2012 – 12 Months And 12 Challenges Over 30 Days
Ever since it became 2012 I’ve had a truly fabulous feeling that this year is going to be amazing. I don’t just want amazing things to happen to me, I also want to make amazing things happen.
I feel it’s a year of experimentation and so what I’m going to do is each month of 2012 I’ll be setting myself a different 30 day challenge.
I have yet to plan what I’m going to do in each month but here are some of the ideas I’m toying with and may try…
1. 30 days of No T.V. – I’d hardly describe myself as a television addict but I do think sometimes I could make better use of my time. I’m going to give it up for a month and see what I can achieve with the extra free time.
2. 30 days of 5k. – It’s likely I’ll be doing this in February or March; since I’ll be running the Marathon in April this will contribute to my preparation. I got bored of running but I used to love it so I’m going to see if I can find the joy in it again.
3. 30 days of no speaking. – This will be a real challenge, especially considering I’m a radio presenter. The only way I’ll be able to do this is if I only speak for my show but at all other times I observe silence. If John Francis did it for 17 years I’m sure I can manage it for 30 days.
4. 30 days of fasting. – This will be incredibly tough since I love my food! I’m sure people would advise me against this challenge but I’m going to do it anyway just to see what the outcomes is.
5. 30 days of meditation. – I’m not going to spend the entire time in meditation, that would be impossible. I’m perhaps going to do 2 – 3 hours each day.
6. 30 days of selfless deeds. – I’m not sure about this idea as yet. This is something that someone suggested to me but I don’t really believe that any deed can ever be selfless so I’ll give this one a bit more thought.
7. 30 days of polyphasic sleep. – I tend to sleep in a biphasic pattern anyway but I again contemplating giving this a go.
8. 30 day to completely de-clutter. – As I was thinking of challenges for each month the idea of clearing my clutter came to mind. A few days later I saw Leo post about the Clutterfat Challenge and so it seemed like a bit of serendipity.
There are more ideas but those are just a few that I’m giving serious consideration to.
January
For January I decided I wanted it to be a month of productivity so I’ve given myself 30 days to finish writing my book. So far it’s going well and the plan is to have the bulk of the book finished by the 31st of January and have a synopsis with sample chapters ready to send to publishers.
So far I’ve written around 6000 words and expect the book to be anywhere from 30 – 50,000 words.
The reason I’m doing it this way is because I’ve always found that a time constraint has been a great motivator to me. I am inspired to write but I let the silly things get in the way of writing. This is why I also often use my 30 minute technique when writing articles.
What is the book about?
For now I’m keeping the book completely under wraps because it is a one of a kind. No one has written about the subject I’m covering or in the way that I am. It’s something completely new and my aims are simple; to make the readers laugh, cry and inspire them to do amazing things.
If you’ve lost your direction already for 2012 and your resolutions are already an #epicfail or they’ve flopped. Try challenging yourself for 30 days and see what you can do.
Good luck with your 30 day challenges. I think it’s a great idea 🙂 I’m so proud of you for doing the marathon – i want to see pictures 🙂 Good going on your book – i think you should add a 30 day challenge where you go on a date each day – you define what ‘date’ means. You’ll get to know 30 personalities, have fun and grow 🙂
Hey Vee,
Thank you for the awesome suggestion. The 30 dates in 30 days sounds like a great idea but it could potentially work out to be very expensive so if I do it I may add in 30 original free days. So not only will I go on loads of dates but I’ll try something different on each date. That one will be a major challenge but I may give it a go!
As for the marathon, wish me congratulations once it’s done… LOL
Fantastic idea bro! It’s going to be an exciting challenge that will fill each month with something new. Persistance is key. Ahhhh….Fasting for a month?!…You have my blessings on this one! : )))))
Can’t wait for your upcoming book bro, I know it’s gonna steal our hearts. I know you’re probably working on it right now…….All the best : )
Hey Milan, interesting that the fasting one caught you eye. Some people have said they think I’m nuts for even considering such an idea but I think it will be a good one. It will take a huge amount of discipline and I’ll probably get someone to carefully monitor my health over the period.
