One 30 Day Challenge,
The Secret to Lasting Success

I use the 30 day challenge as a tool to make a change that's hard to stick with or something I want to experiment with. Here's how it works: You pick something that you really want to change, such as avoiding all sweets, getting up in the morning at 6am, or working out, etc. Commit to yourself that you will stick to the new action for just 30 days. After 30 days is up, evaluate if the change you made is something you want to stick with or discard, easy enough.

I got this idea from Steve Pavlina and found it to be a very useful tool for changes that require a psychological leap of faith. It works because you don't have to keep a commitment indefinitely. A 30 day challenge is usually long enough to pass the initial enthusiasm phase and give a good sense of doing the one thing you wanted to do.

When tasks "seem" smaller to you, it reduces the chance of inaction. With that in mind, you give yourself permission to stop after 30 days. However, if at the end of the 30 days, you are free to stick with it for another 30 or 60 days. The longer you stick with a change, the easier it is to make permanent.

This tool works best when it is applied for daily actions. Daily actions become habits easier and require far less effort to maintain. The whole idea is to remove some of the obstacles in making any key transitions you want to make.

Need a few ideas where to start? Here are a few:

• Getting up at 5:30am everyday
• Writing that book or screenplay for an hour a day
• Go for a 20 minute walk or run
• Remove all sugary foods from your diet
• Cook one new dinner recipe a day
• Write a daily blog entry on your passion
• Spend extra quality time with the family with the TV off
• Practice speed reading
• Draw some art everyday
• Say "I love you" to someone you love everyday
• Do something that scares you everyday (you will be fearless!)

Be sure to do only one habit at a time. When there's so much you need to change, try to resist the urge to do too many things at once. However, there are exceptions. For instance, if you need to workout in the morning, I don't suggest watching 'Mighty Mouse' or something else on TV. Replace that time with very easy exercising, like bouncing on a trampoline, or something constructive, and relatively easy for you to do. At this point, we want to break down the mental 'getting up early' barrier. Once that habit has been installed, after 30 or more days, then take on your exercise routine.

That was my mistake when I first started using this. I tried to combine several habits into one 30 day challenge. Working out, getting up, no sweets all in one. I figured I could do it because working out is something I like to do and avoiding sweets is not related. However, I found it to be draining and a bit too hard for comfort. For mere mortals, no sleep and no sugar at once is an unhappy person! :) So, I focused on just getting up early, which was a very difficult habit and replaced it with reading and writing first, something I enjoy. Then add on my exercise routine, and the sweets removal.

It's usually not going to be easy, but if you start small you give yourself a better chance of making the change stick. Even if you go through the 30 day period and discard your change, you build stronger "change muscles" for any future habits you wish to install in your life. It's usually a good idea to track your changes to keep yourself accountable. A simple Google docs or excel spreadsheet will do.

Like anything else in life, have fun with YOUR 30 day challenge! Make it interesting for you to actually do the changes you want or need to make. Give yourself a reward at the end of the 30 days or even a small one for every day. This is a great tool to kick start any change you just need make. Go ahead, give it a shot! I triple dog dare ya!

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