Right here’s one thing loopy:

I went 123 days with out a sip of espresso 😱😱

And in addition…

101 days with out a glass of whisky (or any alcohol for that matter)

70 days with out making use of ChapStick to my lips

and 43 days of not utilizing the web or any apps on my telephone (!!!)

Problem Mode activated, child!! And it feels nice! Additionally – kinda boring, lol, however tremendous pleased with myself for pulling it off thus far and truthfully can’t imagine I even have. Who offers up all these items on the similar time??!

However extra on that in a bit…

*******

Hiya!!! It’s been some time! 😁

And it’s utterly my fault.

I made it my mission this yr to swap out “display screen time” with extra “actual life” time, and I’ve gotten so good at it that I virtually forgot the web nonetheless exists, haha…

However I’ve missed you and I’m again now! And I hope your $$$ continues to be going sturdy! Something juicy occur since I’ve been away?? Nonetheless saving and budgeting your hearts out? I simply checked and it’s been precisely 6 months since my final submit to y’all (!!!) which is means too lengthy…

As for us, life continues to be good and our well being and wealth are trucking alongside properly. Positively decrease on the revenue facet of issues since that’s what occurs whenever you unofficially retire, lol, however fortunately the selections of youthful J$ hooked us as much as be simply positive 😉 Even with out including something further our internet value continues to develop! The ability of compounding at its most interesting!

However whereas I haven’t been “working” a lot, I have been channeling all that point and vitality into some other place: myself.

Final yr’s “Project of Me” continues in full power, and now on prime of the juicing and figuring out and volunteering and yoga’ing on daily basis, I’ve added a couple of extra life enhancements to the combo. Or relatively, improved *habits*. Not that any of those had been all too horrible actually, nevertheless it’s at all times good to hit “reset” now and again to see what you really want in life, you realize?

And I made a decision to hit the toughest, most trickiest, behavior first: COFFEE!!

One thing I really like and devour each single day, however one thing I’m certain my physique doesn’t precisely recognize. I had been slowly trimming it down over time, going from 3-4 cups/day to 2-3 cups after which most not too long ago simply 1 cup/day, however by no means in my 25 years of ingesting it have I dared to go chilly turkey. I imply, why would you do this to your self??! 😂

However as soon as the seed will get planted I can’t go away issues alone till I’m going ALL IN, and at some point I simply wakened and thought, “In the present day is the day – no extra espresso!” and that was that.

The primary week was a bitch, not gonna lie (these complications are actual! Particularly when your life is stuffed with rowdy little boys!) however ultimately I ended occupied with it and realized to reside my life as I had the primary 20 years of it 🙂

I don’t know if it’s had a tremendous huge affect on me, apart from chilling me out extra and perhaps lessening some anxiousness (I really feel extra “even” as of late, like, no extra big HIGHS or LOWS, however simply kinda sorta floating within the MIDDLE, if that is smart?) however it’s superb how briskly our our bodies can adapt when given the possibility. Life with out espresso appears simply as regular now as life was with it! And within the course of I realized that I actually take pleasure in decaf teas, corresponding to lemon-ginger which I’m at the moment ingesting as I sort this, in addition to the turmeric primarily based, “Golden Latte” – an actual deal with should you’ve by no means tried!

It’s additionally been an ideal reminder of how highly effective a power *momentum* could be. The start levels are at all times the toughest, however as time goes on you get higher and higher with much less effort till the purpose of not even actually paying consideration anymore. Not not like saving or investing actually!

Much more importantly – doing these little challenges helps prime you up for even MORE challenges in life. Momentum breeds momentum, and much like what occurred final yr once I joined that soccer league, which then received me to start out consuming and ingesting higher, which then received me to start out exercising extra, one positive act propels you to another till you’re left with a string of higher habits stacked on prime of one another.

30 days into the Espresso Problem I then took on a 31 day Meditation Problem, which then led to a 21-day Inversion Problem, after which a random No ChapStick Problem (??) after which lastly a No Web on Your Cellphone Problem which is my current dare I’ve taken on… A dare, after all, I dared myself with 😉

Right here’s extra on every for these curious:

31 Day Meditation Problem – When you’ve at all times wished to attempt meditation however didn’t know the way, that is a simple strategy to get began. You simply set the timer for five minutes after which sit there and do nothing besides attempt to focus in your breath. Which you’ll be able to by no means do all the way in which, after all, however you continue to attempt to ultimately get higher at it. When the 5 minutes are up you’re finished and hopefully really feel a bit extra peaceable! Then you definately repeat for the following 30 days 👍

When you crave slightly tougher problem, which I used to be, you do the identical 5 minutes on daily basis BUT you add 1 extra minute on prime of it with every passing day. So, day 1 is 5 minutes, day 2 is 6 minutes, day 3 is 7 and many others and many others till you understand you’re at 35 minutes/day and really feel like a monk! It’s a wonderful problem should you’re into such issues, and naturally the hope is that you just proceed with it till it turns into a each day behavior – even when not for lengthy. (I’ve discovered the candy spot for me is 7 minutes, which I can simply slip in any time of the day!)

