2017 is well under way. I cannot believe that it is already February. Tell me, how many new year resolutions did you set this year? How many new year resolutions are you still working on? It has been proven that, for most people, new year resolutions are not very effective. Have you ever considered taking on a personal challenge every month?
Last year was pretty special for me. I finally hit the big 3. That’s right, in December I turned 30 years old. Many describe this transition as the period where you stop dancing, your bones start creaking, your body clock starts ticking louder, your chances to find love goes even lower and many more negative comments. For me, this was an opportunity to celebrate my life and to look forward to a life full of opportunities. Aside from the various parties throughout the year, yes I had more than 6 celebrations, I decided to sign up to a gruelling program to beat negativity out of my system and shape myself into the young woman I wanted to be.
I started the year with 12 challenges and a list of 30 things I wanted to achieve before turning 30. You are probably thinking that I am insane and that you will never be able to do something like this. Yes I am insane, and no you definitely can do something like this. In fact, I am challenging you to set up your own goals for 2017. Are you up for this?
Many say that it takes 30 days to form a habit. We all have many things that we want to start. I wish I could wake up early, I wish I could exercise every day, I wish I could meditate every day. Changing a habit is hard work. It requires a lot of willpower. A good recipe for failure is to transform all aspects of your life at the same time. It is recommended to bring change gradually into your life. Work on one habit, develop it, then work on another habit. The 12 challenges in a year allowed me to do just that. Here is my list:
- January – Learn self control and discipline by being vegan for a month
- February – Turn your subconscious into your personal coach by repeatedly writing down positive affirmations
- March – Sitting on the floor at home to improve fitness
- April – Face my fears by visualising difficult situations and mentally dealing with them
- May – Listen to one motivational talk every day
- June – Practice public speaking (Write/record a speech, give presentations or learn something new about public speaking)
- July – Plan the next day
- July – 22 push ups challenge
- August – Learn to relax – Take the foot off the pedal
- September – Practice Chinese every day
- November – Burn Out – Didn’t manage to commit to anything :(.
- December – Practice acceptance and restart the engine ready to start again in 2017
Others will argue that having 12 challenges is too much for one year. I guess it depends on what you would like to do. For those who are scared of failing or are put off by the idea of starting something new and maintaining it for an entire year, this is perfect. You only have to do it for 30 days. If you want to continue with it afterwards, then go for it. Otherwise, you’re free to play with something else next month. The rule is that you have to commit to doing something, new or old, at the beginning of the month and carry it through. There were days when I fell off the wagon. I just picked up where I left off, jumped back on the train and continued the journey.
2016 was for me an exploratory year, the year were I dedicated myself to stretching my belief system, pushing myself to my breaking point and then going past it. I would urge you to consider experimenting with this system in 2017. Schedule some time over the next few days to think about what you want 2017 to be for you. If you need help or someone to be accountable to, then drop me a line and we can support each other.
For my part, I went back to mindfulness and meditating every day in January. I already feel more peaceful and connected to myself. My challenge for February is to take a cold shower every morning. For someone who steam up a bathroom even in summer, this is extremely hard. I’ll let you know how I get on. March seems so far away :(. I have 23 more cold showers to go!
As for finding out what was on my list of 30 things before I turned 30, I am afraid that this is a story for another day
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