Some Calm for April

To recap my March challenge, I succeeded in the sense that I did do many new and exciting things, but not the ones I had thought I would. Therefore, I've created a list. This list embodies short and long term goals, dreams, ideas, and silliness. Some favorites include 1) Do a couture photo shoot in a laundry mat 9) Volunteer in a soap kitchen 15) Ride in a hot air balloon. Hopefully I can maintain this list, and continually check items off as I go on new adventures. I'll keep it handy for a rainy day.

For April I've decided to work on meditation. May is always my busiest month, and some calm before the storm would really help. The challenge: Starting April 1st (no joke) I will meditate, sit calmly, or pray for a minute each day, adding one minute each subsequent day. So, by the end of the month I will be meditating for an entire half hour. This minute add-on system will help me from becoming overwhelmed with my new challenge.

I've already begun...
Day 1: I just sat in silence for 1 minute
Day 2: I repeated the matra "I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am blissful" for two minutes riding the train to work.

I'm looking forward to adding minutes and going deeper into meditation. Take it easy.

New Month New Experiences

So, I finished out February a little more rested, yet a little frustrated. I realized dedicated 8 hours to sleep every night was not logical. You need to bend the rules sometimes, so I prefer the idea of getting 56 hours of sleep a week. That way if you have one busy night you can cut your hours short, and make up for them later when you have more time. Because really, sleeping should be restorative not stressful.

For March I decided to try something different. Literally, everyday I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm hoping it'll shake things up a bit and add some excitement to these mundane days at the end of winter. For now I'm off to do something new...

Healthy Timing

I believe that February is the month that the most people get sick. Its the dead of winter, healthy eating habits usually slide downwards toward comfort foods and booze, and everyone's germs are cooped up together in the same dry air. So, I'm extremely grateful to be challenging myself to get 8 hours of sleep a night. I've realized this, with a few herbal supplements I take, has safeguarded me against evil colds and flu viruses. While my wonderful friends cough up congestion and meander around with slow weak bodies, I have felt refreshed. I know my immune system is thankful for my 8 hours.

I must admit this is a hard challenge to reinforce. Perhaps because I'll go to be an hour early on night, and 30 minutes late the next. Its hard to keep track if I'm averaging 8 hours nightly. I'll try keeping a log this week and see how it goes. Sweet dreams!

8 hours ain't easy

If anyone has ever tried getting a full 8 hours of a sleep a night, they would know how hard it is. Day 1 and 2 went fine. But by day three I had to attend a friends birthday event, grocery shop, make dinner, do laundry, check e-mails, and pay bills. This did not all get done in the 3 hours I alloted, therefore scrimping into my alloted 8 of beauty sleep. And day 4 I had a friend in town, which made me feel guilty for pulling up the covers at 11 pm, when I hadn't seen her in years. So I cut an extra 2 hours that night as well.


I decided to take a look at the breakdown of where my precious hours are going...

(weekdays)
8 hours: work
2 hours: commuting
2 hours: daily prep and hygiene
8 hours: sleep

That leaves a measly 4 hours to do everything else in my life. Impossible!
How can I have fun, cook wonderful food, enjoy eating it, spend time with friends, plan events, see new movies, read good books, exercise, and complete all my errands in as little as 4 hours?!?

This week I have discovered the meaning of priority. With so little free time I have to learn to put whats the most important first. That way, the things at the top of my list will get done before my new bedtime creeps up on me. This will take some adjusting. I have to be more stern with myself so I don't break the rules so often. This month sleep is priority.

So, I embark on week 2 with a fierce dedication to accumulate those hours of shut eye. Wish me luck!

February Challenge

My February Challenge is easy: get the recommended 8 hours of sleep per night. Simple right? Maybe not... According to the National Sleep Foundation nearly 2/3 of adults don't get those 8 hours. And this puts us at risk for health problems for the future, not to mention a drowsy and less productive tomorrow.

So, in an attempt to live a healthier life for long term benefits I'm cracking down and laying down earlier each night. By putting sleep as the priority this month, I believe I will be a happier and more efficient person.

The rules: Be in bed for 8 hours a night. Even if I can't fall asleep I'll be in bed without music, television, or internet during that time. Write and reflect on how this behavior affects me.

Sweet dreams!

Gratitude brings calm

With the first month of the year officially over, and my January challenge finished, I can confirm that gratefulness brings happiness.

I began by being thankful for the obvious, and expressing gratitude towards those I love. But now after a month inspired by appreciation I'm using my new way of thinking to help me with the unexpected, unpleasant, and undesired. When a friend tells me something I don't want to hear, I try to find the good in the statement. After a stressful day, I breathe and realize how my stress allows me to appreciate the calm times in my life that much more.

