Back in 2019, I started a daily comic challenge on a whim. I didn’t put much thought into it—but I had been recently humiliated by the state of my design portfolio and all I knew was that I NEVER wanted to feel like that again.

Initially, the challenge was about mastering one thing (drawing comics), but after the first few weeks, I realized that the journey I had set out on was about more than becoming a better illustrator…

It was about becoming a better PERSON.

In the past six months, I launched a coaching business, started a podcast, switched to a plant-based diet, designed my perfect day, ditched the gym for free weights, and finally found my purpose as a creative human.

Two hundred and six comics in, I’m sharing this list of perks because starting a 365-day challenge saved my damn life—and I know it can do the same for you.

1. Get Your Shit Together!

How many times has someone said that to you? And how many times have you said it to yourself? Starting a 365 challenge won’t magically deposit $100,000 in your bank account, but it will show your friends and family that you’re SERIOUS about your goals.

While everyone around you dreams about all the things they “would” do if they had the time, money, or energy, you’ll be quietly cranking out art. Your shit will come together and you’ll have the evidence to prove it.

2. Tracking 10,000 Hours

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about how experts around the world all have one common characteristic—time. From musicians to hockey players, it seems to take roughly ten thousand hours to master a skill.

If you’re doing a little of this and that, it’s impossible to track your progress.

A daily challenge makes it simple to measure your practice, but it also focuses you on one specific thing, so you can get to 10k hours a lot faster.

3. People See the REAL You

In an episode of the Love Dripping From the Walls podcast, Seattle dating coach Cora Boyd has this great soundbite about authenticity where she calls out social facades: “People looking for you and they can’t find you!!!”

When I started my challenge, I was afraid to talk about controversial topics, like psychedelics, BDSM, and mental health. But when I decided to be 100% honest, people came out of the woodwork to tell me how much my comics resonated with them. It felt good to tell the whole truth.

4. Iteration vs Scratch

My freelance career restarted probably twenty different times as I jumped from “web designer” to “coder” to “strategist” to “copywriter.” The sad fact is a lot of people waste their entire lives doing this.

It’s like Shia LaBoeuf says…

If you’re tired of starting over, STOP GIVING UP.

I can’t tell you whether a 365 challenge will make you “successful,” but I have experienced the power of iterating on a specific idea for a long time. If you never push yourself past the point “where anyone else would quit,” how can you truly know whether success if possible? Why not go all-in?

5. Perfect Introvert Excuse

Saying “no” to things you don’t want to do is one of the hardest parts of being an introvert. It’s exhausting to constantly be defending your time and energy, but a 365 challenge is the perfect excuse for any situation.

When you tell people, “I’m sorry, but I have to finish this comic for my 365 challenge,” they don’t push back because they get what’s on the line.

No one wants to be responsible for breaking your chain on day twenty, let alone day two hundred!

6. Library of Reusable Content

When I used to write blog posts as a web designer, I would always fill them with stock photos and memes. But the true genius of a 365 challenge is that by the end you will have 365 pieces of your own content!

You can use this “evergreen” artwork (writing, music, etc) for the rest of your life wherever you need it.

Even halfway through, I’m already finding uses for my comics on mental health, introversion, productivity. It’s like the creative version of buying stocks and then just sitting back to watch your money grow.

I might not be an illustrator for the rest of my life, but I’ll always have a killer illustration portfolio. And that’s an investment worth sweating for!