11 Life-Changing 30-Day Challenges

A 30-day challenge can be a great way to kickstart making a significant change in your life. The mere thought of making a long-term change can be too uncomfortable for most of us to even consider. However, most of us are intrigued and less intimidated by trying something new for just a month.

 In just a month, you can get a great start on creating a new habit that can take your life to the next level. It’s only for 30 days. What do you have to lose?

Time is a valuable resource, so pick the 30-day challenge that will best elevate your life:

1. Speak to one new person each day. Talking to new people has a lot of benefits. You’ll get better at talking to strangers. You’ll reduce your social anxiety. You might make a new friend. You might even get a date out of the deal. Salespeople need to make this a life habit. It is so easy to "Relax" into the group of clients you have at the moment. This habit will contribute greatly to the steady growth of your business.
2. Give up a bad habit and replace it with a new, positive one. Try not to get too carried away. Start with two relatively small habits and give yourself a good chance for success. It might be as simple as switching soda for tea or water. You are still drinking, just something better for you.
3. Give up TV and social media. Would this be "a biggie" for you? I'd miss NCIS --- and LinkedIn, of course. So, for me --- not much of a challenge! If these are big time-wasters for you, this would be an excellent challenge. Let everyone know you’re taking a break from social media. You’ll probably have plenty of volunteers ready to join you. Maybe you can all find something else to do together. You could start small, and give up an hour of TV in the evening and do something else. you could read a book, go for a walk or journal your day.
4. Exercise for 30 minutes. Even my Fitbit is in sync with this challenge. If you don’t exercise, it’s important to add to your life. It’s beneficial to your physical and mental health. Find an activity that you like to do and commit to it for 30 days. You could start easy, just commit to walking for 30 minutes and see the difference it will make in your mental health and sleep.
5. Gratitude journal. This is one of the easier challenges, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t incredibly life-changing. Just list five things each day you’re grateful for. Try to avoid too many repeats over the month. Do this either first thing in the morning or the last thing at night. Or you could do both! I discovered the benefits of a Gratitude Journal from Bob Proctor --- Mr. Proctor suggests making a daily habit of being grateful for 10 things --- "I am so happy and grateful now that ..." Go for it ...
6. Try out a new diet. There are plenty of healthy diets out there. You can’t possibly know for sure which one is best for you without trying them. Pick one and stick to it for 30 days. If that seems too challenging, then make one decent change like switch the morning muffin for an apple. Do you recall us talking about a 1% improvement on a regular basis?
7. Take a walk. If you’re sedentary or stressed, a daily walk can do a lot for you. Any time of day can work. If you use transit, try walking to the next stop before you go home or go to work. Do you think that 10,000 steps each day is easy? It is definitely a challenge!
8. Listen to a guided meditation audio program in bed each night. It’s not easy to begin meditating on your own, but there is another option: Recorded, guided meditations. Lie in bed at night and just listen. Notice the changes you’ve experienced after 10 days.
9. Get up one hour earlier and use the time. Most of the wasted time is in the evening. Get to bed an hour earlier and get up earlier. Find a way to use that time constructively. I made this change and now get up at 5:30 and I am at my office before 7:30 am. I get a ton of work done before the office folks arrive and it helps me balance my efforts for the day
10. Create a morning routine and follow it. Plan out the first two hours of your day and then follow your plan. Think about your goals and responsibilities. Create a morning routine that supports those. A routine like this really helps you achieve more in your day.
11. Read for 30 minutes each day. Read something non-fiction each night. Ideally, it will be something you can apply to your life. Imagine if you learned something daily and incorporated it into your life!

Thirty-day challenges can be a fun and less threatening way to start making a change in your life. In the back of your mind, you’ll always know that it’s just 30 days and that you’re free to quit after that. This is a very different mindset than starting something that you feel you should maintain forever.

At the end of 30 days, evaluate the month. Was it worth it? What have you gained? What did it cost you financially, emotionally, or with regards to time? Is it worth continuing?

If you’d like to make a change in your life, consider using a 30-day challenge to jumpstart the process. Try something new for 30 days and see what happens. 

About the Author: Patrick Laforet is a Senior Recruiter with over 25 years experience placing Sales, Marketing and Senior Management positions all across North America. He specializes in Senior Management and all levels and roles in the Franchise Vertical with over 11,000 LinkedIn Connections in that market alone. His favourite all-time compliment about his work was when he was described as a "Trusted Advisor" by one the CEO of one of his clients.

[email protected] LinkedIn Profile: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/hirepatlaforet/