Last 90 Days Challenge

Consistency is key. That’s what they say…

…Who are they? Are they consistent? How did they get that way? I need answers!

Being consistent just isn’t something that comes easy to me. I have always wanted to be someone who acts out of habit and lives by a set schedule but the routine never sticks. It’s possible that I may never be that way and will have to work on it always, every single day. Somehow I faithfully believe that someday it will all click so I try and try again. Over the past 4 weeks, I have started making small changes to my everyday life- I have switched up my diet, started tracking my days in a planner and have tried to cut down on my, for lack of better words, bad habits. Luckily for me- these changes are coming at a very good time.

There are 85 days left of this year. There are only 12 weeks left- according to Alexa. That may seem daunting and slightly unfair for I personally have no idea where 2019 went. I can tell you what I was doing a year ago though. I was 2 months into a personal growth journey- soaking in any possible way to grow and evolve during that time. I started working out, changed my diet, started reading and listening to motivational podcasts and started practicing my faith much more regularly. One day I was searching YouTube for new motivation when, somehow, I stumbled upon Rachel Hollis.

Rachel was the exact level of fire I needed to jump start into something better. Years ago, Rachel started the last 90 days challenge. The idea behind it is to be as intentional with the last 90 days of the year as someone would be in the first 30 of the new year. Think of it like this- think of where you would be if you started your new years resolutions today. Imagine if you opened that gym membership on October 1st rather than January 1st. How much closer to your goal would you be if you started today and didn’t throw away the last three months of the year? Depending on the dream, you might be able to achieve it in that time alone. She created a community where people can come together and be motivated and inspired and I knew I needed it. I needed to be surrounded by people reaching for more and I needed to be with people who were on my level. Rachel offers a free email sign up to people who are interested in transforming their life with this program. She emails out at the start of each week with a topic to keep in mind. This week, we are focusing on habits: the idea of breaking down old ones and rebuilding new ones. Rachel shared what 5 habits she used to transform and she calls them the 5 to thrive.

I have a love hate relationship with community. I love to be surrounded by people who love and support me but I often need to do things on my own. I can be a bit of a control freak and introvert. The best thing about this community: you don’t need to be anyone other than yourself. You just need to show up every day and do your best. The last 90 days is community of people from all walks of life who do 5 activities daily in an effort to make real, long lasting change. The catch is- you must do them EVERY DAY. There are no weekends or holidays here. There are no rest days or cheat days. Every day each person is responsible for these 5 things:

Having done this once before, I knew where I would likely struggle this time around. I knew my struggles with consistency were no longer something I could outrun. I would have to face it head on. In a sense- if I couldn’t do it- I’d essentially be cheating on myself, I’d be letting myself down and I’d have to live with breaking promises to me. Rachel often uses the promises example and it resonates with me on a deeper level. A few weeks back I shared my Enneagram- I am a #2, a helper. I thrive off of helping and serving others. When it comes to my own self, I do not operate the same manner. When she explained that keeping bad habits was, in a sense, breaking promises or cheating on myself, I knew I needed to change. How could I continue to damage the most important relationship in my life? This time last year, I had mastered self sabotage. I can recall how I would remember to do the gratitude practice one day and then skip it for the next 3. I would wake up early until I hit snooze and then did it more and more often. I would drink the water Monday through Friday and then skip weekends. The only task I did everyday was giving up the one category of food. Consistently, I did 1 out of 5. I decided this year that the best version of me doesn’t show up like that. The best version of me can be held accountable to do the real work. A member of the community created the tracker listed below as a tool to use each day for accountability.

This time, I am incorporating things to help me be successful like planning meals the day before, planning workouts at the start of the week and I do my gratitude practice first thing in the morning. I drink my water before breaking my intermittent fast at 11am. I am far more successful this time around because I know I can do it and I won’t get in my own way.

For added motivation, each week day Rachel and her husband Dave do a no-frills livestream on Facebook and Instagram that they have named The Start Today Morning Show. They reach out to this community every week day at 9am est. Each day is something new. Sometimes they share funny family stories, chat about their business or drop wisdom to motivate and inspire. The crazy thing- they get nothing out of it. They don’t make a dime off of my success nor do they make money from sharing this mission. They do it all for free. There aren’t many people out there doing something for free these days let alone two people who motivate, teach and give the tools needed to be successful. It’s my choice to buy into their products and services but the truth is- I don’t need to to be successful. The gratitude notebook pictured below is the only one I have purchased and quite honestly, I haven’t even written in it yet. I am currently filling out a bound notebook I fell in love with at Marshalls last winter.

To some this might sound a bit silly- I’ve share it with many people who have laughed me off but there is some sort of magic going on here. There is something incredible about sharing in this journey with other people who want a better life for themselves. Its’s ok not to understand or want that sort of motivation but to me- I open my mind and heart to it and can’t wait to see what it can do in my life. Besides, I have nothing to lose other than bad old habits and a few pounds.

Today is Day 8 – exactly one week into the program. So far: I’d say I am doing much better than I was a year ago. I haven’t skipped or missed a day although I have hit the snooze button a few times. Overall, I have kept my word to myself, and that’s the most important part. There is still plenty of time to change the snoozing bad habit. I jotted down a list of reasons or things I could do with that extra time and I am looking forward to using that time much more affectively tomorrow. The great thing about this practice- you can do it anytime and anywhere. You can start over anytime you like and that’s the blessing in all of this. It is never too late to be the person you were meant to be. It is never too late to try again and to break bad habits or build a healthier life.

My questions for you are: how do you stay motivated? how have you built great habits in your life? Have you tried the last 90 days challenge? Share in the comments below!

Until next time,