Yearly Challenge- or How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Go On Adventures
Last year I gave myself a challenge to help boost my confidence, make me more active and convince me that trying new things and breaking routine isn't the be all and end all. It worked so well that I'm now doing it again this year and writing it down here.
The challenge itself is simple. Keep a diary of every new thing you do each month. Last year my diary was just a list of the months with a quick note of what I did so you don't have to make it detailed. But I found not only did I surprise myself with how much I got round to doing in a year but I found it easier to remember all of the fun that came with it.
Beforehand, I always felt I was stuck on default no. Someone would ask if I wanted to do something and there was always a reason not too. Either too tired, busy or not enough funds. So I started this challenge to break out the habit and encourage myself to give things a try. And guess what, it worked better than I thought. At first it's difficult, you have to catch yourself before you say no but halfway through the year 'yes' was second nature. And no, don't worry it's not an excessive yes, I didn't overload myself but I would try to rearrange or find another way so that I didn't miss out completely. That way, if I couldn't make something I knew I had tried everything and it just wasn't meant to be. But the more I did the more confidence I had in accepting the next offer that came. The more open I was about spontaneous plans, the better at planning my time I became. What started as a simple challenge to make me do more actually naturally improved my confidence in myself and my own organisation skills (which were in dire need of aid). And it can only get better right?
It's easy to start off if you wanted to try for yourself. Just get a journal, notebook, or calender, that you can keep a record of all your activities. Next is not to ask too much of yourself, start small, it doesn't have to be big things, going out for dinner in a new place or trying to cook a new recipe also count, and they all add up. I also began by only aiming for one new thing a month, that's only 12 new things a year, easily accomplishable. But once you start you'll surprise yourself more than you think. Even better, over time you find yourself doing things you would never have dreamed of at the start. Last year I went from hiking in January to travelling to Canada and Germany by the end of the year.
Each month I'm going to post a reflection of what I did for this challenge, which I think will be interesting as my life is turned upside down with graduation. But I'd love to hear some things you come up with on your challenge, so comment or tweet me (@Caitlin_Earley)
The challenge itself is simple. Keep a diary of every new thing you do each month. Last year my diary was just a list of the months with a quick note of what I did so you don't have to make it detailed. But I found not only did I surprise myself with how much I got round to doing in a year but I found it easier to remember all of the fun that came with it.
Beforehand, I always felt I was stuck on default no. Someone would ask if I wanted to do something and there was always a reason not too. Either too tired, busy or not enough funds. So I started this challenge to break out the habit and encourage myself to give things a try. And guess what, it worked better than I thought. At first it's difficult, you have to catch yourself before you say no but halfway through the year 'yes' was second nature. And no, don't worry it's not an excessive yes, I didn't overload myself but I would try to rearrange or find another way so that I didn't miss out completely. That way, if I couldn't make something I knew I had tried everything and it just wasn't meant to be. But the more I did the more confidence I had in accepting the next offer that came. The more open I was about spontaneous plans, the better at planning my time I became. What started as a simple challenge to make me do more actually naturally improved my confidence in myself and my own organisation skills (which were in dire need of aid). And it can only get better right?
It's easy to start off if you wanted to try for yourself. Just get a journal, notebook, or calender, that you can keep a record of all your activities. Next is not to ask too much of yourself, start small, it doesn't have to be big things, going out for dinner in a new place or trying to cook a new recipe also count, and they all add up. I also began by only aiming for one new thing a month, that's only 12 new things a year, easily accomplishable. But once you start you'll surprise yourself more than you think. Even better, over time you find yourself doing things you would never have dreamed of at the start. Last year I went from hiking in January to travelling to Canada and Germany by the end of the year.
Each month I'm going to post a reflection of what I did for this challenge, which I think will be interesting as my life is turned upside down with graduation. But I'd love to hear some things you come up with on your challenge, so comment or tweet me (@Caitlin_Earley)
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