Throughout our blog, you’ll notice that we discuss a wide variety of topics relating to marketing best practices, including tips and tricks to improve your lead generation efforts. As a team, we constantly push ourselves and push the envelope to create the best results for our client’s short- and long-term goals. We’re in the business of creativity, thought leadership, and having a deep understanding of consumer buying patterns.

Nine times out of ten, each blog post is written in direct response to a problem we recently solved, a question we just answered, or information we recently learned. We could write about what everyone else in the marketing world is writing about, but we don’t.

Why?

Because Marketing Gets Stale

Think about it. If everyone did the same thing regarding their marketing tactics, everyone would be “tied,” which would offer no benefit to clients. Everyone would have a cookie-cutter representation – no one would stand out from the crowd. It’s the marketers and companies that step outside of the box and find a new tactic, mind frame, or strategy to position their clients in a way that most closely resonates with their customers that reap the most success for their goals, objectives, and clients?

Will You Accept the Challenge?

In my last blog post, I talked about two ways you may be killing your marketing efforts: by being automatic and chasing trends. Both are detrimental to companies and marketers – but luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way.

I pose a challenge to you: to learn.

But more specifically, to completely recalibrate your mind.

There are a TON of 30-day challenges, but the truth of the matter is that a habit is formed or broken in 21 days.

Start here. It takes less than an hour a day, doing these five things:

Take 10 Minutes a Day to Free Write

Write about anything that comes to your mind – the frustrations of your day, an accomplishment you had, your goals, or dissecting last night’s baseball game. The key is not to judge your writing; the goal is to be fluid and let your mind wander.

Learn Something New Every Day

Stumbleupon is a great place to start. Create an account and flag your interests based on what you enjoy or want to learn, be it business or personal. Make it a point to read five articles every day and actually read them – don’t skim them.

Go Above and Beyond

Doesn’t it feel good when someone does something nice for you, just because they felt like it? Continue the circle. Each day, go above and beyond for someone – or simply be kind to a stranger. Leave a sweet note for your significant other, thank a friend or mentor for what they’ve done for you, or offer a sincere compliment to someone you don't know.

Be kind to yourself, too. We are our own worst critics. We beat ourselves up and we break ourselves down – and how we treat ourselves is a reflection of how we treat others. I am terribly hard on myself, and I know that, in turn, I’m hard on others. My idea of high performance is likely very different than others, and if I’m not careful, I project my expectations onto others, which can negatively affect relationships. (This was the hardest piece of the challenge for me, but also the most rewarding.)

Say One Nice Thing About Yourself Every Day

No, no duplicates. Find something unique every day that you love and adore about yourself. Then write it down.

Make It About You

We all know what the flight crew says during their announcements: put your mask on before you help someone else. There’s a reason for that – you can’t help anyone until you help yourself. Life is busy, but unless you take time for yourself, you won’t be able to operate at your optimum level. So take a minimum of 30 minutes each day to do something nice for yourself. Take a walk outside, enjoy a bubble bath, get a massage, or simply meditate and be present. If your mind is clear and calm, it will do wonders for your soul.

This Challenge Doesn’t Have Anything to do with Marketing

You’re right. It doesn’t. But it has everything to do with you and taking care of yourself, being present for opportunities, and having a clear head to tackle your objectives. It’s a break from automatic thinking that will leave you more balanced, more creative, more open, and more fluid. It’s projecting how you feel inside and projecting your creativity, zest, and marketing mojo.

Do you accept the challenge? If so, I want to hear from you! After the end of your 21-day marketing revival challenge, comment below and let me know how the journey affected you.