Thank you for sending me through those details for the publishers. I hope to have some chapters ready to send off by the 20th or so, so I’ll start sending away then!
Not bad for an uneducated bum! LOL
I couldn’t fast for a day let alone a month! : ))))))) Uneducated bum?!! From where I’m standing you know more about life than someone with a degree, masters and a PhD!….you ain’t no bum and your certainly ain’t uneducated so don’t say things like that. I have a monthly challenge for you which I’ll tell you right after I’ve had a bite to eat! : ))))))) See what I told you about fasting! LOL
30 days of no speaking. Geeeeez! You have some serious willpower, my friend. I really admire you for taking on these challenges. Kick ass, Amit!
Personally, if I have too many goals or the time constraints are tight, I feel pressured and demotivated. I find that I have to break things down into baby steps, so that I’m consistently feeling a sense of accomplishment. I also like to have a strong, vested interest in the payoff. These techniques work for me because I can see progress in ways that really matter and I feel at ease.
Hey Nea,
It’s interesting how we all have something different that keeps us on track or motivated. For you it’s the small steps, for me it’s the clock…we all have different methods, none are better or worse, or right or wrong, it’s just a case of whatever works for you or not!
Out of all the challenges I’m really looking forward to the no speaking one more than the others. I just feel like it’s very different and it’s going to the most beneficial of the lot – I’m not sure why?! LOL
Thanks so much for your wishes and comment! I’ll keep you posted on how it all goes!
I think 30 days of self-awareness is a powerful path. It’s something I’m working on, to pull together all the tools I know of. I figured what better way to do amazing things than to dive deep inside, to rise above the noise, and master my destiny (or least know how to push a few more buttons 😉
If you haven’t seen it, you might like my 30 Days of Getting Results. It’s a deep dive into doing great things, while pulling together the art and science of being YOUR best.
Hey JD, I haven’t seen your 30 days of getting results but I’ll definitely check it out. 😀 I kind of wanted to prove to myself more than anything of what I could accomplish in 30 days. I’ve already done a great deal in my life but I feel like there is still so much more that I could do and so I’m going to push to see exactly what I can do.
Good luck with pushing those buttons! 😀
Bro, here’s an idea for one of your monthly challenges as promised. It’s a 3000 year old tradition called the 5 Tibetan Rites – 5 exercises repeated for a maximum of 21 times each, to be done everyday. Bhumi and I started this yoga routine last year in october and have been practising on and off. I started doing each exercise 5 times and then worked my way to 21 in about 2 weeks. After each session I was sweating like a pig and felt like I had drunk a pot of coffee and all this was achieved by 5 simple stretching exercises (no running, no swimming, no cycling…..only stretches). The 5 exercises should be carried out in the order outlined to allow the body to build stamina naturally. The history of the 5 exercises and the exercises themselves are shown in the link below. Take my word for it, if you do these rites for a month you’ll never want to stop!….it’ll soon become a lifestyle! What do you think? : )
That sounds like a really tough one, I may keep this in mind for later in the love but I love the idea and suggestion. I think I may do this during the summer, find a great park and do this outdoors. I don’t spend enough time out and about in parks just enjoying the fresh air so I may just do that! 🙂
Hey! this is an impressive list. I am also practicing on some of my goals. There are times when I feel my hard work, persistance and perserverance is paying off and I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel and there will be times when I feel frustrated thinking why isnt by goal happening as fast as i want it to and then the self doubt occassionally kicks in. but then I keep going. my approach is to do baby steps, basically making mini goals, accomplishing a little at a time a day at a time. There are some sacrafices I have made towards my goals, but these are the things I need to do in order to get things done. I do feel that these challenges have challenged me both mentally and emotionally and has been a little uncomfortable at times, but it has to be done and I have gained a new found ‘inner strength’ from it all… I guess its our dark days we go through and keep persisting makes it all worthwhile! 🙂
Out of all my challenges I am aiming to become an emotionally and an independent person.
*emotionally strong and very independent!