How I Completed The #HAHD 3 and Cartoon Mug Challenge
April 12th, 2010 | 
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This was my 1st ever challenge! It was the 1st I’ve ever completed!
I’d only ever written 2 articles before this. I’m no writer, I even had extra English at school. I work full time for somebody else too. I’m no professional blogger or html expert. So I think that has most of your excuses out of the way.
To those that didn’t complete it. Why not? Ask yourself, why is completing this challenge important to you? Come up with 100 reasons. Then the motivation to continue and complete it is easy. It only has to be your reason. My motivation ranged from I want to do my topic area full time, be Internet based to school fees and travel.
Your reasons have to be yours and yours along.
This is how I did it.
1. Set yourself a deadline before the actually deadline. Stick to it. This allows for submission – checking, grammar, headline changes etc. I set my date to the 1st of April. It was much easier to remember, rather than the 10th for me.
It helps if you read the rule too. Some of my articles were below the 400 word limit. So I’ve done over 100. – lol
2. If you know your niche or topic area of interest – stick to it. I’m the most published on EzineArticles for my niche/topic area, Emotional Freedom Technique. That became another mini goal for me too, after I checked out the other authors.
It doesn’t mean that all your articles have to go under that category. In fact I think it helps if it doesn’t. Not everybody likes or even knows about your niche or topic area. Yes, most people have never even heard of your favourite ‘guru’.
3. Set yourself a target of doing X per day. Mine was 2. This changes as ’stuff’ comes up. I moved countries during this period. No laptop, no Internet. So I know it can be done. You’ll have off days too. Just write when you can and want to. The tv and soaps can wait! They’ll be repeated anyway
4. Find all the templates on EzineArticles.com. Complete one article for each. It doesn’t matter if they are seasonal, just do it. Also can you apply certain dates to your niche? Sign up to the EZA RSS feed for new templates. Heck even some of the “in the zone” videos are worth watching too.
5. Forums – there are forums for your topic/niche. All questions asked and answered become an article too. Yahoo Answers was pretty useful as well. I also used twitter search too. All of them I have set up as RSS feeds . I just checked them each morning and did as necessary. You never know where a comment or answer may lead.
It’s a great way to get in touch with people too. It’s all about communication. Via twitter, I found blogs, comments etc. A quick trip over to their site or an email to somebody has seen great links and traffic to my site. Heck I’ve even helped somebody trying to get into the Masters (yes – golf). He was wondering about EFT. If you’re passionate about your topic area. This sharing of information comes easily. It shouldn’t be a chore.
6. Blogs. If other people write a blog that you like. ‘Copy’ the style. i.e. 7 most popular books on Amazon etc. – this then also allowed me to contact all the authors of the books.
If you have your own blog. How do people find it? What questions are they asking to find your blog? Questions = Articles. Google Analytics and Site Meter helped me. This also meant that if somebody linked to my site. I said thanks to them too.
Just because you have a blog or web site etc. Doesn’t mean people will find you. You have to go out and find them too. This seems to be so often overlooked by people having a web site or wanting to run a successful internet business.
Once your article is up. It’s up. Job Done, move onto the next one. Yet by completing 100. Do you now realise how much information you have that you can re-purpose and repackage?
I didn’t worry about key words and all that. Why? Your articles, title and content answer what and how people are asking questions about your niche or topic area. You’ll naturally be using keywords or so I think. Yes, you can use keywords as inspiration for topics too.
Finally I used EFT to overcome my initial reaction to starting the challenge and during it too. I though this would be easyish until I started writing. I couldn’t start. In the back of my mind I’d set myself an impossible task. Quickly using EFT. This was overcome and I was full steam ahead. – Article to follow 
Once done, take a well earned rest! Yet using all the above allows you to keep writing. Rinse and Repeat.
Happy Travels
A
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Nice work!
I had I think 4 articles submitted before getting the 30 day mini-challenge notice. I thought, hey, I can still do 100 articles…and in the next 25 days (with weekends off) I got over 100 more articles submitted, plus a few in the last 5 days of the challenge.
It's definitely an achievable goal but it is some work. Well worth doing, I'm going to aim for 200 articles in the next challenge.
You too Blaine,
Thanks for the comments. I think it is pretty easy now I’ve done it and it is one of the easiest ways to get you, your message, services out there etc.
A
Thanks for the encouragement on taking this challenge and congratulations on finishing the last one. I am fairly new to EzineArticles and hadn't heard about these challenges, but am planning on joining in on the next one that starts in May. I figure if you can do it with all the obstacles you had to hurdle, so can I. And by the way, I signed up for your free tapping sheet. I really don't know anything about EFT but recall hearing about it at some point in time. Maybe I'll spend some time at your site learning about it.
Karleen,
Join it. Come up with as many reasons as to why you have to join and you must join. That way you'll be motivated even on your off days!
Thanks for sign up for the EFT sheet too. EFT doesn't just have to be all about the 'serious' stuff. I apply it anywhere and everywhere. The more you do, the bigger and better your results.
My take, if you hear about something enough times…do it. That is how I got into EFT.
That was encouraging. I am about 95% sure I will sign up as the challenge is over the summer when I am not homeschooling 3 kids and teaching at a co-op! I can't quite imagine that writing that much – but so many of you did achieve it. Well done – and thanks for inspiring us to join you in this challenge.