I realized yesterday that we are not too far from Christmas. In fact, we are 80 days away from Christmas Eve. Which means we are 75 days away from December 19th.
Now, I do not celebrate Christmas in the religious sense. Only in the cultural sense because of the society we live and participate in. But the advent of Christmas does mean festive times and holidays- a much deserved break from everyday life, and meeting with friends and family.
So why are the number of days and the date of December 19th significant?
Well, having 75 days between today and December 19th means that I could do my version of 75 Hard between now and then, and make some good progress to end the year on a high note. And ending on December 19th (Friday) means that I could get into the festivities of Christmas and the upcoming holidays over the weekend after December 19th and the week after with the win of having completed my version of 75 Hard behind me…obviously making the big assumption that I do complete the challenge successfully.
The premise of 75 Hard is that it is a mental challenge. To show up for 75 days to do the (hard) things one said they would is not easy. The actual challenge as it is set is physically demanding- it includes 2 workouts and following a diet of some sort (of your choice) besides other things.
I am very happy with my workout life and would not want to change it or make it harder. That is not something I want to achieve within the next 75 days. But there are other things I do want to accomplish over the next few weeks, so I set my own rules, and really hope to follow them. I already know where I will be most challenged, and that is where the real juice of the challenge lies- to show up every single day to do the hard things.
So what are my rules you ask? Here they are:
- No Alcohol
- 15 Minutes of Sketchbooking
- Reading a physical book for 15 minutes
- Walking 15000 steps
- Drinking 3 liters of water
- No shopping for self
- A 15 minute meditation
Between October 6th and December 19th, I hope to apply these 7 rules to my life. I made myself a tracker in my daily planner. And having to check off these habits everyday will be my win for the day.
The hardest ones for me will be sketchbooking and meditation. Not so much because I find these activities hard. But because making time for them in my day will be hard, especially on busy days. I have been thinking where will the time come from. But then, I also wondered if my phone scrolling time can actually be replaced to make space for these activities which would add a whole lot more to my life.
We shall see…
I am excited, and a little worried…wish me luck!