On New Year’s Eve at a dinner party, I drew the challenge to swim around Burgh Island and to say Fandabidozi when asked “How are you?” What I thought was a lark ended up spurring me into action and out of my Covid-induced cocoon-like funk. I can’t believe it took me this long in life to learn how motivating it can be to sign up for a challenge. I ended up adding one challenge after another to make the most of this year.
The first and biggest challenge wasn’t the swim. It was WildFit – a 90-day challenge to change my eating habits. That resulted in shedding some significant weight. Yes, 15 years after my last baby, I finally shed the baby weight. This was by far the most effective diet I’ve ever been on and I’ve tried many. Having loads of daily support, a small group going through it with me and a coaching call on zoom two to three times a week made all the difference. Left to my own devices, I would have invariably quit after the first month. The experts say that the hardest habits to change relate to food and exercise. I needed tons of support and whenever I slipped up, I’d get right back on track thanks to my group and coach.
The next challenge was Burgh Island Swim in July. It was really fun and only slightly scary when I was buffeted by the waves for a bit. I’ve already committed to doing it again next year with more friends. In the past, I’ve run random 5Ks, but this was something different. And it required some training ahead of time. Knowing I had this mile-long swim ahead of me kept me motivated to swim longer than I normally would. I definitely worked harder and trained longer than I would have without the challenge. I’ll be looking at an even bigger challenge in the new year.
Given my success with the first set of challenges, I signed up for another WildFit Challenge in October. This worked to shake off the 10 pounds I gained over a summer of too much eating out. It really helped to reset good eating habits. I thought I had a pretty healthy diet, but I realized it wasn’t as healthy as it could be.
Next came the surprise challenge — hip replacement surgery! An x-ray revealed that I had no cartilage in my left hip due to severe osteoarthritis. I was lucky that some of the best hip surgeons in the world are in my neighborhood in Exeter. I had a robotic arm assisted surgery which allows for a very quick recovery. So, I was up and walking the day after surgery. It is such a relief to be able to walk without pain for the first time in years! I feel like a new woman.
In October, I signed up for the 30-Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge. But with hip surgery pending, I jump started this challenge by decluttering during the last two weeks of September. I wasn’t sure just how mobile I’d be after the surgery, so I cleared the decks beforehand. Instead of doing a little each day, I decided to do batches of about 100 items at a time. I used my super speedy clutter-clearing method to do this quickly and relatively painlessly. What I’ve learned is that most of our stuff is not all that important so it isn’t worth agonizing over every single item. Read this blog if you want the details of this method.
November was the writing challenge. I signed up for NaNoWriMo with the goal of writing a minimum of one hour a day to finish my book about money. This is a book I’ve been working on for the past 8 years. It is a massive relief to finally finish this book. If you want to become wealthy this is the book for you. Stay tuned for a publication date next year.
December is always about Christmas. I’m a real maximalist this time of year. I bring out all the decorations and bake cookies, throw a wreath making party, and roast a big goose or turkey. As I recently wrote, we manage to have a maximalist Christmas without spending much thanks to fun games like The Grinch Game for presents.
That’s it for challenges this year. I’ve learned that not only does having a challenge prompt one to do more than one normally would, but also it is more fun! In fact, it has been so much fun that I’m going to do more challenges next year. I’d love for you to join me in having a fandabidozi new year!
If you’d like a structure for support in living and creating your ideal life, why not join me in getting the New Year off to a roaring start with my New Year’s Evolution course?