21 Day Inversion Problem –This can be a yoga problem a good friend of mine and I did collectively, however even should you’re not into yoga you could possibly attempt it (simply watch out!). With this problem all it’s important to do is get *the wrong way up* as soon as a day which is supposedly actually good for you (one thing in regards to the blood speeding down after which again as much as enhance movement?). However – it’s additionally simply plain FUN 🙂

You are able to do a hand get up in opposition to the wall, or a head stand in the course of the seaside and even simply have a good friend dangle you at your ankles for a couple of seconds! 😂 So long as you get the wrong way up on daily basis you’ve achieved the mission.

No ChapStick Problem — That is going to sound bizarre, however subsequent to espresso this was in all probability the toughest problem I’ve ever taken on, haha… I’d by no means realized how engrained of a behavior this was till studying that my brother has solely used it like a few times in his complete life??! I used to be shocked! I instructed him I in all probability apply it a minimum of 5-6x day mechanically with out even occupied with it, and that it’s one of many three issues I *at all times* carry in my pocket:

1. Cellphone
2. Cash clip
3. Chapstick (or a variation of – this isn’t to disgrace Chapstick the model, I don’t have something in opposition to them, lol… except the rumors are true that they put *addictive* substances in it which might 100% clarify my obsessive conduct with it!!!)

He then instructed me I wanted to take it on as my subsequent problem, and 70 days later I’ve nonetheless but to use a single swipe! 🙂 Although I did early on have to use some Vaseline as WOW had been my lips not joyful as they had been adjusting!! And I couldn’t rely the variety of instances I reached into my pockets to get the Chapstick solely to recollect it wasn’t there anymore, lol… So it’s type of a minimalism and financial savings win too! One much less factor to hold round, and one much less factor to buy too – woo!

No Web on Your Cellphone Problem — This one happened after simply being uninterested in being on my telephone at some point and seeing everybody else on theirs too. Which this problem doesn’t precisely resolve (if something it will get you to appreciate how MUCH everybody else is on their telephone!) however it’s a good begin to breaking your personal scrolling habits.

In a nutshell, you simply cease opening up any apps outdoors of these made for communication (like textual content, calling, and many others) after which see should you can survive 😉

I began it on trip which might be the worst time to start out because you normally have a lot downtime!, nevertheless it did assist re-focus my consideration on actual life and nature and has been nice for my psychological well being too. I’ve since sneaked within the maps app and allowed for the digicam and one or two different extra *productive* apps too, however thus far it appears like I’ve damaged the behavior of haphazard scrolling and getting misplaced to time. I’d wager I take advantage of the telephone a minimum of 50% much less now!

(One other trick to not selecting it up as a lot? Wearing a watch! It could actually’t suck you in like whenever you go to your telephone to examine what time it’s!)

******

And that’s the place we’re in the present day 🙂 On the lookout for the following good problem!! lol… You’ve gotten any for me?

However whereas it might appear to be I’m making an attempt to devoid myself of all the most effective issues in life, the purpose as talked about earlier is extra to interrupt myself out of my each day habits which have primarily been on auto-pilot for years after which reinstitute higher ones. Some issues just like the espresso and alcohol I’ve slowly launched again in once more – having my first glass of whisky final week, and my first cup of espresso the week prior (all of it tastes so a lot better sparsely!) – whereas the ChapStick and telephone scrolling ban nonetheless stays totally in tact.

And naturally, you are able to do all this along with your funds too! In actual fact, that’s the place my love of pushing myself all began from – once I took on a “No Spending Challenge” again in 2008 and tried to get a deal with on the place all my cash was going! The primary week was the toughest (I stored forgetting and discovering myself in shops!) however ultimately the brand new behavior kicked in lengthy sufficient the place I trusted myself to start out spending once more with out overdoing it.

A number of years later, I made a decision to up my recreation even additional and undergo *each final expense* I had and both nix them utterly or decrease them sufficient with out affecting my high quality of life. I dubbed this the “Challenge Everything” experiment, and on the finish of 12 months I had saved $5,484.07 and endlessly reduce out $200/mo going ahead! Half of it coming from swapping cellphone carriers alone which netted me $100+/mo (I swapped Verizon for Republic Wi-fi which not exists, and ultimately landed at Mint Mobile which I LOVE. Solely $25/mo!*)

After which after all there’s moving into the behavior of investing extra and paying off money owed and all different kinds of challenges you could possibly tackle to raised enhance your future.

Listed below are among the ones we’ve featured over time should you’re pumped and able to take some on!

The trick is simply beginning with one space after which letting the momentum (and confidence!) maintain constructing and propelling you additional into others. And keep in mind – it will get simpler the extra you flex that muscle!

Anyhow, that’s what I’ve been as much as these previous 6 months 🙂 Hope you’ve been studying and moving into some enjoyable stuff too! I actually thought this was going to be a gradual regular yr over right here after which BAM – the fireplace was lit and the sparks began flying! Haha… However I like it… You gotta be consistently altering to be able to develop and I welcome each final little bit of it.

See you again right here once more quickly! Thanks for studying 🙂

// Prime portray by my 6 yr outdated, titled “EYE BLEEDING” lol… Just about precisely how I felt the primary few days of those challenges!! 😂

* Mint cell hyperlink is an affiliate hyperlink… and in addition the most effective telephone provider round! Even Deadpool makes use of it!

(Visited 2,281 instances, 2 visits in the present day)