August Challenge

[aabukar]

I am just too excited about August that I could not wait before I set my challenge for this month. So here we goes

This is my one month vacation so i better plan it well

1. Take care of my health (my teeth and my skin)

2. Take care of my relationships (I am traveling to my home country which means i will see my friends and my family ... so relationships is a priority .. I will be planning trips ... hanging out with friends and more )

3. Take care of my inside (continue reading and applying the seven habits whenever i find time)

4. Forget work ... forget .Net , sharepoint and everything related to programming just have fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun

So what about you guys ? any plans for August

[jwz]

Yeah. Not being very successful in July, I feel like implementing an important #1 goal.

1. Study/apply PD much much more to gain self-esteem, willpower and discipline enough to accomplish most of my monthly goals. (especially APPLYING the PD stuff I read about) xx

2. Now I REALLY need to quit smoking. Perhaps I will be a non-smoker by the end of July. If so, I will NOT smoke in August. I quit smoking yesterday, 28th of July

3. Save up money. It's about time that I begin saving up for all the great things I dream about in my future. xx

4. Taking Intention/manifestation to the next level. I've proven to myself that this works, now I need to use it more. xx

5. Continue renewing my wardrobe. xx

6. Buy and read some books. Preferably 5 books or more. xx

7. Improve on fitness and health. xx

8. Lose weight. I aim for losing 8kgs. (99>92) oops, I'm at 100kgs now

A lot of goals in one month despite my low success level in July.
This time I INTEND to accomplish them.

[kaushal1]

I would start preparing seriously for my exam seriously. I would be more disciplined from next month. I would start worshiping God regularly.

[realignedliving]

Why wait until August? I'll probably start my 30 day challenges tomorrow after I do some research on exercising and a healthy diet.

1. Start up an exercise program: 30 minutes aerobic exercise one day, strength training exercises the next
2. Eat a healthy diet: no more than 25% of calories coming from fat per day
3. At least an hour of piano practice day, adjusted as needed

So really, not hard 30 day challenges, but things that would make a clear difference by September 1st if they're followed through with. A lot of the challenges I'll be adjusting as I go along - you can't keep doing the same exercises if you want to get stronger - but we'll see. I'll probably add some more and modify my existing ones before tomorrow anyways!

[Jes]

I haven't made a final decision on an August challenge, but after reading the new report on the relationship between marijuana and pyschosis, I'm probably just going to try 30 days without getting high.

[Kaspian]

Based on my experiences aiming to do X, Y, and Z daily this month while out of town (9 days) and hosting out of town guests (11 days), I'm shifting my August Challenge somewhat.

1 - Have fun traveling in Europe.


.................................................. .


Ideally, #1 would be it, but I'm a musician, and there's an audition I want to take at the end of September. In order to learn the music on the list that I haven't played before and stay in decent playing shape, I want to practice. So ....

2 - Every day that it is reasonable and practical, practice horn.

[seeker5]

My July "30 day trial" is almost over. I'm on day 26 of my 30 day trial for 4 new habits. I'm very thrilled at how well that is going as it included habits that I knew would require a lot of attention to make sure I'd follow through.

I'll celebrate the success of the July "30 day trial" on August 1st by starting a brand new 30 day trial! I'm currently deciding which new habits to do, but right now it looks like it'll be 5-6 habits. Two will require non-insignificant time requirement and 3-4 will be simple little things.

I will also work toward making progress toward my top two goals - getting into graduate school and fitness. And if everything works well at work, I should have had a 50% pay raise by the end of August .

[Jes]

Originally Posted by Kaspian

2 - Every day that it is reasonable and practical, practice horn.

You have a portable instrument! EVERY day should be reasonable and practical! Practice, practice, practice!

[bradb]

My goal is to talk to at least one stranger a day, every day, no matter what. Could be in the park, at the grocery store, at a club, anywhere.

But I'm not waiting till August; I've already started and been implementing this for almost two weeks. So far, so fun.

