Is there something you do on a regular basis or even occasionally that doesn’t always feel aligned with the life you desire to live?

It might be eating too many sweets, drinking alcohol, relying on sleep aides at night, or reaching out to someone that keeps hurting you. Perhaps something you do mindlessly and then only after it’s done you feel bad, remorseful or wishing you had made a different choice.

What if I challenged you to go 30 days without (fill in the blank)? Could you, do it?

There is no judgement around your choices or even labeling things as good or bad. What is right for me may not be right for you and vice versa. We are all different with different needs, wants and desires. The challenge is specifically for you to take inventory of your habits or behaviors and notice how they make you feel.

I pray every morning and that habit leaves me feeling positive and uplifted. I drink occasionally and lately have found that action leaves me feeling empty and regretful. When I looked more closely at my drinking it became clear that my body no longer processes alcohol the same way it did when I was in my 20’s. I would have trouble sleeping and would wake up feeling foggy even after just two glasses of wine. Drinking is also a trigger for me of binge snacking, which is not something I want to continue to do. After a night of social drinking that left me feeling less than stellar, I would feel regret for undoing all my healthy choices during the week and for wasting my morning not feeling good.

I decided to challenge myself to 30 days without alcohol. The challenge wasn’t about never drinking again or a concern over a drinking problem. It was about consciously making a different choice that felt aligned with my life right now.

As a life coach to women, I think it is so important to walk my talk. If I challenge my clients to do hard things in their life and change behaviors that don’t align with their desires, well, I need to do the same with my life.

As I write this post, I am on day 23 of my personal challenge to not drink any alcohol for 30 days. Have I been perfect? Nope. Did I give up and tell myself I was a failure. Nope. I gave myself grace on the day I sipped champagne during a pre-planned photo shoot. Guess what the photo shoot included popping champagne and that’s okay.

What was interesting though is that while I did sip the champagne, I was very conscious of my 30-day self-challenge and even having the alcohol as part of the photos felt uncomfortable. However, a week before I would have been reveling in the joy of drinking and celebrating. In this new phase I was more interested in honoring my commitment to myself. I wanted to enjoy every moment of the photo shoot without the altercation of alcohol.

What I am realizing is this 30 Days Without Challenge is less about what I chose to give up and more about making a commitment to myself. It is a reminder that I can do hard things. It is a reminder that when I don’t honor my commitment fully it doesn’t mean I have failed. It provides an opportunity for me to look closer at my choices and give myself grace as I continue forward in my personal life journey.

Ready to start your own personal challenge?

Tips for getting started:

-        Choose what you want to remove from your life for 30 days.

-        Write down your reason why this is important to you.

-        Tell someone you trust that won’t judge or question your decision but will provide support.

-        Start now, don’t wait until next month or even next week. Mark your calendar and get started.

You can do hard things and make small changes in your life that add up to big changes.