact way you may have been wanting to for some time.
At first, you may view this Challenge as being too time consuming or even a complete waste of your precious time. But I encourage you to give this strategy a chance for the next five days and then let me know how it went for you.
Knowing ourselves in a more intimate way will always lead to deeper growth and commitment to our dreams and goals and this is a way to have a loosely structured format to guide you forward.
Let’s begin!
The 9 categories will include reading, writing, listening, sharing, creating, learning, pondering, daydreaming, and expressing gratitude.
I’ll add my thoughts and actions throughout each of the five days!
For example, mine might look like this on a given day…
Reading – I could choose a short story and read it silently or aloud for 15 minutes that day. I would commit to completing the story by the end of the week.
Writing – I might write the beginning of a blog post, short report, or a section of the book I am currently writing. Or, I could write a letter or a card to a friend or family member. I enjoy writing to people I care about for no reason at all, except to stay connected and to show them that I care about them.
Listening – this could be music from a favorite artist, a podcast, or from a book on Audible.
Sharing – part of the fun of being an entrepreneur, in my experience, is to share what I’m doing with others. Find a way to share with someone using email, social media, or a phone or text message. Be as detailed as you like, and be sure to ask the other person to share something back to you.
Creating – this could include working on a new product or course and thinking about it as if it were already completed. Imagine what others would experience by having access to your creation and it might affect them or change their life in some way.
Learning – Assuming that we are all lifelong learners, choose to learn something that is of interest and will be useful and beneficial to you and those around you. Perhaps your family is planning a trip in the near future. What do you need to know to make this trip the adventure and experience of a lifetime for everyone?
Pondering – Asking yourself “What if?” is an excellent way to balance the pros and the cons of something you’d like to explore but aren’t sure is right for you.
Daydreaming – Allow your mind to go wherever it is guided by your thinking in the present moment. Knowing that anything and everything is possible, imagine yourself living the life of your dreams, a lifestyle by design that is your unique creation.
Expressing Gratitude – A gratitude practice gives you purpose and direction in both a focused and an anonymous way. Special people and memories and desired experiences will come up for you, opening the door to your future in a spiritual and x way that you never could have imagined.
Will you commit to this 5-Day Challenge, knowing that you will chose the time and the format for each day? Choose what category or categories you will explore each day, and add some additional ones that make sense for your goals and dreams.
Based on my personal experiences with this type of Challenge, I will share with you that every minute you spend engaged in this way will benefit you many times over.
When I first challenged myself to commit to this, I was sure I would give it up by the second or third day. So I was pleasantly surprised when I actually looked forward to getting back to where I had left on on the previous day. I read short stories by O’Henry, listened to an interview on NPR, and outlined a new product. I felt more alive and energized than I had in years.
This is what I’m doing during the week that begins on Monday, August 19th, 2024…
Reading: I’m reading about August’s rare blue supermoon that will appear bigger and brighter than most full moons when it lights up the sky later today and that’s what I’m reading about. It’s the first of four consecutive supermoons this year. The August full moon is also known as the Sturgeon Moon and named after sturgeon fish found in the Great Lakes around this time of year. The full moon will reach peak at 2:26pm ET Monday, and you’ll be able to see it best on Monday evening.
Writing: I’m working on a new short report, and this time the topic is around creating profitable and fun side hustles to increase your income.
Listening: I’m listening on Audible to “Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow’s Consumers” by Raja Rajamannar and it is fascinating!
Sharing: I shared my best strategies for writing and marketing a nonfiction book with my “12 Week Author” students. Would this be of interest to YOU?
Creating: I created a three step process for sharing your content on social media or within your email to your community. More details soon, I promise!
Learning: I’m learning how to increase my affiliate earnings without doing additional promotions
Pondering: What if the use of artificial intelligence opens new channels of teaching, learning, and expressing ideas, all while ensuring that our expressed thoughts are original?
Daydreaming: Working from home has opened my eyes to the possibility of making our own reality and future. My dream is to help one million people create their own lifestyle by design.
Expressing Gratitude: I am grateful for the friendship of a friend I have know for over forty years now. She is at once like a sister, mother, daughter, and neighbor to me and I only hope she feels similarly about me.
