There are a number of 30 Day challenges available – fitness related, dieting, story writing, detox, even one for the bedroom (although part of that challenge is to sometimes take it out of the bedroom). There are a number of challenges in the internet marketing niche too.

It’s possible the concept of a 30 day challenge came from the use of a trial period where, for example, you could download a trial version of a piece of software and try it out risk-free for 30 days.

Perhaps that’s the appeal of the 30 day challenge. It’s an opportunity to try something. It’s long enough to put in some focused effort and make a difference, yet it’s not so long that it seems an overwhelming, intimidating commitment.

The most successful and worthwhile 30 day challenges lead to long-lasting changes. Ideally when the challenge is completed you’ll have begun to establish some new habits, possibly having broken your addiction to old ones. You should also have had some success, which will give you greater confidence that you can continue. You should still be applying what you learned enabling you to maintain the results you achieved, and hopefully achieve even more.

At the very least you should have 30 days of results behind you, giving you an idea of what you can expect if you continue, making you better placed to make informed long-term decisions. At the end of the 30 day period you can also decide whether to extend the challenge further.

Often a 30 day challenge is organised by an external source, but it is possible to follow our own challenges. Just keep it simple. Perhaps you could write a certain number of words or comment on a set number of blogs each day. Perhaps you could record an audio or video piece each day. Email someone in your niche, post to a channel like YouTube, Facebook or Pinterest, or put together a plan or information that you can use later.

Think of small steps that will add up to a useful result. If you produce a list of possible challenges chose the one you have most enthusiasm for and go for it.

There are four months of 2015 left. Two of them are 30 days long. Make use of at least one of them. I challenge you.