Week 3, and already the energy is receding. This is not how challenges are supposed to go. To say this has been a struggle would be an understatement, it wouldn't be a challenge if it were plain sailing. I guess there would be no point in calling it a challenge. Such a learning curve already.
Lesson 1 - The side step
I am calling this my side step. I am not giving up and I am determined that this challenge will not beat me. It is a life change but my first lesson so far has been that I had set my goal too far ahead. Rome was not built in a day, and a healthier lifestyle does not occur overnight. It is impossible to change everything all at once. if I could advise myself of anything it would be to try and change just one daily habit at a time.
If, which I do, want to make this a life long change for the better, then it should be one step at a time. So, back to the drawing board, back to basics. For this week I am focusing on
day 1, step 1, habit 1. Change the daily breakfast. Once I have mastered the art of rising early enough to prepare and cook nutritious breakfast then I can progress onto the next meal of the day .
Lesson 2 - Planning
Failing to plan is planning to fail - Sir Winston Churchill. Truer words have never been spoken and this message relates to so many different circumstances. To day it rings true with me. I jumped into this challenge head first. I was so eager and so excited to get started that I missed the most important step. I did not plan this, I did not think past the idea stage. I had a thought, set the goal but skipped the important part. It's like saying I want to be a Hairdresser. skipping college, buying the scissors, getting the job and suddenly the oh my word moment of I'm not prepared for this, I have no experience,skills or education to carry this out. It's pretty much impossible, so before taking on any challenge, should it be 30 days or a life long goal, my advice is prepare in advance, have a clear goal, get all your ducks in a row so to speak, before you embark on this journey if you truly want to succeed.
Lesson 3 - Embrace The Opportunity
Perhaps the word challenge is a little too scary. It sounds like something we shouldn't want to do. Each of the challenges that I am currently undertaking are chosen by me. They are personal goals, they are personal growth exercises, things that I really want to change about me. It is important however that we find a way to embrace these opportunities, to look at them as opportunities not as chores. If we are not excited or inspired to do these challenges we are absolutely without a doubt setting ourselves up for failure. Please do not look at this from the view of "I Can't"- open your eyes to a mindset of "I'm trying something new." No more I can't have and so much more of I'm reducing or I'm trying this or that. Embrace your new choices.
Lesson 4 - Time Management
Challenges take time. I never realised just how much time would be consumed with this. Not only the activity, but the planning , the preparation and the participation. If you have a busy lifestyle perhaps it is an idea to start a challenge when you have time off. I forgot to factor this in when I embarked on this. I have had to learn to delegate some extra time in my week just to plan meals and organise shopping trips and most of all time to sit and enjoy the food that I have prepared. It has been a real learning curve but it has made me fall in love with food again, no screen time while eating and makes me feel like I am taking better care of my body, mind and soul, by slowing down it certainly gives me more time to reflect on my day. Not so much running around and grabbing sweet snacks. I now look forward to my mealtimes.
Lesson 5 - Rescue Plan
No matter how perfect you think you are, no matter how many boxes you have ticked, no matter how well you think you have planned and are prepared, life happens. We can all have a side step, an off day or a slump. The important point is that you don't feel that you have failed and give up. There will always be those days when it is impossible to keep on track, our busy lifestyles are proof that there is only so much we can achieve day by day. Don't be so hard on yourself. Congratulate yourself on your achievements so far, dust yourself off, take a deep breath and re group. One bad day does not make a bad year; in the same token one side step does not constitute a failed challenge. Focus on the end goal not the daily challenge. Good Luck
xx Lei
COURAGE ALLOWS THE SUCCESSFUL WOMAN TO FAIL AND LEARN POWERFUL LESSONS FROM THE FAILURE, SO THAT IN THE END, SHE DIDN'T FAIL AT ALL - MAYA ANGELOU
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