This is what I’m engaged with on Tuesday, August 20th, 2024…
Reading: Today I am reading another chapter in “Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon” by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
Writing: I’m writing more for my upcoming book on productivity today, and I am going to use what I’m sharing here with you in my 5-Day Challenge for Entrepreneurs.
Listening: I was going to read one of my favorite short stories, “Why I Live at the P.O.” by Eudora Welty, but instead I decided to listen to it. Whether you are familiar with this author or not, please listen to at least the first few minutes of this 21-minute recording, read by the author herself! This reading was quite inspirational to me and I highly recommend you treat yourself to hearing this story.
Sharing: Today I’m going to share a marketing and sales strategy with my online community by using an example from my own life. I have an elderly family member who must be “sold” on ideas before he is willing to get on board. He has family members in Finland and Sweden, some of whom he hasn’t seen in person in over two years. I tell him that although Skype and Zoom are wonderful, there is nothing that compares with a hug, a handshake, and looking into someone’s eyes up close.
When I suggested that he plan a trip to visit them for a few weeks, his first response was that it was too expensive. Then I showed him some flight information and prices sent over by my travel agent and he was quiet, pondering the whole thing. I let it go for a few hours, and then asked him a question that would make all the difference. “Do you prefer a window or an aisle seat on your flight over?” When he quickly answered that he likes the window very much but thinks an aisle seat is best for him now that he is older, I knew we were ready to book his flight.
We have to “sell” our prospects on the idea of making purchases from and through us many times, so find out as much as you can about the circumstances of the person you are marketing to and what their pain points might be. There are many possibilities, including the cost, how much benefit they might receive, the time involved to learn and take action on what you offering to them, and also the specific results they will achieve once they take the action that is being taught in great detail.
If you are new to marketing, you may want to test the waters by asking your prospects directly what their goals are and where they are right now. If they are willing to share even one fear and/or a pain point with you, there is an excellent chance you will be able to make the sale and close the deal as they understand that you truly want to serve them.
Creating: Today I am creating a new blog post about an experience I had while I was working as a classroom teacher. There are many aspects and points of view to this story and I want to make sure my readers can see themselves as one of the characters in my story. All of the stories I share are based in truth, with a splash of fiction to make them at least a little more interesting.
Learning: I am learning to make a new recipe for lemon pound cake. A friend is coming over later to show me what she does very differently that makes her desserts out of this world delicious!
Pondering: I have an idea about creating AI – Artificial Intelligence – projects for children from about three years old up to age ten or so and a desire to explore this area. I believe there is great potential in working with children who learn differently from most kids their age. I’m asking myself “What would this look like and what results could possibly be expected from teaching in this way?
Daydreaming: I’d love to go on a River Cruise. I have many friends who do this regularly, yet I have only gone on commercial cruises over the years. I am seeking smaller groups and more meaningful experiences.
Expressing Gratitude: Today I am grateful for my friendship with Ellen Finkelstein. Not only have we co-authored two books together: one for authors and the other for speakers – but she is also an excellent listener and a mentor to me in many areas of my life that goes beyond writing and marketing.
This is what I’m engaged with on Wednesday, August 21st, 2024…
Reading: I thought I would dabble “outside the box” today for my reading activity. A client who has become a friend referenced “A Course in Miracles” in her email to me and I remembered that I had a copy in my home library. It was given to me in 2006, the year I left my previous life as a classroom teacher and real estate broker/residential appraiser behind, in favor of a new life as an online entrepreneur, product and course creator, marketer, and author.
Writing: My current “work in progress” Monday Morning Mellow post is about a family I became acquainted with during the summer before I started Junior High School. I ended up becoming close friends with the older sister, who was twenty years old with a three-year-old daughter she had given birth to during the spring of her sophomore year in high school. This friendship opened my eyes to so many things I had not been aware of before, and issues I thought I understood and had beliefs around from my previous life experiences. It’s interesting to me that people can live across the street from one another, yet not have a clue about so much that occurs in each other’s life that is not discussed.
