Challenge yourself in 2015 (2/2)

I do not usually receive tons of comments, but I know that I have convinced few people to join me for one or more of the first six challenges. By the way, I will have a follow up article on each of the challenges (either at the beginning of the month to provide hints, suggestions on how to complete it, or at the end to give you feedback about how it went and whether or not I succeeded in achieving it). 

Let's carry on challenging ourselves:

• Giving July

Giving is part of our religion, culture and the human ethics in general. This challenge is not about us, but rather about the others. It is a lot like 'the kindness challenge' but with some changes. The idea is to give. Give time to people around you, give a smile to a person you don't know, give a positive vibe to a colleague, give money to a person in need, give a meal to someone hungry, give water to thirsty birds, give blood... Your ideas on how to make 'giving' a daily challenge are welcome as I would love to propose a series of giving actions to fulfill the goal of Giving July.

Picture from: http://www.7hillschurch.tv/giving-challenge/

• Happiness August

'Can this even be a challenge?', I thought to myself when I first saw this. No one can shoot for 100% happiness, but we can try to live one happy moment every day of the month. The importance of this challenge is that it allows you to better know yourself, be more grateful for simple things and appreciate whatever makes you happy. I will suggest my own version of the challenge at the beginning of the month for those of you interested. 

picture from http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/30-Day-Happiness-Challenge-34868296

• 10000 Steps September

September, beautiful weather, longer days thanks to daylight saving: the very best time to do some walking. Daily 10000 steps have been proven to be perfect for calorie burning, but also represent an excellent substitute to gym exercises (not that I am an expert). What you need is a simple pedometer (need to check where these are sold at in Morocco, I'll let you guys know) or maybe you can just install one of those apps that keep the count for you. I am actually trying some of these, and will be back with a review as soon as I have some answers to provide. Scheduling some activity is about the right way to start the work/ school year, right ? 

picture from: http://workplaces.healthier.qld.gov.au/public-resources/10000-steps-challenge/

• A photo a day October

Taking more photos is one of my every year's resolutions. I am not used to taking my phone out everytime I meet a friend, spend a good moment at a spa, organize my home, buy something new... I am not a "but first let's take a selfie" kind of person. I believe being able to take photos without having to think about how much photos remain in the film is a true blessing. It's is consequently a real loss not to take advantage of this. The solution I found to this is the photo a day challenge. I did some of these on Instagram, following brilliant ideas of The Ideam Room and Fat Mum Slim and intend to do more throughout the year. I may propose my own list for October, stay tuned!

pictue from: https://thedailydigi.com/photo-a-day-challenges

• Reading November

Reading should be a habit, not a challenge. If it is already the case, what I suggest is you take this list and try to check as many as possible (one book, one check because I realize some books fit more than one criterion) If you haven't yet started reading (Oh poor you!), and are going through this article for no reason you can elicit, then I am addressing you: please start NOW. For people who'd love to pick this habit but don't know what to read, choose a book that inspired a movie you like: the books are usually better! A book always feels better but if you disagree you can read online: pick topics that are of interest to you and browse, Pocket is great for that. The November reading challenge will be a challenging one indeed. Please share what your interests are, preferred authors, books, genres...

picture from: http://sarahbessey.com/husband-made-deal-2014-need-read-challenge/

• Change December

Pracstinators love December, because it's their chance to save the year. A month is enough to learn a new skill, to change a bad habit, to do that one thing you've been delaying the whole year. December is 'the' last opportunity to bring change on. This is more of a 'bonus' challenge. You don't have to follow a given schedule, you just need to celebrate all the nice things that will have happened throughout the year. Do not wait until January to start new stuff, you can register for dance classes, renew your passport, prepare for your driving license, change the color of your room's walls, find a new job, find love and be actually blessed with good things in December. It's your joker. Use it, wisely !

picture from: http://www.wolverhampton.towntalk.co.uk/news/d/28419/people-of-wolverhampton-challenged-to-change-your-city-with-an-idea

Let's see together how much these challenges can change in us. Are we going to succeed in incorporating good habits to our daily living, can we challenge ourselves to become the best we could? I'll be sharing my experience with these, don't hesitate to share yours.