A review of the first 31 days of the 4^th Quarter Challenge 2023

Day 1:    Call someone and tell them they are important to you and matter.  Let’s be part of the cure for loneliness.  One out of two Americans are suffering from loneliness.  This is an astounding statistic.  Make the call!

Day 2:    Ask and answer the question, What Do I Want?  I have found that few people spend time getting specific about what they want in their lives.  List all the things you want in your life.  How do you want to feel and live your life?  Think about your relationship, family, friends, finances, physical health, mental health, vocation, personal development, and other important categories.  Now, write down and proclaim what you want in each of these domains of your life.  The universe doesn’t know unless you tell it!

Day 3:  Ask and answer the following questions:  1.  Are you happy most of the time?  2.  How often do you feel lighthearted?  3.  Are you excited about your future?  4.  Do you feel deeply loved?  5.  When was the last time you felt carefree?

Day 4:  Take five minutes, find a quiet corner, relax, and listen to this music.  Take this pause to collect yourself.  Say thank you.  Breathe deeply and step away from the noise of the world.  Here’s the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkqnuxKj8Dk&list=RDQM5n-D687ipyw&index=3

Day 5:  Our homes are essential to our safety, sanctity, peace, and joy. They are filled with things we have chosen to surround ourselves with…photos, furniture, artwork, etc. Our physical environments matter. They will influence how we feel.

Today’s opportunity: Walk through your home and notice how you feel. Is it bright and cheery or dull and drab? Is it peaceful and calming or messy and distracting? Do your “things” give you joy or drain you?

Day 6:  What put a smile on your face today?  Better yet, what did you do to put a smile on someone’s face and joy in their heart?

Day 9:  STOP.  Pause.  Take a deep breath.  Put your phone down.  Turn the radio off.  Find a quiet spot.  Human beings cannot handle all that is coming at us these days.  It is a dynamic, fast-paced, and uncertain world. It is easy to get swept up without realizing you are losing yourself.  Give yourself a timeout.  Be where your feet are…be in the moment.  Collect yourself.  Tell those you love that you do…Because you never know.

Day 10:  Offer up a prayer for the folks in the world who are suffering today.

Day 12:  It’s time to wake up, folks. If you are not informed about what is happening worldwide, I suggest you do some homework. You cannot bury your head in the sand and then be ‘caught off guard or surprised’ when terror happens here.

Where have our values gone?

Where is the wholesomeness and kindness and discipline gone?

Why would anyone think it is OK to kill babies, families, and the elderly?

Why would anyone think that having WIDE OPEN borders is a good thing?

Today’s opportunity: Get informed. Do your research. Find out the facts about what is happening in the Middle East and at our borders. Don’t rely on the woke media. It is your responsibility to educate yourself and then plan and act accordingly. Be ready.

Day 16:  Whether you are participating in this challenge or not, consider this. Some days/weeks can be hard. Unexpected and, in some cases, bad things happen. It can take the wind out of your sails and set you back. But don’t give up. Begin again.

Last week was one of those weeks for me. The news of what was going on in Israel was jarring. Things at the office were particularly challenging. It was an ass-kicker.

So, I spent some time recognizing and realizing ALL the goodness in my life. I did what I love to do on weekends. Dig in the dirt and read a good book. I prayed that the tide would turn. And I handed off everything and everyone to a power all-knowing. And I said I will begin again. Do this with me when trouble comes your way. Don’t give up or give in. Begin again. Give yourself grace. Trust. Rest. And then, start.

Today’s opportunity: Begin Again.

Day 19:  Today’s opportunity: Be aware of how the world reflects back to you, your uninspired actions, and your thoughts.

Your energy makes a difference. Have you ever noticed that when you are stuck in a rut, the world keeps putting a rut in front of you? Have you noticed that when you think negative thoughts, negative people, places, and things appear in your life?

How you are “being” and “thinking” makes a difference. If you want to turn the tide, change your perspective.

You have the power to change your state, so do it.

Day 20:  You cannot continue to seek outside of yourself for something that can only be found within. Solitude allows you to come home to your own deepest belonging.

Today’s opportunity: Travel far enough that you meet yourself. Don’t stop short. The journey may feel long and lonely and sometimes scary; keep going. Trust that your inner savage frontier is as alluring as the vast uncharted territories that you seek outside or yourself.

This journey will require your heart and soul to be radically engaged. It will awaken an intricacy of emotions: fear, hope, confusion, sorrow, and excitement. Such vital crossings will require you to take your time and listen deeply to that voice inside calling you forward. At some point in our life, we come to a threshold. The time has come to cross.

Day 23:  One of the things we do during the challenge is to list the Top 3 things you want to accomplish each day. Doing this helps you to focus and intentionally do the stuff you may not want to do.

Here’s what I do. I put the thing that I LEAST want to do at the top of the list. That’s right. Get the shit sandwich out of the way first. Once you cross it off the list the rest is easy.

Today’s opportunity: Put the call, chore, activity, conversation…that you have been putting off because it is too uncomfortable or too much work at the TOP of the list. Get it done! Now, go get em!

Day 27:  Do you ever stop and think about which decisions you are making that add overwhelm, stress, and discomfort to your life? For instance:

-Spending too much time on social media/playing video games

-Spending more than you make (house, car, clothes, eating out)

-Staying in relationships with toxic people

-Staying at a job that drains you

-Saying ‘yes’ when you want to say ‘no’

-Consistently thinking negative thoughts

-Participating in gossip

-Playing small

-Not playing at all

-Hanging out with uninspiring people

-Eating/drinking too much

and the list goes on.

Today’s opportunity: If you want your life to feel good, make good decisions. What is one decision you can make today that will lessen the strife in your life? Decide today. Don’t wait. Only you can rescue you. Take responsibility for your life.

Day 30:  This morning at 6 a.m. I was on the freeway making my way to my office. I came across the flashing lights of fire trucks, ambulances, and highway patrol on the other side of the highway. It was a multi-car accident. All the lanes were closed. The traffic was backed up for miles and miles and at a complete standstill.

My first thought was, you never know. I hope no one died, and I hope no one was severely injured, but I doubt it. Those people who were involved in the accident didn’t plan for it—their whole day changed. The lives of the people they love change. Everyone sitting in the stopped traffic had to rearrange their day; they would be late to work, miss a flight, miss a deadline, or lose hours of progress in their travels. Everything changed…

Today’s opportunity: Tell the people in your life that you love them. Say, “Thank you.” Ask them what you can do for them. Let them know you care…because You Never Know.

 

As October comes to a close, I hope you took some time to do something intentional each day that makes your life more joyful.