60 Days…

60 days…seems like very little time, but also seems like a lot of time, depending on how you look at it. Days seem to pass slowly, but before you know it months, weeks, even years have passed. Have you ever heard the phrase that you can make or break a habit in 21 days? Harvard research has shown it’s actually about 2 months (66 days) to create or change a habit. I was in a funk. A terrible funk. Nothing in my life seemed to be going right. I was becoming negative, and I was focusing on the bad. I didn’t like it, and I wanted to change my perspective.

As I have mentioned before, I listen to a podcast called, “The Mindset Mentor with Rob Dial.” He suggested to reset your mindset; you must challenge its current status. He wanted people to pay to join a group to help them do so, but I did it on my own. His group did 6 goals for 60 days. I did 10 goals for 60 days. My 10 goals:

• Meditate Daily—I wanted to do this, so that I could try to quiet my mind, which is always going.
• Read scriptures Daily—I wanted to do this to see if I could calm myself, and find some direction. I got a book of daily devotionals I read every day.
• Say something kind to a stranger Daily.
• Limit caffeine—no coffee or energy drinks.
• No alcohol. I don’t drink a lot, but I thought it would be good to have a clear mind.
• Learn something new Daily—info sponging.
• Dance and sing Daily—be more carefree.
• Walk Guido 15 minutes Daily.
• Positive self-talk: 5 things Daily.
• Pray Daily each and every night in thankfulness. Be more appreciative of what I have.

The deal was if I failed any of those goals in the 60 days, I had to start over. In addition to those 10 goals, I had additional targets I wanted to meet:

• Cold showers
• Mealtime prayers
• Say yes more, say no less
• Gratitude
• Apply to every job I am qualified for
• Joy/hope/vulnerability

I feel I grew so much during the 60 days (8/5-10/3/19), and I thought I would share some of my growth with you.

• Overthinking is an addiction. And it’s an addiction I spend a lot of my life on. I am trying to think less, but it is difficult for me.
• Meditating thoughts and breaths really helped me calm down if I felt anxious. Though, I struggled meditating if it was not guided.
• My Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is slightly above normal because I am very self-aware. I thank my mom for this, as she raised us to be that way.
• I was trying to run away from my problems, instead of facing them.
• I need to challenge others in my relationships to be better.
• I tried to be open and honest with my feelings and hurt, which was difficult for me because that forces me to have to be vulnerable. I don’t feel like people listen when I express my hurt and feelings, but I can’t keep them bottled up; that’s not healthy.
• I learned how to visualize my goals. Imagining them happen. And it works.
• Grace is aggressive forgiveness. Grace puts people before rules.
• I have a tendency to overreact about things, and then, after I have taken a step back, I am able to face them.
• I need to say the words, “I quit,” to hear how stupid they sound, and then I snap myself back into reality.
• I have a very forgiving heart. I can always fins forgiveness for other people.
• There is always good—even in hurt.
• Life is always about perspective.
• I find it easy to be vulnerable with some people, even if they’ve hurt me, than with others.
• I hate waiting, and I am not good at it. I’ve always thought I was patient, but in a world of instant gratification, I don’t need things right away, but I don’t want to wait too long for them, either.
• Brokenness is not a barrier to wholeness.
• Live in the present.
• I am afraid to put on paper, or say out loud what I really want.
• It’s all about perspective and timing. Perspective changes everything; timing is everything.
• Pay attention to the little things.
• It’s what you do in the waiting that matters.
• My mantra is: IT WILL WORK OUT! Everything always does. Maybe not the way I wanted it to, or the way I thought it should, but it always works out.
• I despise when I make plans with people, and they cancel last minute. If I rearrange my busy schedule for people, they should at least have the decency to show up (though I know emergencies happen).
• Do the things you should do, instead of the things you could do.
• Launch your day with purpose.
• Happiness happens on the way to fulfillment.
• Do.
• Life should be about personal growth.
• Dream big and your problems become small.
• Your life isn’t about you; it’s about the people who you touch.
• An honorable name is worth more than money—what do people say about me when I am not around?
• Pain can be your jail or your school.
• Poetry is my emotional outlet. So is singing musicals out loud.
• I need to enjoy the journey without being attached to the outcome. Don’t wait for life to begin. This is life.
• My attitude controls my actions, and my actions cure my fears.
• I am not broken. My scars are a part of my story.
• Be gentle with myself. I am doing the best I can.
• It’s not always as hard as you think it is. Inhale. Exhale.
• Waking up to see another day is a blessing. Don’t take it for granted. Make it count; be happy to be alive.
• I need to talk to myself like I talk to others.
• Life doesn’t happen to me; it happens for me.
• There are no justified resentments.
• Live like water—flexible, giving, soft.
• I am worthy of myself.
• My brain will create new anxieties if I let it.
• Have a mentality of selflessness.
• My goal in life is to make a difference in the world, and make people’s lives better.
• Make dreams reality, or don’t bother dreaming.
• I like to have control of things. That’s the only part of me that’s type A.
• I take myself, life, too seriously. I need to relax and be more carefree. I am trying.
• My blessings are greater than my problems.
• The future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so.
• Start something.
• I am enough.
• What’s for me will bring out the best in me, not the worst.
• Follow my gut.
• Sometimes, I feel I can feel the whole world at once.
• Focus on your awesomeness.
• Don’t let negativity become a self-fulfilling prophesy. POSITIVITY.
• I keep myself busy, so I don’t have to think.
• I fail a lot, but I need to give myself more credit.
• I am weird. I am okay with that. I love that I am different. If others don’t like that, that’s their problem, not mine. I will not apologize for being who I am.
  

I learned so much more than I wrote above. About myself. About life. Some of it is too personal to share. Some of it was reminders. Some of what I wrote above was reminders. Good reminders. Reminders I needed. We all need to be reminded of things some times. I am a better person than I was on August 5. Each day I can be better, and I can help others through what I have learned. I just need to live my life and do my best. I need to love myself and forgive myself. This exercise was so useful. I feel better. I am out of my funk. I would suggest everyone do it if they want to improve their lives. I would do it again if I get stuck in life. I want to be the best person I can be, and I can only do that if I strive to be better each and every day.