One Month of Trying Harder

Do you all remember when I posted about doing a 30 Day Minimalism Challenge?

While I have been keeping up with it, it is going to be taking me a little longer than 30 days.  I started the challenge on January 31st, and currently I am on Day 15.  So I know that I may have missed the point a little bit by not completing one task everyday, but I think that sticking with it until the end is going to be rewarding (regardless of how long it will take me).

It already has been a good reminder for me to only focus on one task at a time, and to tune everything else out.  That has probably been the hardest part for me (aside from remembering to even look at the challenge list).  I am a gold medalist in multi-tasking, and so just focusing on one task at a time is not something that I often do.  So, so far that is what I have taken from this challenge – it has pushed me to slow down and focus my energy more.

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In conjunction with my 30 Day challenge, I also spent the month of February being conscious of Complaint/Restraint and #30daysofgratitude.

The Complaint/Restraint actually went pretty well.  I definitely made a conscious effort to complain less, and in those moments when I started complaining, I heard a little voice in my head say “Katie….is this really how you want to use your energy?”  The idea has definitely stayed with me, and I plan to continue working on this concept.  It has helped me to look at scenarios from a different perspective.  Instead of complaining that things didn’t go the way I wanted them to, I can take a step back and analyze the situation again.  Is someone else struggling with something?  Was there something that I could have done differently?  Can I help someone else?  Does this thing that I want to complain about even really matter?

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The third thing that I was being mindful about during February was Giuliana Rancic’s #30daysofgratitude.  This one I actually didn’t start until February 6th, so I am still working on it, but this has also brought a positive change to my life.  It is good to take a moment to think about what you are grateful for.  Some days I find myself being grateful for family, and other days I feel grateful for a stress-relieving yoga session.  Maybe the things I am grateful for aren’t always very deep (one day I was grateful for sushi takeout), but I think that it is good to find gratitude in small things.

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I hope that all of you who followed along with these challenges found them as rewarding as I did.  And hopefully the positive energy and ideas will stick with you!