Listening: I have an App on my phone called “Merlin” that is from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It’s free because it’s their mission to advance the understanding and protection of birds. I went outside for about five minutes early this morning and Merlin identified a bird in my yard as being a male “Anna’s Hummingbird.” This time was like a meditation for me and made me grateful to be alive in nature today.
Sharing: Today I am preparing lunch to take over to a friend’s house. This is my longest friendship and this woman is responsible for so many wonderful things that have become a part of my life experience over the past three and a half decades. She and her husband are full time caregivers for his 105 year old mother. One of them is always with her, so this has put a strain on their family dynamic.
Creating: I want to create a new membership site and forum for the people I mentor. This will enable them to interact with one another for friendship, an exchange of ideas, and for collaboration. I will carry this over to tomorrow and see what comes up for me that would be of great benefit to the entrepreneurs I work closely with in my mentoring programs.
Learning: My vocabulary has always been limited, so every day I strive to learn a new word and then use it before the end of that day. Today’s word is intrepid, and in the positive sense. “I continue to be an intrepid student of marketing, and enjoy the process of growing my knowledge in a helpful and innovative manner.”
Pondering: I used to write short poems as a child, and for my 6th grade culmination I wrote and recited the poem I had written specifically for this occasion. So when I heard that Amanda Gorman, our nation’s first National Youth Poet Laureate and the youngest inaugural poet in history had written a new poem, I wanted to read, hear, and internalize her words. Gorman’s poem emphasized the importance of unity and the American dream, expressing that the country’s survival depends on people standing together, regardless of differences in religion, class, or color.
“This Sacred Scene”
We gather at this hallowed place because we believe in the American dream.
We face a race that tests if this country we cherish shall perish from the earth and if our earth shall perish from this country.
It falls to us to ensure that we do not fall for a people that cannot stand together, cannot stand at all.
We are one family regardless of religion, class, or color for what defines a patriot is not just our love of liberty, but our love for one another.
This is loud in our country’s call because while we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all.
Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity. That is the American promise, powerful and pure.
Divided we cannot endure but united we can endeavor to humanize our democracy and endear democracy to humanity.
And make no mistake, cohering is the hardest task history ever wrote, but tomorrow is not written by our odds of hardship, but by the audacity of our hope by the vitality of our vote.
Only now, approaching this rare air are we aware that perhaps the American dream is no dream at all, but instead a dare to dream together.
Like a million roots tethered, branching up humbly, making one tree.
This is our country from many, one, from battles won, our freedoms sung, our kingdom come has just begun.
We redeem this sacred scene ready for our journey from it.
Together we must birth this early republic and achieve an unearthly summit.
Let us not just believe in the American dream. Let us be worthy of it.
“This is loud in our country’s call because while we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all. Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity. That is the American promise, powerful and pure. Divided we cannot endure, but united we can endeavor to humanize our democracy and endear democracy to humanity,” Gorman said.
Gorman called for the audacity of hope and vitality of votes to overcome challenges, viewing the American dream as a collective effort rather than an individual aspiration.
Daydreaming: I have family visiting from Europe this month, and I am daydreaming of how I will make this trip the most special one so far for them before they travel back across the pond. I’ll update this as soon as I come up with just the right thing.
Expressing Gratitude: I am grateful for the friendship and the wisdom of Carl Galletti. He is a brilliant and legendary copywriter and marketer, and my co-author on my recent book, “Marketing in Your Underwear: Stripping Down to the Basics of Sales and Persuasion.”
This is what I’m engaged with on Thursday, August 22nd, 2024…
Reading: I’ve never been a comic book reader, but I’m not sure why. I now have friends who are writers who have published comic books and graphic novels. One author is Gene Luen Yang and I purchased his book, “Dragon Hoops” as a gift for a high school student I was working with during the first six months of the pandemic. I warned her of the profanity in the story and also told her that I believed the work of this author could be important to her in a shared culture way. I’m reading it for at least the fifth time this week, and have a renewed sense of awe for what Yang created with this work.
