Setting a benchmark

It’s been six days since I posted my benchmark article, “30 days to Growth“, where I talked about taking a 30 day run at getting outside of your comfort zone and really doing some different things to get people’s attention and grow.

I call “30 days to Growth” a benchmark article because it was intended to be a benchmark for me. I had decided to make the 30 day run myself and really pour some soul into my blog, bringing it to a new and dynamic life. I’ve taken this last week very seriously, and I feel like I’m really ramping up for the next 24 days.

Here are some things I’ve done that are different than what I normally do:

• I installed a form to capture email addresses so that I can produce and deliver a regular newsletter, where I’ll offer additional audio and video content to subscribers who want more than what’s regularly posted on my blog.
• I recorded and embedded my very first video, which only first time commenters on my blog will see, thanking them for their comment and inviting them to explore some other popular articles. I’ve also installed a video that thanks new subscribers to my newsletter.
• I spent more time marketing in my social networks, adding friends and rounding out my various communities at Stumble, Technorati, and Digg.
• I’ve worked to produce a quality piece of content every day, and I’ve received loads of extra traffic from StumbleUpon, thanks to my readers who have submitted articles I’ve written.
• I’ve used more images than usual to break up the monotony of text on text, for the comfort of my readers.
• I posted a more complete profile of myself on the “About” page, along with an appropriate image (aren’t I cute?), for my readers who would like to know me better.

Some of these things may seem incredibly basic by themselves, but for me it’s felt like the beginning of a big push towards growing and expanding, both as a blogger and as a person. When I wrote  “I wanna be made“, I was building a vision to myself of going through a process that was going to make me better and more convicted as a credible resource and a business person. I purposely posted “30 days” and “Made” when I did so that in 30 days time, I could look back and demonstrate to myself and to my readers real growth and positive change.

The purpose of this post wasn’t really to talk about me… I’m just the example that I feel I’m qualified to talk about. Here’s the point.

When it comes to measuring growth, setting a benchmark is an important first step. When you climb a mountain, looking down from the top, seeing all the trials you faced, realizing where you are compared to where you were… that’s satisfying, on a personal level. It also validates you to others. Nobody can look at you from the bottom, see you standing on the top, and tell you that you didn’t just climb a mountain.

If you haven’t read it already, pop over and give “30 days to growth” a spin. Consider what you’ve done to grow lately, and try to brainstorm a couple ideas of what you could do differently than what you normally do to send a message to your audience that says, “Hey, something’s happening over here! Pay attention or you’ll miss it!” Then, set a benchmark for yourself and commit to spending the next 7, 15, or 30 days to really drive forward in your venture. You might be surprised at the result!