[bradb]

Originally Posted by jwz

Yeah. Not being very successful in July, I feel like implementing an important #1 goal.

1. ...

2. ...

3. ...

4. ...

5. ...

6. ...

7. ...

8. ...

A lot of goals in one month despite my low success level in July.
This time I INTEND to accomplish them.

This is a huge list for 30 days.

If the data you have indicates that you often set goals that are either too numerous or too hard, and then you don't end up achieving them, you may benefit from scaling down, until you reach a point where you're saying "Man, it was really tough, but I achieved every goal I set this month."

There's a lot to be said for starting small.

[jwz]

Thanks for the tip, Brad.

I've thought about that, but in my June challenge, I succeeded in over 50% of my goals. That way, I accomplished MUCH MUCH more than I would have if I hadn't set those goals.

Yes, July has been a lazy month for me. Procrastinating enough to get below 25% of my goals done BUT these last 2 months gave me alot of experience and thoughts (well needed).

I intend to accomplish 90%+ of my August goals (my history of low discipline and procrastination makes me want to get the gears spinning).
Let's see if I can pull this one off.

-Jan

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by bradb

My goal is to talk to at least one stranger a day, every day, no matter what. Could be in the park, at the grocery store, at a club, anywhere.

But I'm not waiting till August; I've already started and been implementing this for almost two weeks. So far, so fun.

That's an interesting goal! I'm curious, do you mean strangers in real life or over the internet? What's the stimulus behind that goal?

[bradb]

Originally Posted by seeker5

That's an interesting goal! I'm curious, do you mean strangers in real life or over the internet? What's the stimulus behind that goal?

I'm talking about meeting people in person. Though I did online dating a few years ago, I gave it up a long time ago. It's so much more engaging, exciting, and efficient to meet people in real life.

We're socially-conditioned to not talk to strangers, and that's good advice up to a certain age, but there's a point at which it starts to hold you back, and robs you of the chance to meet lots of interesting people.

There's profound joy in living dangerously. Authenticity requires courage.

[ahimel]

Originally Posted by Jes

You have a portable instrument! EVERY day should be reasonable and practical! Practice, practice, practice!

I give you special dispensation not to practice horn for any day in which the majority of it will be spent on the train.

I didn't know these threads were here - this is awesome! For August, my husband and I are going to try to be lacto-ovo vegetarian. I've put together a menu of dinners and recipes, including ones that can go either way (spaghetti with/without meatballs) for the days we'll have friends over. We bought a rice cooker, because my husband likes rice almost as well as corn dogs, but hates cooking rice. And we brainstormed vegetarian snackage.

@realignedliving: There is of course no reason that a 30-day trial can't cross monthly boundaries. But I find that my internal clock is already keeping a good feeling for how long I have to go until the end of the month, and I find it easier to be able to use the same gauge of how long to go until the end of the trial. Easier to remember to plan ahead to the next trial. And of course, it puts me on the same schedule as these people, so we can all be in it together. None of those are reasons why you have to wait until August - especially if your internal calendar is easier to program than mine. But since you asked, those are my reasons for waiting. Also, the intervening two weeks since we decided to try vegetarian gave me time to find recipes and plan menus.

[DelThako]

33 Rules to boost your productivity

Master one rule each day, starting with 10 rules first week?

I picked this as the next month 30-day challenge, since I think it would be useful to make action out of Steve Pavlina's blog as a habit. (instead of just reading)

[ahimel]

Originally Posted by DelThako

33 Rules to boost your productivity

Master one rule each day, starting with 10 rules first week?

I picked this as the next month 30-day challenge, since I think it would be useful to make action out of Steve Pavlina's blog as a habit. (instead of just reading)

If you can master a habit in one day, you're a better person than I am.

It's a neat idea, though! A good way to get yourself going on actually doing things. Keep posting and let us know how it turns out.

[MariaG]

I've got 2 goals for August:
1) meditate for 10-15 minutes every day

2) average 4 posts per week at my blog

If I can accomplish those, other things should fall into place more easily!

