Happy New Year and welcome to 2016!  Hope everyone had a great start to the new year.  I’m finally starting to get back into the swing of things after celebrating a little too much to ring in the new year.  It’s okay though, I was planning to let myself go ahead of time so I have no one to blame but myself.  So how is that New Year’s resolution going for you?  Did you start it or are you waiting till Monday to start off on a fresh week?  I have to admit, the last week has been pretty unproductive filled with lots of delicious food and just hanging out.

So how did the December challenge go for you?   In case you forgot, it was a daily exercise where you would write 3 positive thoughts/things that happened to you for that day.  Along with those positive thoughts/things, you had the option of writing 1 negative or thing that didn’t go your way.  There was a 2-3 day period just before Christmas where I fell behind on my entries but was able to catch up and actually wrote for 30 out of 31 days (missed the last day of the year).  I just skimmed over all 30 days and wanted to share some entries that stood out for me and made me smile.

12/1/15

-Older gentleman smiled and said good morning to me walking to work.  Got my day off to a great start.

12/5/15

-Thoroughly enjoyed my cheat meal for the week – In-n-Out.  Strawberry shake hit the spot.

12/7/15

-Turned in lost ipod and earbuds at the gym.

12/9/15

-Smiled at cute girl on the sidewalk and she smiled back.  I know, I should have said something – I’m working on it.

12/12/15

-Took a yoga class close to the strand and instructor gave me a hug after class.  Made my day!

12/13/15

-Caught up with newly engaged couple – went bowling and dinner to celebrate.

12/18/15

-Had dinner with roommate and caught up with each other, dropped him off at the airport after.

12/21/15

-Mom commented on another one of my blog posts, inspired me to keep writing.

12/25/15

-Went on a 44 mile bike ride to Santa Monica and back on new road bike.

12/28/15

-Trader Joe’s checker complimented me on my patience after customer in front of me took longer than expected in express lane.

12/31/15

-Set 2 new records for running, fastest 5k and 10k times.

I wasn’t quite sure what this challenge was going to do for me but after looking back on my entries, I’m really glad I kept it up.  A lot of my entries were very mundane, like had a good workout at the gym, had lunch with my mom and dog at home, looking forward to the weekend, etc.  I hope to keep this up as long as I can so I can have a point of reference when I start to lose sight of the things that make life great.  It’s the small things that matter!

So for this month’s challenge, I’d like to propose taking 4% of your day to do something that your future self will thank you for.  Why 4% you say…  Well because It’s 1 hour out of the 24 we’re all given each day.  That may seem like a lot but you don’t have to do it all at once.  You can break it out into shorter portions throughout the day, like 3 separate 20 minute sessions or 6 separate 10 minute sessions.  You can also break them out so one can be physical, another mental, another social/fun.  Below is a list of things I’m planning to work on throughout the month for a better future self.

-Meditate for 5 mins a day to start, eventually increasing to 15-20 mins.

-Plan places I would like to visit this year.

-Set a financial plan for the year.

-Figure out training schedule/plan for first half Ironman I’m doing in beginning of April.

-Start mapping out work plan for the year.

-Continue 3 daily positive thoughts journal.

-Work on not letting things out of my control bother me.

-Read 20-30 minutes every day – finish at least one book this month.

Sounds easy enough right?  Life is constantly changing and I hope with this challenge, I’m able to enjoy and take in each new experience.  Nothing stays the same for long and I think that’s what makes life interesting and exciting.

QOTD: “Those who mind don’t matter, those who matter don’t mind.”  -lyrics from “Masterpiece” by Jessie J