Challenged.....

Every once in a while I get the feeling that the Cosmos is speaking to me. You know, a bit of junk mail arrives just as you were thinking the same thing - take a trip, sell the house, order in. Well, yesterday I got a feed to my FB wall that read: 30 Challenges in 30 Days.

Now I like challenges - they are right up there with lists and wait this is a challenge in list form - gotta love it!! Apparently it takes 30 days of doing something to make it a habit. This I can attest to. (To this I can attest.)  I entered a 30 day blogging challenge a few years ago and have built that habit up to a blog a day so far - yes it is part of a blog-a-day challenge for 2013, but I'm on track. I'm just behind three posts and that's because of wifi connections, not the impetus to post.

So what do I do now?  Well there are a few habits that I would like to acquire and some are on this list. Now they suggest that you do just one or two - NOT ALL 30 - or you are sure to fail. There is actually a website were you can keep track and maybe interact with others. Here is the site through stumble upon. It's actually called highexistence.com - that's a challenge in itself!!  Here is the list graded with the degree of difficulty.

Cosmos of the floral kind :)

1. Write an I-Like-This-About-You note/text/email each day for someone (Easy)

This is the perfect way to let someone else know you care. We are so often focused on the bad stuff that we forget to mention the good. You surely will make people’s day, 30 days in a row!

This I will save for another day, because it has a hidden challenge. I would have to be in a good mood everyday for 30 days.

2. Talk to one stranger each day (Hard)

This is a great one to cure approaching anxiety. Have you ever resisted the temptation to talk to someone because you were afraid and said to yourself that you actually don’t want to talk to her/him anyway? Not anymore! After 30 strangers you will understand people are just people and there’s nothing weird in speaking to someone you don’t know.

I know that this would be very hard for me and therefore it's out right now.

3. Take one picture each day (Hard)

This one gets harder nearing the end of the challenge because at one point you will run out of the easy shots. This one is great to combine with other challenges, a great way to make a photo diary!

I take a lot of pictures anyway, so I am shelving this one for the moment.

4. Re-evaluate one long-held belief each day(Intermediate)

Questioning your own beliefs is a great way to rid yourself of bullshit while continually adapting to new knowledge you’ve taken on since putting old beliefs together.

I'll have to think of some things that I hold sacred before I start. That's a challenge in itself.

5. Take a 30 minute walk each day (Easy)

Walking is healthy, relaxing and inspiring. And it is both easy and free! A great exercise while walking is to observe other people and think about what the differences and similarities are between you and them. This will definitely increase your empathy and your observing skills! A great book on this subject is Manwatching.

Now I find this one very intriguing. I have been trying to bump up my exercise routine. Who am I kidding - what routine! So I am going to take this as a challenge for 30 days and hope that it becomes a habit.

6. Take a moment each day to practice self compassion and self-love (Hard)

Do you love yourself? Do you beat yourself up after you make mistakes? You can test your own level of self compassion here. Chances are you don’t score very high. This is because our society sets standards that are almost impossible to achieve. And so we form a habit of thinking we are not good enough, not worthy enough. There is also a kind of stigma on self-love, it is often confused with either being arrogant or it being a weakness. Both are wrong. It is a skill that can be trained so you will develop the emotional skillset to accept parts of yourself which you might not like very much, you learn to stop fighting against frustration and start accepting it as an integral part of life itself. Self love and self acceptance are also crucial to loving and accepting others around you. Exercises to increase self compassion can be found here and check out the love yourself challenge here.

I will do this after I have lost 20 pounds :)

7. Try a new recipe each day (Intermediate)

If you want to learn how to cook you need to practice, practice, practice. Forcing yourself to try a new recipe each day is a great way to learn of more techniques and ingredients. It also makes it easier to drop bad food habits you might have and turn them into healthy ones!

I have to do this when this is the only challenge, because I have the challenge of feeding 3 other people and they have to be on side!!

More cosmic messengers

8. Refrain from alcohol and other drugs for 30 days in a row! (Depends)

Do you have a social circle where there hasn’t been a sober night out for years? Can you try to have fun without ingesting chemicals to alter your doors of perception? This is a great challenge to learn how to stand up for yourself against peer pressure.

Also for another time :)

9. Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days (Hard)

Ever wanted to write a book? Do it. Do it in 30 days. Check out the official site here.

I did this last November. But I have yet to refine it. Miles to go - also a little later.

10. Learn how to draw a human face in 30 days(Intermediate)

There are many ‘how to’ youtube videos on drawing and if you ever wanted to learn how to draw, stop making excuses. Set yourself a challenge and be amazed what you can achieve in 30 days!

I love art and have always wanted to be an "artist." However, not this time round!

I'll post the other 20 in two separate posts today. That will also get me out from behind in my blogging challenge.

Have a cosmic day!!