Thirty 7-day Challenges That Will Help You See Yourself Differently
We know the importance of habits.
We know that successful habits create successful people when they are brought into everyday action. We are what we repeatedly do.
But they are hard to keep, especially when we get overwhelmed by the idea of changing for good.
Don’t forget the power of small changes, and little challenges. Give yourself a taste of life as someone who can hold their shit together in something.
Small hurdles are little spring-boards to massive rewards.
Take the small win(s) of a seven-day challenge. Seven days will not change your life, but it will demonstrate to you that you can.
And that is where you start. Add other wins. Expand on those wins. Try the twenty-day version. Then keep going.
Change your actions one step at a time. Change your beliefs about yourself by showing that you can change, no matter how small the work, and do it with your full support.
Abstaining from many of the following means breaking your addiction to dopamine. Most of us are addicted to unnatural sources of dopamine rushes. This means we become ever more unreceptive to lower levels of natural stimulation, like the wonders and beauty of the world around us.
We are literally making ourselves numb to reality. Taking a break, even for a week, can be hugely beneficial to our well-being.
Do one of these (or more than one), for seven days. Show yourself that you have self-control and give your mind and body a break.
Remember: Every day for seven days…
No alcohol
No video games
No videos, films or TV
No Internet
Something — anything — that scares you.
No smartphone
No complaining — both internal monologue or verbal
10 minutes of meditation/reflection/self-love awareness
20 minutes of weights in the gym
Write 500 words towards a novel
Learn a new skill
No social media
No carbs or wheat
Email or call five people every day with the purpose of adding a new connection to your network.
No porn/masturbation
No caffeine
Cold showers (I know, I said I wouldn’t go there, but I did!)
Eat one meal a day (23-hour fasts with large, fat and protein-heavy meals, in my opinion — I am not liable for any medical issues incurred)
No smoking, including vaping
Starting a conversation with strangers
No sugar
Asking strangers for directions (social confidence for those who have an unnecessary social phobia)
20 minutes of cardio exercise
a 30-minute walk
No negative thoughts
Go somewhere you would usually avoid
Write a short article
Record yourself on video and share it
Add content to Instagram or social media
Read ten more pages than you would normally
Paint or draw a picture
Action: Choose one, mark it in the diary, and start today.
You are not obliged to go beyond the seven days, but, who knows, maybe you’ll have the momentum to do so, and I hope (for many of these), you will.
When you’ve done your seven days, write to me and tell me how it went. I’d love to hear from you by email, or in the comments below.
—
Make sure you follow my newsletter over at my personal site if you found these ideas useful and want to hear when I release new articles.
If you have 10.98 seconds, I’d love to hear what you think. Just a few words below. I appreciate them all.
To get laser-focused on what matters to you daily, get your Book of Lift here — my unconventional planner book.
If you have 10.9 seconds, I’d love to hear what you think, in the comments below.
What makes you come alive?