Writing: I’m writing a chapter for my upcoming book on the topic of “Mastering Communication for Work and Life Balance.” I believe that most of the problems in the world stem from lack of or miscommunication. Every day, I look for someone to discuss the “big” ideas and situations that are challenging all of us in one way or another. These include finances, relationships, hopes and dreams, health, and so much more. When I’m walking in my neighborhood, I say hello to friends and strangers alike, with the goal of striking up a conversation with someone who has a very different perspective on the world.
Listening: It’s interesting to me that it doesn’t seem the least bit peculiar to tell you that I am listening to the sound of my breathing. I find that I’m doing much more breath work these days, as I used to do when I first traded in my previous life as a classroom teacher and real estate broker/residential appraiser in favor of a life as an online entrepreneur, marketer, and writer.
Sharing: I kept it simple today, sharing some of the lemon pound cake I learned to make a couple of days ago (See My “Learning” from Day Two of this 5-Day Challenge) with my daughter-in-law. We pulled our chairs closer together on the patio, and with the sun shining down on us we ate our slices of cake and shared stories from our college days. It was Heaven to have that time together, without thinking of the time that was passing or about anyone else in our world.
Creating: My mother was a fine artist and made great efforts to turn me into her protege. I resisted with a vengeance unlike anything I could have imagined. I whined and cried and pleaded to be excused from constant attempts at turning me into someone who appreciated the arts, and one day she succumbed to my wishes. It would be decades before I realized the error of my ways, and I pay tribute to my mother by dabbling in creative endeavors periodically. Today, I painted a watercolor of she and I and a friend from elementary school named Rhonda Sue. We were at the Crandon Park Zoo in Miami in 1966 and in this updated version of my life experience, I am happy and excited to be engaged in this way.
Learning: In the world of films, plays, and television shows, the scripts and screenplays that are held in the highest regard are the ones that show more than tell. I think of the opening scene from the movie Chinatown and we know everything we need to know about Jake Gittes without his uttering a word.
Today I am working on a script that is taking way too log to finish but providing me with valuable lessons along the way. I’m using what is known as a “Beat Sheet” to tighten up the story, and the Beat Sheet from Chinatown seems fitting as my example.
Pondering: While I was teaching, I observed my students on the first day of school to see who was confident, reserved, anxious, or filled with wonder. In the online world we don’t always meet each other in person. This makes it more difficult to “read” the people we will work with in our businesses.
The goal becomes to show them what’s possible and allow them to take the lead and fill in the blanks. That’s why the people who seek out a blueprint or a step by step outline as to what to do to achieve financial success are usually disappointed.
Instead, I encourage them to feel their way forward in a more intuitive way. When I was struggling with writing blog posts during my first several months, it made a difference that I had to figure it out for myself. This led to my developing the “Five Paragraph Model” that thousands of people still use to this day.
Creativity rules the day and allows you to step into your power and surprise yourself every day. What if we all allowed our creativity to take center stage as we peel back the layers of who we truly are as humans?
Daydreaming: As an undergraduate at UCLA, I took a class in improvisation. We were given a prompt and one by one we stood in front of the professor and our classmates and showed them the story we intended to share. One time I improvised a scene where I was waiting at a bus stop to go to school. The others were able to tell very quickly that I was about twelve years old, simply by the way I brushed my hair behind my ears before stepping up into the bus.
What are you showing the world, without saying a word? When you’re on social media or writing an email to your list, can people read between the lines to feel the message you are delivering to them, or are they clueless because your trying to tell more than show?
Expressing Gratitude: I am most grateful today for someone who came into my life about two years ago and has now become my right-hand person in a few different parts of my business. I thank Good every day for connecting us, and my goal is to make sure she feels the love and appreciation I have for her and her family.
This is what I’m engaged with on Friday, August 23rd, 2024…
Reading: I was pondering a quote… “I will do all that science, so far as it may filter through my efforts, can accomplish.” ~ O.Henry and I was reminded that his short story “The Last Leaf” was the first piece of writing that moved me to tears and then to taking action as a writer. It was the second semester of my freshman year of college and I had signed up for a course on short stories as the English requirement. As I reread this story for what felt like the millionth time, I was struck by a few ideas… that writing need not be of a specific length or style or genre to deeply affect the reader.
