Life Coaching Redefined: How 30-Day Challenges Can Supercharge Your Journey to a Better Life
Unlocking Your Potential with 30-Day Challenges
Whether you are a seasoned “personal development-er” or new to life coaching and personal growth, 30 day challenges have a gift for you.
As a life coach, part of my work is to help my clients create their own pathways – whether it is to manage a situation they’re in, hit a particular goal or thrive in life. 30-day challenges become a great way to get started with a journey; inject some fun and variety and to engage our human drive for challenge.
So, why should you consider 30-day challenges on your self-improvement adventure? Well, let’s dive right in and find out.
Commitment and Consistency: Your Personal Growth Cornerstones
One of the most significant hurdles on our path to self-improvement is our ability to stay committed and consistent. When we decide to work toward a dream or goal, we’re led to believe that our focus must remain on that one thing. We have to get the goal written down, make it a SMART goal and use it as our North Star.
But what if that isn’t the most effective way for you to hit your goals or create change?
Imagine that you are going on a 500 mile car journey. You get in, buckle up and put your destination in the Sat Nav. Does the screen stay on the end point? NO. It starts where you are, and shows you the next couple of miles at a time.
You can’t get “there” focused on being “there. You can only get “there” by focusing on “here” and what’s next.
So focusing on the small, daily actions are what really count. 30-day challenges are like your training ground for this.
Keeping It Simple
Your brain is not wired to help you out when it comes to changing your life. It’s only interested in keeping you safe and alive. This means that change, no matter how “small” we think it is, can be inherently hard.
When you set achievable 30-day goals, you reduce overwhelm and build momentum. It’s much easier to tackle a month-long challenge than to think about changing your entire life overnight.
Keeping it simple gives your brain as little as possible to freak out about and increases your chance of consistently committing to your personal growth.
Picking just ONE thing to do for a short time frame of 30 days not only gets us in motion but does so with out too much kick back from your brain.
Keeping The Promises You Make to Yourself
This is a BIGGY.
We have an energy centre in our body called our Solar Plexus. This is our Power Centre – I like to describe it as where we generate and store our warrior energy.
The “shadow” side of this energy centre is shame. When we constantly break the promises we make to ourselves by committing to a change and then quitting – we activate shame. This shame dilutes our power centre.
So these 30 day challenges focused on self improvement, teach you how to deposit trust in your personal growth bank. The more you do it, the richer you become. Not only do you stop reaffirming ‘shame’ stories but you elevate your personal power centre. It really is a win-win.
Where Do I Start?
If you’re new to Life coaching and personal development these 30-day challenges for self-improvement are so easy to start.
Think about what your goal is?
What’s the outcome you are looking for?
Would you like to work on your health? Relationship? Career? Finances?
Perhaps you’d like to bring more joy in to your life, learn a new skill or take better control of your thoughts and emotions?
Having a focus on the change or outcome you want to experience is your starting point. Then you can ask one simple question.
What’s ONE thing that I could focus on this month that will contribute to this change I desire?
10 minutes of stretching every day
Reading 10 minutes of a book on mindset or self talk
Swapping out your morning cereal for eggs or a protein shake
10k steps every day
Putting your phone down at 7pm and being present with your spouse
Just write a list a pick ONE. It’s really as simple as that!
If you’ve been doing Personal Development/Goal Setting for a while…
These 30 day challenges become what I call a “hammock habit”. It’s something that supports you as you work toward your bigger goal.
For example, I’ve worked a lot with small business owners who are incredibly good at taking action in their business, but kinda forget they have a life outside of that. And invariably they find themselves, exhausted, not always in the best health and sometimes struggling to fit in fun and family around their business.
So 30 Day Challenges for them are about thinking about what SUPPORTS them and their business in a more abstract way.
What health challenge could they begin?
How could attention on more joy positively impact their business?
It’s basically just an invitation to think “bigger picture” and see how these 30 day challenges are a way to expand your growth in a new way that doesn’t demand a tonne of your time or attention.
The Human Drive for Challenge
We all have access to this human drive and one of the best ways to access it is to choose it and engage it.
Guess what? Yep, 30 day challenges are the BEST way to do it.
Whether it’s a new skill; doing something that scares you or that you’ve avoided in the past or simply deciding to improve an area of your life – continually having a 30 day challenge engages your human drive for challenge AND keeps you in self improvement, growth and presence in your life.
My most recent challenges have included a specific workout plan; intermittent fasting; stretching and no alcohol. And EVERY single time I’ve learned so much about myself, got great results and it’s improved my “trust bank”. On a side note, these challenges have extended out past the 30 days because the results were undeniable.
The Ripple Effect: Transforming More Than You Expect
Now, here’s the exciting part – the ripple effect. When you commit to 30-day challenges, you’re not only working on that specific area of your life; you’re also transforming your mindset and approach to everything else. It’s like a snowball effect that extends to all aspects of your life.
Let’s say you take on a 30-day fitness challenge. You start working out daily, and by the end of the month, you feel stronger, more energized, and proud of your achievement. But it doesn’t stop there. The discipline and self-belief you’ve built during that challenge spill over into your work, relationships, and personal aspirations. Suddenly, you find yourself setting new goals and achieving them with more ease.
So, there you have it: the incredible power of 30-day challenges. These challenges help you practice commitment and consistency, one small step at a time, and the results will ripple out to positively impact every area of your life. Start your journey today and watch yourself transform into the best version of you. And remember to enjoy the ride!!