What’s The Significance Of Sept 23rd?

significance of September 23rdSo, what *is* the significance of the date September 23rd? Well, nothing huge, in all honesty! It’s all to do with where the date sits in the year, and it’s why the 22nd is maybe more significant…

You can pick any day in the year and find historical events that happened – ‘That’ll Be The Day’ by Buddy Holly got to number 1 on Sept 23rd for example (bet you’re singing it now).

But as I said earlier, I’m more interested in where the date site in the year, and Sept 23rd sits at a point with 99 days left of the year, so the 22nd has 100 more days!

100 is one of those numbers which seems to resonate. It just works, doesn’t it, as a reference point. It could be 100 pounds, it could be a list of a 100 things, or in this case, 100 days.

There are various 100 day challenges starting at this time of year, and they all tap into this idea of 100 days left. At the beginning of September I wrote about making the choice to *not* consider September as some sort of wind down for the year, because there are still 4 months left! (link at bottom of article)

It’s silly to write off a whole third of the year, and this idea of 100 days left is a great way to take the concept even further. I’ve written many times over the years that we can set goals at any time, and in fact to tie them to dates can be counter productive. It’s why I’m not a massive fan of New Year Resolutions.

However, it could be that using dates as staging posts works for you, so it’s an idea I don’t totally disregard. If it moves an idea from concept into real world action, and real world results, then all the better for it.

If there’s something you meant to get done this year, but haven’t, for whatever reason, then why not decide to use 100 days to kick it into gear?

The idea is simple, the process is simple, and it goes like this…

– Set your goal. It has to be defined and measurable.
– Work out the steps you need to take to get there. Work them out as specifically as possible, until you have a clear next step to take.
– Take that step.

Believe me, if you do that, you really can start something special. Momentum will build, habit will build, you’ll find yourself motivated to take the next step, then the next – in fact you’ll be hungry to get to the next step.

Will you hit obstacles? Most likely you will, yes, but hitting those obstacles is a sign of progress, and getting past them is progress still.

It’s all a choice of course, and it’s your choice. You can choose to go Christmas shopping (some people are even putting decorations up!), you can choose to tell yourself that you’ll start on your goals ‘next year’, you can choose to let the next 100 days slide by.

Or, you can take the year by the scruff of the neck, set out your plan for the next 100 days and really get stuck in, knowing that when you look back at the end of the year, you’ll be so much closer to your goal than you would have been otherwise.

Do feel free to let me know what your goal is, and by the way, if you’re reading this after the 23rd thinking that it’s too late, think again! You can still set a 100 day challenge, or make it a 90 day challenge – it’s not the numbers that are important, it’s the action that counts!

‘Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. Here’s that other article – Simple September Seaside Sunset – It’s Christmas!

Do leave a comment!

Leave a Reply to Carol X

10 Comments

  • Great post! I really enjoy the 100 Day challenge idea. It reminds us all to break big actions down to small steps. Thanks for writing this post. It’s been a pleasure to stop by your blog today.

    • Thanks Deanna – yes, it’s amazing how those little actions, the one day at a time, can really add up!
      Thanks for stopping by,
      cheers, Gordon

    • Spot on Michelle! It could be seen as just another arbitrary milestone, which it is, but it’s also a fact, and if it can be used to get things done, that’s great! Cheers, Gordon

  • I think I will use the last days of this year to promote my book, write some more and to enjoy life a bit. I actually got more done than I thought I would, surprisingly so. As for significant dates in the year … I can’t even remember what year it is 🙂

  • Thank you for the date. I now know that I am 2 posts behind in my blog a day challenge for 2013. I’ve written 263 and at the 100 day mark I should have written 265. I need to get busy. I have never heard of Sept 22 or 23 as being markers. I’ll remember them.

  • I love a challenge! I have done lots of 30-day ones and am doing a 41-day one at the moment. Not sure why it’s 41 days, in fact it might be 42, as I’m not in charge, but the point is that a fixed-term challenge can spur me on to do something every day that I wouldn’t otherwise have done, or at least not in such a concentrated way. Just having a think about what I might plan for the rest of the year 🙂

    • I also seem to work better to deadlines, there must be a psychological reason for it – even with deadlines it seems common for people to leave everything as close to that deadline as possible!