I will continue on to my next challenge, feeling that self-less spending and gratitude will remain with me for here on.

Does appreciation = authenticity?

Now almost half-way through the month, I'm finding I'm living more authentically. I started off picking a certain person to express my gratitude towards each day, but now I'm finding I'm just being more honest with everyone. If someone does something nice, I say something to honor them. When I feel someone has really helped me out, I instantly express that thankfulness. Its very refreshing. I don't know why I was so scared before to tell people how much I care, love, and enjoy who they are and what they do. I'm getting a great feeling about this months challenge :)

It all comes back to you

Being only three days into the January benefits, I'm already seeing great outcomes. I knew this month would make other people feel great, but I did not expect to get so much in return. It has restored my belief in the goodness of people.

A few examples: 1)While walking to yoga, a warm and lively group of strangers offered me free beer. If that doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what would. 2)A bus blew past me as I wasn't paying attention, but then stopped ahead and the kind driver ushered me aboard, and entertained me with his sense of humor. 3) I feel evermore grateful for the people in my life, when they return my notes of appreciation with endless love.

May this karma works its magic in your life as well :) Happy loving.

January Challenge

January challenge: Everyday tell one person I care about how much they mean to me.
(Either in person, through a brief e-mail, a hand-written note, or any other touching creative way)


Why this challenge: My grand-mother passed away last month, making me realize how little love I (we) express to each other. I’m sure it’ll make you’re loved ones day a bit better too.

How it began

My personal spending habits were at an all-time high, while my income remained low, and the economy plummeted lower. I rationalized my impulse buying with “it’s what the economy needs right now,” as if splurging on a new pair of boots or massage would raise the Dow hundreds of points. Beginning to feel guilty and frightened as my account inched towards $0.00, I decided I needed to do something before I ended up in debt. In the spirit of the holidays, I made the choice to have a self-less December. I wouldn’t spend any money on myself for an entire month. Food and personal necessities (think toilet paper and tooth paste) remained safe buys, but everything else was off limits.

I didn’t think it would be too hard. Although, 3 days in I was itching to buy something, anything! But I wouldn’t give in. I trudged on… and at the end of week 1 it became a bit easier. Of course, I COULD buy for other people, so I received some pleasure in buying Christmas gifts. With every purchase, I was tempted to buy a little something for myself. After charging a couple jackets for family members didn’t I deserve a measly tee-shirt for me? NO! I needed to erase this evil thinking that had me brainwashed into mindless splurging.

I rarely needed something that very second. So I continued reminding myself, come January 1, I could spend away. But within a few days the urge for that amazing product melted away. One co-worker told me she put a two-week “think about it” hold on everything. A grand idea, I thought! Another told me he rates the things he wants on a scale of 1-10, if the need level isn’t at least a 7 he won’t even consider getting it. Half-way through, and I was already picking up great tips, feeling uplifted, and enjoying seeing my money STAY in the bank.

I began spending more quality time with friends and family. I picked up books I had impulsively bought ages ago, but never read. I decided to foster kittens (another blog in itself), which turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences. Suddenly my life lacked material goods, but was filled with wonderful things that brought me real warmth and contentment. A challenge meant to keep me from going broke, had given me more than I could’ve imagined.

I must admit I cheated once, well twice. On the 30th (I was so close!) I broke down and bought myself a case for my laptop. And as I was out, and had broken my month’s mantra I bought a running shirt as well. No one is perfect, and as good as I did all month, mistakes are a part of life. Hard to resist is the temptation to fail hard. Small impulses here and there won’t break the bank, or ruin anyone’s life, but letting them snowball is what gets people into trouble.

With a grip of my spending habits and in control of my finances again, I came to the conclusion: single-tasking goals may be the only way to accomplish them. How often do you try to lose weight, clean the house, update your resume, volunteer, and get more sleep all at the same time? It’s what I struggle with daily; taking on too much, and not being successful at any of it. Perhaps assigning one challenge at a time allows your mind to concentrate without overwhelming it.

I feel I would be cheating myself if I didn’t experiment with this further, and I’d like to invite you to join me. What if each month in 2009 I continued with a new challenge, and see what comes out of it? I learned so much in December I can only imagine what a whole year of that could do. It’ll be hard, damn hard, I’m sure. But the rewards will out-weigh the sacrifices. My game plan: each month pick a new single-task challenge, stick to it for the entire month, write about my experiences, live and learn.

Happy New Year and happy challenges!