100% Fully Alive

I am on day 9 of doing a program called 100% Fully Alive- a 30 day program from a book of the same title written by Kate Swoboda. In this program you make a commitment to 9 activities or intentional actions daily for 30 days. If, for any reason, you miss one action on one day, you start over at Day One.

This is so up my alley.

Setting goals or intentions that you commit to is something I love to do.

I do “Dry January” at the beginning of every year which many people commit to. This is no alcohol for the entire month of January- no exceptions and I always complete it. When I commit to something, I typically do it. And I usually commit to things that I know I am capable of so that I have a chance at success. Now that does not mean that it is easy. There are many days in January where there may be a celebration or gathering where I would rather not be the designated driver. Yet I am always glad that I stuck to it as I am driving home and getting snuggled into bed knowing that a hangover is not in my near future.

I have done the 21 day meditation challenge from Oprah and Deepak Chopra several times. It is somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes of meditation every day for three weeks. Yes, it is not always convenient to set the alarm an hour earlier or to set aside the time to sit quietly amongst the chaos of daily life. I am always grateful at the end of those 21 days because I feel calmer and more centered from the commitment to this practice.

I have committed to several weeks of journaling daily and while there are times I don’t feel like I have much to write about, I do it anyways. And often something comes out or gets shifted in my brain from writing.

I have run several 5x5 challenges where I gather a group of people who commit to 5 actions daily for 5 days. And I always complete these intentions with the groups. While there are times that I am not in the mood to go for that extra walk or to eat those extra vegetables because I committed to them, I am always glad that I got up and moved or ate that side salad.

So as I am part ways through this 30 day challenge, I am surely feeling optimist about completing it while paying attention to what shifts are being made in my mindset, energy levels and lifestyle. I have started my day meditating, doing something creative and going for a walk which has set the course of my day on a solid path. I have cleared a physical space in my life, done an act of kindness and reframed limiting beliefs every single day. I have eaten a lot of vegetables and created a solid sleep routine. I have read up on social issues that matter to me gaining knowledge and perspective along the way. All of these actions by themselves are beneficial but do them all together and the benefits are multiplied.

I am excited to keep going and while I have no intention of not completing this in the first attempt, if something comes up, I will start over and complete it. Because I said I would.

Is there something that you can start committing to daily that would make a small change in your life? I am not asking you to commit to 9 things yet. Start small. Change one habit or action. See what shifts. Then consider adding in another change.

The way to change our lives is to change our choices, intentions and actions.

If you do the same things every day, you will continue down the same path. If you makes small changes seeking different results, your life will change.

You got this. Keep going. Your future self will thank you.