I've discovered something and I wanted to share it with you all!
I've recently embarked upon my very own 30 Day Challenge to do something 'new' every day. The idea was taken from a post I read about 30 Day Trials for self-improvement. The general aim is to commit to doing something every day for 30 days, knowing that you only have to do it for 30 days. The idea is that at the end of the 30 days, you can choose to continue, or you can stop whatever it was that you were doing. These trials tend to revolve around things like diet, exercise and health. For example, quit smoking for 30 days, commit to one hour of exercise a day for 30 days, go vegan for 30 days etc etc.
I wanted to do something a little more exciting than that as I must admit I am rubbish at committing myself. So I kind of turned it on its head a little! If I commit to doing something new every day, then I'm not really committing to anything at all am I?
Before I go any further, I guess I should tell you a little bit about myself and where I find myself in life at the moment.
I'm a 31 year old girl-child who, up until around 18 months ago, ran my own Burlesque business for the best part of 8 years. I then came out of a long term relationship, got a place of my own, retired from self-employment and embarked upon full time employment in an office (to pay the expensive bills that come as the price for so-called 'freedom'!) You could say I've made some major changes in my life over the last 18 months, but for me, it's actually felt a bit like my life has stagnated!
Don't get me wrong, I don't regret any of the decisions I've made: Living on my own is amazing, I love it. I was ready to hang up burlesque as 8 years is a long time. And now I have a 'proper' job, I actually feel a bit like a 'proper' grown up for the first time in my life! But that still doesn't change the fact that I feel a bit lost and like something is missing. I guess that's because a lot of my identity was tied up with Burlesque and now that has gone, I feel like I've lost a big part of myself.
So, I felt like it was time to go back to basics...embark on a little soul-searching if you will. Although I do enjoy my day job, I sometimes feel like it's slowly choking the life out of me. You see, I've kind of figured out that my sense of identity rides on my sense of personal freedom....and I guess after running my own business and doing whatever the fuck I liked for 8 years....getting a 9-5 job is going to feel restrictive!
I considered my options, thought about going back to university and doing another degree, I thought about travelling, I thought about going back to burlesque, I thought about how to kidnap Tom Hardy and turn him into my own personal sex slave...But ultimately, I weighed up my actual viable options and came back to what I wrote two paragraphs ago. I'm happy with where I'm at. I don't want to go back to burlesque. I like living on my own. I like having a job I can leave behind at the end of the day. I like being secure in the knowledge that I will get paid every month. And I'd probably only get bored of Tom Hardy in the end anyway...
 |
| ...Sorry Tom!!! |
Then I realised what was missing! I'm a girl that thrives on a challenge! Now, believe me, this came as a VERY big shock to me! I've always thought of myself as being a bit of a wallflower type, with crippling anxieties, social awkwardness and a fear of anything outside of my comfort zone. But isn't being outside of your comfort zone where the magic happens? I guess I've been living outside of my comfort zone all the time I've been doing burlesque!
 |
| Me outside of my comfort zone... |
 |
| Me inside of my comfort zone...See what I mean? |
So it was time to set myself a realistic challenge that I knew I could stick to. I liked the 30 day 'trial' concept as it's temporary, but I knew I could never commit to exercise every day because 1. I'm too busy and 2. I'm too lazy! By deciding to do something new every day, I knew I could challenge myself, have fun and also have 'cop-out' days where I could do something simple like watch a new movie or eat a new food!
This 'challenge' was going to tackle many of my comfort and non-comfort zones all at once, it was going to test my commitment and give me an opportunity to try some things I've always wanted to try! I'm nearing the end of my trial now (this blog post is day 24's challenge!) and I can tell you, it's also given me so much more! More than I expected!
The main unexpected highlight of this challenge has simply been the response it has received! Now, this didn't start out as something I was going to share, or even document. I originally just posted something on Facebook explaining that I intended to do it and was looking for some recommendations on what to do.
The response was phenomenal, I had never expected so many people to get in touch telling me that they had always wanted to do this, that or the other! People telling me their own fears and anxieties. People recommending a tonne of things to do. It even resulted in people making contact that I hadn't seen in years! The challenge had already opened so many doors to me and it hadn't even begun!
I've discovered so many things about my friends, family and even strangers over the last 24 days! But for the most part, I've discovered so much about myself....
...More on that, including the full 30 days worth of my challenges later...For now, I'm looking forward to what the next 6 days will bring...
