The 30 day challenge

At some point in our lives we have set out to do something but we have abandoned before I got it. Going to a gym frequently, eating healthier, quitting smoking, washing the dishes before going to bed, studying for 2 hours every day, writing a diary ... Surely each of you has your own examples.

According to William James "the will allows the alteration in the behavior to carry out actions in adverse circumstances ". When these actions are repeated over time we stop perceiving them as something adverse and become a habit.

When that moment arrives we can say that we have internalized action and it has become a part of our life. The repetition of the action is inversely proportional to perceiving the action as something negative or "costly". The more we repeat it, the less it will cost us to do it, both physically and mentally.

But ... How can we get to that point? How can we overcome that initial psychological barrier to turn action into a habit?

Steve Pavlina in his article "30 days to success " (30 days to success) proposes a series of strategies to achieve it. Relying on acquaintances "30 day trial" of many computer programs, extrapolates to our own lives and challenges us to take some action during each and every day of that period.

In Steve's own words ...

"It seems too overwhelming to think of a big change and stick with it for a lifetime when you're used to doing the exact opposite. The more you think of that change as permanent, the less motivation you'll have to carry it out ..."

"... but what if we thought that the change was temporary? - for example only 30 days - And then you would be perfectly free to go back to your old habits. Isn't that so difficult to imagine? quit. Keep your desk tidy for 30 days, then stop tidying it up. Read for an hour for 30 days, then go back to watching TV… "

However after 30 days the miracle occurs. We will discover that it is very difficult for us to give up this new habit since we have internalized it. If we have managed to reach 30, why not reach 60 or 90 days? ... or even keep it forever?

The 30 day challenge can also be used to try habits that we are not sure that we want to incorporate into our life. Like for example a new diet. We can try the new diet for 30 days to discover, after that period, that it has not brought us as much benefit since we are lower in energy than usual. Then it is time to abandon it. The exact opposite can also happen and discover that we enjoy more energy and health than ever before. In that case the difficult thing would be to abandon her.

In my personal case my challenge was do aerobic sports (alternating continuous running and swimming) for 30 days. I don't think it was 10 days before I stopped counting. I felt like I had completely internalized the habit and that from that moment on it was going to be part of my life. In just 10 days I discovered that the benefits derived from this new habit were positive enough to continue to maintain it..

Mark us the 30 day goal it is actually an excuse, since we can assume the change much earlier, as was my case. At that moment it does not matter if you "jump" one day, since your inner state will return you to the marked path, which is precisely continue the habit.

I started my challenge in July 2008 and since then I have been doing sports at least 5 days a week. It does not matter if a week I do more or less, since the average is maintained. In fact at the moment it is difficult for me to define the habit as a "challenge" since maintaining it is not an effort at all. Running and swimming is part of my life.

Set yourself a goal, try anything. You have nothing to lose, quite the opposite.

know yourself.