Here is a book of 12 short stories by O. Henry, including the two that are his most popular, The Last Leaf and The Gift of the Magi.
Writing: I love turning my thoughts and ideas and precepts into quotes to share with others. This is what I came up with today… “While I wouldn’t be thought of as the smartest person in the room, or the most innovative or creative or interesting, I am almost always recognized as the most productive, and that’s why I have the most disposable income and free time. Productivity for the Win!” ~ Connie Ragen Green (Yes, that’s me!)
Listening: I loved the sound of Norah Jones’ voice and piano playing since she released her first album, Come Away with Me in 2002. Most recently, she was a guest on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert and she has continued to grow as an artist. Perhaps her sound will resonate with you as well.
Sharing: The Three-Body Problem… I first became aware of this as a series on Netflix. After reading the premise, I knew it would be interesting to me. In simple terms, a three-body problem exists when three celestial objects (planets, stars, or suns) with similar mass are in close proximity and therefore exerting force on each other.
This is science fiction, but based on some truths that cannot be ignored. I’m not going to spoil this for you, but once I took the time to read the novel “The Three-Body Problem” by Cixin Liu and originally published in 2016, I realized this was an important work that deserved my attention. Liu’s book won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015, awarded annualy by The World Science Fiction Society.
Creating: I’m working on a strategy to help people who are interested in doing what I did… making the jump from employee to entrepreneur in order to create a lifestyle by design. It isn’t an easy feat to accomplish, and I understand firsthand the challenges and obstacles that can get in the way. This training will be the culmination of my efforts to help at least one thousand people to replace their income from their current job and get to six-figures online during a one-year period.
Learning: As the topic of productivity and accomplishing more moves closer to being my life’s work, I strive each day to find new and exciting ways to share what I know and am refining to as many people as possible. This requires me to learn more from those who are dedicating their lives to improving and enhancing what is working for them.
Pondering: I was thinking about the year I took off after graduation from UCLA and before going on to law school. It made a world of difference for me and was most likely the reason I left law school after three semesters. I did this again after a particularly challenging year of teaching and used that time to regain my sanity and to explore the direction I wanted to take with my life.That led to my decision to resign my classroom teaching position, give away my real estate clients to people who were better prepared to serve my clients, relocate an hour away to a new home that I watched being built, and discovering that there was a world online where I could not only replace my previous income but also continue to grow it year over year.
You’ve most likely heard the phrase “gap year” used to describe students taking time to travel, volunteer, or relax before pursuing further education or work. Less talked about is the growing trend of adults embarking on their own version of a gap year, also known as a mini-sabbatical. More companies are offering these extended breaks as a way to counter employee burnout and exhaustion, and in hopes of fewer people making the jump from employee and/or small business owner.
Daydreaming: My precept is that anyone can become successful as an online entrepreneur, marketer, and writer, if they are willing to learn as much as they can, do the work, and devote a solid 15 to 20 hours each week to getting everything set up. Too many people start and stop, over and over again, each time vowing that this time will be different.
As I mentioned above, my goal is to help at least one thousand people to replace their income from their current job during a one-year period. I am now committing to hosting the next 5-Day Challenge during September of 2024, and I will be inviting everyone who is also interested in this topic to join me. I promise to help you with increased visibility and credibility, all with the intention of moving you closer to profitability.
I will also invite people who are currently helping people move from employee to entrepreneur to share their thoughts and insights. Stay tuned for details, and make sure to opt in to my list so you won’t miss a thing.
Expressing Gratitude: I had a visit with my doctor this week and was reminded once again how special this man is to me and other members of my family. He worked closely with me as I began my intermittent fasting practice in 2020, and I spoke about him and how his guidance made a difference for me in the book I published in 2021, “In Pursuit of Healthy-Ness: How I Reinvented My Life with Intermittent Fasting.”
We are Complete for Our 5-Day Challenge for Summer, 2024
Yes, I’ll Host Another One in the Fall!
Email me with your questions or to share your own success with this at
conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com
I’m bestselling USA Today and Wall Street Journal author Connie Ragen Green, empowering people throughout the world to believe in the possibilities and
craft a message that will change the world.