I am not going to lie. My current challenge to write 500 words per day is hard. I have ran into many mental blocks that make getting the words for the day written nothing short from a true challenge. I am sitting in my office nook at day nine after just making it through the mental barriers that were telling me I could write later this evening, I did not have to write, this challenge is stupid and the list goes on.

I find it easier to stay motivated through these times when I can answer one simple question with good logic. Why do I even do these challenges in the first place? It is certainly not to prove something to anyone but myself.

I take on a new 30 day challenge each month. In the case of February my challenge was 28 days, but I have continued meditating each day for at least a few minutes, because of the positive result I got. I guess that is just it. I really never know if something will have a positive impact on my life until I give it a try. Testing something in your life for more than a day will give you an actual result, which is why I have opted to really commit to doing these challenges for a prolonged period of time.

Doing something once is relatively easy when compared to doing it everyday for a whole month. And, a single day does not really produce a visible result. So how do I stay motivated to continue?

With each challenge I know that I am investing in myself. I am proving to myself that I have the courage and perseverance to work through challenging tasks. I am investing my knowledge, wisdom and ability to push through challenging times.

Also, I have a commitment to reach my full potential. By doing the same thing day in and day out I am not going to come even close to that potential. I may find a glimmering light through trying a new thing here and there, but nothing like what I have experienced through these challenges.

The ROI on these challenges is huge and I would not stick with them not knowing that. I have learned more about myself as a result of sticking to a commitment that I set at the beginning of each month than I did in some college classes that lasted three months.

If you are looking for change in your life then start with something small, commit to doing it for an entire month and write about it. Write about why you are doing the challenge at the beginning so when things get hard you can look back and remind yourself of what you are striving toward. Write about how you honestly feel at the beginning and throughout the experience. Is the challenge serving you or are you serving it?

I chose to write 500 words per day out of a desire to get better at writing and speaking. Ten days and 5000 words into this challenge I can honestly say the results are coming to light. I can crank out these articles in 15-20 minutes, add some pretty good flow to them and speak about them in the future.

For some ideas and a framework for your thirty day challenge check out my article called Creating New Opportunities for Your Life.

Writing is truly a transformative tool. It provides us with an experience that cannot really be attained through any other act. There is something magical about putting words to paper, or in this case a document. Your thoughts are shared outside of your mind and ideas become reality. With these words we have the ability to inspire action, transform lives and learn a little more about ourselves.

There is a certain state of mind that one must be in to write truly killer content. I find this head space by focusing in on the single task at hand. In the case of this article my goal is to write 500 words, publish my work and move forward with my day. Focusing in on the directions that my writing could go causes a head spin domino like effect that becomes uncontrollable. This is why I start with a simple list of points I want to hit on in my article and then begin writing.

I will create a book with my work one day. A book that is full of good words. Words that inspire positive action, educate people and make things easier that are seemingly impossible to achieve. I have not yet evolved into the writer that will publish this book, however through constant and never ending improvement I will gain the skills necessary.

My book will break things into easy to follow informative guides for changing your habits, controlling emotions, choosing your own physical destiny, improving your finances, looking at your overall health and so much more. Maybe it will be several books. The book will not be an abundance of words, but rather something that people can cruise through and apply almost immediately. While I love words, I have come to realize that big books take a lot longer to read and digest than small ones. I will also use this book as a platform to share some of my stories.

The stories I choose to share will be about my own life experiences in overcoming unhealthy habits, becoming physically, mentally and spiritually strong, running marathons, rock climbing and adventuring in the outdoors.

You may not have guessed, but not long ago I could hardly write an article to save my life. I disliked reading and the two really go hand in hand. One day I decided that I really wanted to share my life story through words. I wanted to begin learning more about myself than ever before. I wanted to become the best I could be. I set out to do this shortly after the Portland Marathon in 2012.

Since that time I have written quite a few articles about all sorts of different topics on my personal blog. I have learned an abundance of things about myself, shared some really personal stories and really improved as a writer.

If you want to get better at writing there are two simple things you need to make time for each day.

Read. Write.

I write to share my adventure. To share my story. To inspire positive change in other peoples live. To inspire positive change in my life.

This is why I continue to write.

Life sometimes gets too routine. We get stuck in patterns of habit that are sometimes not so healthy for us. This is why I have actively cut out several bad things from my lifestyle and inserted more than a handful of good things. There truly is nothing more powerful and magical in our lives then transforming them. This is why I started to create 30 day opportunities.

A 30 day opportunity is as simple as something you are or are not going to be doing in your life for the next 30 days. The best way to look at this is a tool that will change your life, create new experiences and allow for amazing opportunities.

"The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably, thought and act." - Orison Swett Marden

I suggest starting with one new lifestyle change at a time. After 30 days if you feel like the new ritual is simply not of value in your life then throw it out. If you do experience positive change, feel happier and have more energy then why not make this a lifetime habit?

Steps To Creating New Opportunities

• Write down your positive lifestyle change
  
• Share your challenge with family, friends and co workers. This will help you create accountability.
  
• Check in on a daily or weekly basis to write about how you are feeling, what has been hard and what you have learned. I found that writing about my challenges makes them easier and affirms why I am doing them.
  
• Start Small: Start off with something small. For example: if you have an ultimate goal of running a marathon, but you have not been exercising at all of the last 5 years then you should commit yourself to walking for 15 minutes / day for 30 days.
  
• Change Your Environment: Your environment has a huge influence on daily routines, your personality and your well being. Make sure that you change or adjust your environment to support your positive change, otherwise it will be much harder to achieve. Ask a friend or family member to either join in on your journey or at the very least support it.
  
• Have Fun: Most importantly make fun out of these changes.  Smile more, share the change and enjoy the moment. Look for what you are learning from this experience and how it may shape a new lifestyle that is happier, healthier and more positive.
  

My 30 Day Challenges For November:

• Walk, Bike, Yoga, Swim, Elliptical to Offset My Daily Runs
• Why: I have spent the last 6 months putting my body through severe physical stress. I have had at least half a dozen training runs that were longer than 20 miles, raced one marathon, completed a 50K and attempted to PR in a recent marathon. I did not complete this recent marathon and learned that my body needs a break. 
  
• Walk For 10-15 Minutes After Dinner For 30 Days
• Why: For years I have eaten dinner then headed straight for the couch. This will send a ripple through this routine and provide my body with a bit of a wake up before resting for the night.

Ideas For Future

• No swearing, say only positive or neutral comments
  
• Walk after dinner each night for at least 15 minutes [November]
  
• No running: Aqua jog, swim, cycle but no running, walking is ok - November would be good for this
  
• Meditate for 1-5 minutes per day
  

• No car for 30 days
  
• No candy, cookies or sweets
  
• No TV or Video
  
• No eating out!
  
• Draw an Eagle every day to compare improvements and changes
  
• Write negative thoughts down on paper for 30 days
  
• No social media

Again, have fun with this. Attach a positive feeling to each of your challenges and they will not seem so hard and daunting.

If you are going to make a commitment to creating a positive opportunity in the next 30 days then please do share it in a comment below.

Summit As Friends!

Scott