[albertlee25]

Originally Posted by jwz

Yeah. Not being very successful in July, I feel like implementing an important #1 goal.
.
.
.
A lot of goals in one month despite my low success level in July.
This time I INTEND to accomplish them.

wow jwz,

You reminds me of myself when I just started out on PD few years ago!

I would like to give some suggestions to your goals, it will helps you accomplish them easier!

1. Study/apply PD much much more to gain self-esteem, willpower and discipline enough to accomplish most of my monthly goals. (especially APPLYING the PD stuff I read about)

How much more is your much much more? Study 5 books? 10 books? 3 cds? Apply what PD? Try to be more specific ya

2. Now I REALLY need to quit smoking. Perhaps I will be a non-smoker by the end of July. If so, I will NOT smoke in August. I quit smoking yesterday, 28th of July

Why you will not smoke in August only if you are a non-smoker by end of July? I would suggest you just set the goal, "I will not smoke in August no matter what!"

3. Save up money. It's about time that I begin saving up for all the great things I dream about in my future. xx

Glad that you want to save up money, but how much?? $10 is also saving, but i think that doesn't help much right? What are all those great things you dream about? Do a research on them, find their pictures, details, write them down, find out how much they cost. Decide when you want to own them, then divide the cost by the number of months to achieve, and you will have the figure you need to save up.

I will not go into each goal, but the fundamental of goal setting is the same. Use S.M.A.R.T to set your goals. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive) and you will have a much higher chance to accomplish them!

8. Lose weight. I aim for losing 8kgs. (99>92) oops, I'm at 100kgs now

This is a good goal, specific and clear. But losin 8 kgs in 1 month, is it achievable without going for professional help? You need very detail action plans and the discipline to execute them vigorously in order to achieve it. But as long as you are determine, it is still possible!

All the way man! I'm sure you can accomplish all your goals!

Cheers!

Albert Lee

[jwz]

Thanks for your feedback, Albert.

1. Study/apply PD.......
--I've read MUCH about PD, escpecially on the internet (here mostly). Yet I've only applied a very small part of what I've read so far. My goal is to try to apply more of the theory/ideas I read about that I like. And yes, also to read on, searching for ideas that suits me.

2. Yes, I WILL NOT smoke in August. Thanks for the correction. I've actually quit already, but "accidentally" smoked one yesterday. I really regret that.
August shall be a smoke-free month.

3. Save up money. I actually don't know how much I will be able to save up.
It really depends on both my job and my future unexpected expenses.
I aim for saving up at least 25% of every paycheck if possible. If not, I will use what is nescessary and save the rest.

8. Losing 8 kgs should not be a big problem for me. I'm 1.93m tall and my normal weight is approximately 90 kgs. I've gaines some weight lately which I should be able to loose by eating less and healthier food. And excercising of course.

I hope this answers your questions, Albert. Thanks again for your feedback.

-Jan

[Tuumble]

I am about to have the most FABULOUS month of my life!

Wooh! I am going to have SOOOOO much to tell you come September 1st!

[NotesMaeve]

1) Make new friends. I'm moving to a new town and I need to make new buddies. No excuses.

2) Lose those last five lbs.

3) Exercise four days a week for at least 30 minutes.

4) Get more protein/vegetables in my diet.

5) Try something new every day, whether it's a new drink or a new exercise or going to a new place.

[Iff]

Seeing as I didn't follow through with all my goals in May and have missed out on the monthly goals run for the last two months, I am spending this month goal-oriented and with clarity. First goal (with added accountability) - have a list of goals written down, printed out and posted here by the end of today (the 1st)! If I have not done so in the next 19 hours, could someone please PM me and yell at me?

[albertlee25]

My Health goals for August

1. Sleep before 12 midnight everyday

2. Only 1 cup of coffee allow on Monday, Wed, Fri and Sun and no coffee on the other days (Yes, I am cutting down on my coffee intake )

3. Vegetarian diet 3 days a week.


Cheers!


