100 Days for Me - Day 001

100 Days for Me

2015, a new year, and for me it will be a “decade” year – the year I turn 40!  For this exciting year, I’ve decided to work on a pretty big project – I want to be and feel like a better version of myself!  Normally I’m not really into the whole “self-help/self-actualization” thing but I believe that we have the capacity to be so much more.  I’ve learned that the most restrictive force in many peoples’ lives is their own mind (i.e., self-doubt, lack of desire, negative attitude, willpower, etc.). 

I consider myself a logical person, almost to a fault – when something is wrong or someone is upset, I usually try and see it in “black and white” terms and think: “If thing X is making you sad, just don’t do it anymore.”  I might consider what they are doing to be illogical, but perhaps to them it’s not about logic, but something else.  What I’ve never done before is question “why” people, myself included, do some of these crazy things.  I have these arguments with myself; I know I do things that I really shouldn’t and I understand that they are completely illogical (and even harmful) and yet I still do them.  What I’ve decided is that I need to learn how not to think in just “black and white” concepts, but realize there is a whole lot of grey out there! 

To help myself with this, I’ve created a special kind of project (as you know, I love projects!) called “100 Days for Me”.  I realize that it sounds a bit self-centered, and to be fair, it is a bit, but it is also a tool that I hope will help me be a better person. 

The 100 Days for Me project is conceptually an easy project to be a part of – over the next 100 days I’m going to focus on taking better care of myself.  This can be mentally, emotionally, or physically, (and likely all three).  I’m going to try and create an environment that helps me feel better.  I am also going to try and limit my exposure to things have been known to cause a negative impact on my well-being.  I’m going to do tasks that in the past I considered “silly” or “stupid” because I think part of getting better is letting go of old, negative ideas and experiences and gaining some new and exciting ones.

Just as important as what the 100 Days for Me project is, it’s just as important as what it is not.  It is not an excuse for me to isolate myself from other people or to blame others for how my life is.  It is not to compare my goals and achievements against anyone else’s.  This is not a race to become “perfect” in 100 days. 

For me personally I have these goals as part of my 100 Days for Me project:

• Write and share something every day about my 100 Days journey
• Enjoy taking photographs
• Cook more meals
• Complete art without self-judgment
• Improve my health
• Be positive

That’s it!  It was much easier to type those goals than to think about what it is going to take to accomplish them!  I might not know how to achieve each of those goals, I remind myself of the last goal – be positive, and I know that 99 days from now each of those goals will realized in a positive way and I’ll be a better me.