Trying new things
Today's question that was asked is, "What is something new you recently tried and loved". There are quite a few things that I have tried out over the past year. Weather it has been my Trekz Air headphones (absolutely awesome) or my Saucony Switchback trail running shoes (Got them for my kids for cross country as well) or the various books and podcasts that I have discovered over the past years. One of the best things that I tried last year was joining the OYNB (One Year No Beer) 90 challenge. This challenge is what helped me decide to write the morning emails to you all.
The various challenges they have (30 day, 90 day and one year) are designed to help you create a better personal relationship with alcohol. Along the way you also start to see and feel the benefits from taking a break from any kind of alcohol drinking. The physical health benefits go without saying. Weight loss, skin color, better blood flow, better cognitive thoughts and reactions. The physical benefits are numerous. The emotional and mental pieces though is where the real magic happens. This 90 day challenge really forced you to open up with in yourself and really examine your life and how you feel about it. It forced you in a good way to really ask yourself some very thought provoking questions about yourself and why you chose this challenge and where you wanted to be by the end of your challenge. The daily emails I would receive everyday really made me answer these questions. Since my 90 day challenge I feel much more aware when things start to feel like they are going sideways on me. I am able to recognize these forces that want to make this happen. I am now better equipped now to react and handle these forces. The 90 day challenge helped me gain a more focused thought process on how to beat resistance.
The most important piece though was finding my voice and the courage to write these emails to you everyday. Some people say that it is good that I have allowed myself to become more vulnerable through writing these emails. I'm not sure I like the idea of feeling vulnerable, just like most other people would probably feel the same way. I like to think this 90 day challenge allowed me to express myself in a very genuine way. It allowed me to come out from behind my own walls that I had built up for years. We all have these walls we have built up. It is a natural process in life. But just as it is a natural process to build them, it can also be a natural process to tear them down.