Albert Lee

[hazerfazer]

Three I'll set right now are these:
Do EFT 3 times a day for depression and 3 times a day for anxiety.
Meditate for 10 minutes each day.
Write something deep in my journal each day.

[stayfly]

here's mine;

1. pilates practice and study daily & pilates classes x 2 and develop excellent mat routine that I can do at home

2. follow excellent exercise routine by rebounding 3-4 times per week for 20 minutes minimum

3. read 3-4 healthy eating books and develop and follow healthy eating plan

4. perform exceptionally well at work

5. pay $1,000 towards mortgage and $1,000 towards offset account

6. study and master "Anthony Robbins - Living With Passion" and apply it to my life

7. study "Grooming Secrets" and develop excellent appearance routine

8. choose approximately 25 awesome photos for my "Life Poster"

9. complete "goals folder" (25 goals)

10. receive awesome professional massage

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

I guess I should get on it since it's August 1st!

1. Cut back on sodas. (I am drinking one right now, so I will start when it's done ). ETA: Replace it with water.
2. Pack my lunch every day rather than wasting money eating out. *Added bonus - weight loss.
3. Wake up early enough to do some stretching and exercises each morning and then eat a healthy breakfast.
4. Take the doggies for a walk several times a week.
5. Continue generating peace and love, looking for the positive and admirable in those around me and minimizing notice of the negative.

Mostly very measurable. I will report back here with stellar results!

Good luck to everyone with your challenges. We can do it!

[Julia.Ru]

My two simple goals for August:

1. Do something about the house every day.
I usually clean the flat on one of my days-off and it isn't enough. But the main reason for me to set this goal is to get accustomed to this activity as I hate it probably more than anything in the world.

2. Smile at least once every day.
Whether it may seem funny or weird, I really need to learn to smile more as during last 6 years I've become quite gloomy.


Again, good luck to everyone!
Btw, it's so nice to see many people reguraly setting goals and striving to achieve them.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by seeker5

And if everything works well at work, I should have had a 50% pay raise by the end of August .

I wrote that several days ago - and well, it got accomplished today! I like starting out the month like that.

[Iff]

Originally Posted by Iff

Seeing as I didn't follow through with all my goals in May and have missed out on the monthly goals run for the last two months, I am spending this month goal-oriented and with clarity. First goal (with added accountability) - have a list of goals written down, printed out and posted here by the end of today (the 1st)! If I have not done so in the next 19 hours, could someone please PM me and yell at me?

I started writing a list of goals and it suddenly hit me - maybe it's the detailed action plan that throws me off my course. So I thought that this time I would just put down some abstract reminders that I want to follow every minute of the rest of the month.

1. Stop being reactive and start being proactive
   Currently I am going through life following whatever event hits me on the head; time to turn that around and live my life the way I want it to be!
2. Forget the past and the future and live in the present
   I want every minute of every day to be worth everything; no more sitting around doing nothing, time to use every second to its fullest!
3. Remove procrastination
   Stop stalling on little tasks like doing dishes or taking out the trash!
4. Everything else
   Just make a to-do list of all the things I have wanted to do for the last five years, prioritise them and then commit to doing them no matter what!
5. Accountability
   Come here every Saturday and report my progress on keeping to the before-mentioned principles.

I think I posted this exactly 19 hours later. Got to do something about this procrastination.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Iff

Remove procrastination
Stop stalling on little tasks like doing dishes or taking out the trash!

Here is something that may help you. It certainly helped me when I did this two years ago or so. What I did was get a notepad and track all the promises I made to myself. The promises would be small stuff like take the trash out, clean the dishes, put gas in the car, clean my clothes, clean the car, etc. Once I finished a promise, I would write down another one promise. The goal was to do 100 promise. I had to do at least one promise a day, or I'd have to restart back at 1. After I kept 100 promises in a row, I'd win whatever prize I had selected to award myself. That helped make it fun to do several chores at once as my number would quickly move up. It also helped build some self-reliability as I saw myself as being more proactive.