Well, it was.
But it was not too at the same time.
As usual, a few things which I planned went well and a few did not.
For a change let me start with what did not go well.
30-day Reading challenge:
If I have to measure the success of this challenge according to the rules I set for myself, then it was an utter flop. But if I have to measure it based on the progress I have made, it is a grand success. It did not go well because I did not read 75 pages on every single day. But there were days when I read 100 pages too. But on the other days, either I did not have the time or my eyes were already dead tired. It went well because I developed other habits like making notes, writing reviews and looking up new words.
Getting back to small routines:
As reading challenge was another time-consuming activity, I could not go back to small routines completely. But I improved when compared to the previous month.
I did well in
Exercises:
I tried new workouts. I learned new yoga poses. Some of the workouts were so tiring that I had sore muscles and was down with a fever. I think it always better to have a mentor to guide you on choosing workouts.
Mood Tracker:
I made note of my emotions every day. But I did not know what to call neutral emotions. So I ended up noting down only the extreme ones.
Life Lessons Tracker:
This was on my checklist since a year. It finally saw the light of the day this month. There is something new or something old but forgotten to be learned every day. I have 30 lessons now. To gain the best from it, I need to revise and internalize those lessons.
The month gone is gone. I did become a better person. But this new month is a new opportunity to become better than before. Here is what I planned:
30-day Positivity Challenge:
Last month, I read 3 books which talk about the importance of smiling, affirmations and visualization. They claim that their lives have changed totally because of that. I want to experience the same. I want to envision how different my life can be by being positive.
It was so stressful last month that I even had an anxiety attack. So I want to learn to lead a calm and peaceful life with this positivity challenge. I will succeed in this challenge by doing these:
- Creative visualization: In the last two days, I visualized two events. I went into a relaxed state and visualized the outcomes. Both of them came true. I don’t know if I should call them a coincidence or result of visualization. One of the events was, I was stuck in a technical problem in office and was not able to find a solution at all. That night and the next day morning, I kept on visualizing that the problem is solved. And the problem actually got solved the next day.
- Affirmations: Affirmations help us overcome the negativity according to the books I read. Let me test them and let you know.
- Reading books related to this: If I can’t find any source of smiles or laughter, I can always fall back on books.
- Watching a funny video a day: One day I cracked up on a forwarded video. That was when I realised the tremendous power videos have to make you laugh instantly.
- 30-day smile challenge: Smiling is the best way to attract positivity in life. It is the key stone challenge for the bigger positivity challenge. I will keep reminders to smile at least once every hour. I will look into the mirror and smile at myself. I will greet even strangers with a smile. I will just smile as much as possible.
- 30-day complimenting challenge: When you genuinely compliment others, they feel happy. And you will feel happy in turn.
- Gratitude journal: I stopped writing what I am happy for everyday in my diary. So I will start that back as a part of this challenge. Gratitude and positivity are highly correlated.
Food tracker:
I did this tracker the same time last month and totally forgot about it. When I was reading Happiness Project book, I came across food tracker. So I started this again. According to Gretchen Rubin, maintaining a food tracker helps you keep conscious of what you eat. I already reduced the number of chocolates I eat.
30-day watch Ted talks challenge:
I want to watch one ted talk a day. I will have at least 20 new ideas in the next 30 days taking into account that some of them might be repeated ideas.
30-day Reading and Writing:
Last month, I wanted to read to write better. But I ended up only reading. In order to write what I read, I need to write immediately. I don’t want to make it as strictly alternate days. But I want to read 50*15 pages and write 15 articles in the next 30 days.
The goals for the month of September are lofty. But the other day I came across a quote which said if you want to live life to the fullest, you need to become a totally different person every 6 months. I have started this becoming a better version journey a year back. I am definitely a better person than a year back. But then won’t it be awesome if I can try for a change in 6 months instead of a year?
What are your plans for September? How did your August go? Share with us in the comments section.
Happy September!
Originally published at www.lensq.com on September 1, 2017.