One Hundred Days

Quick answer: Why did Charles Dickens write A Christmas Carol so quickly?

In autumn 1843 Dickens was nearly broke: his American travel book hadn't sold and his serial novel was slipping. An idea came at a Manchester meeting on schools for poor children. The book was tied to Christmas, so he gave himself six weeks and paid for printing himself when his publishers refused.

In the autumn of 1843, a thirty-one-year-old Englishman was famous in two countries and closer to broke than anyone outside his house knew. His American travel book hadn't sold, his monthly serial was selling worse every issue, and his publishers threatened to cut his pay. He'd grown up poor; at twelve, with his father in debtors' prison, he'd pasted labels on boot-blacking pots ten hours a day. So he did what he always did when afraid. He walked, fifteen and twenty miles through sleeping London, working out a short book. The idea had come at a Manchester meeting about schools for poor children. It had a catch: it had to be in the shops by a particular week in December. His publishers wanted no part of it, so he paid for it himself and priced it so a clerk could afford it. John turns it to us. A hundred days is enough for one real goal. Pick it, date it December 31, and take the first step tonight.

Why it matters for leaders: A deadline and a single chosen objective will get more done than a dozen good intentions.

Q: What happened to Dickens as a boy?

A: His father went to debtors' prison when he was twelve, and he was sent to paste labels on pots of boot-blacking ten hours a day.

Q: What does John suggest readers do with the last 100 days of the year?

A: Pick one objective, write December 31 next to it tonight, tell the person who'll ask about it in January, and take one step.

Read the full essay on Substack → https://heroespath.substack.com/p/one-hundred-days

By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation