Want to change your life and grow each day? Hop on this 21-Day Self-Growth Challenge and finish off feeling greater about yourself and your health while living a more fulfilling life than you had imagined. The biggest step to take now is to start today! Whenever you feel like giving up, just remind yourself of the better life that you deserve.
1. Set a new goal and break it down into steps
If you want to accomplish or achieve something, you must first have a goal to work towards. Take some time now to write down your goal(s) and understand why you want to achieve it. The “why” is what will push you when motivation stops. After you’ve written your goal and found the purpose, try breaking down your goals into smaller steps, and set deadlines for each of them. By having a realistic plan and taking necessary actions each day, you’ll be one step closer to your goals.
If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.
— Zig Ziglar
Don’t forget to check out daybreak’s FREE templates to help plan out your goals!
2. Dedicate an hour each day to learn something new
Was there something you’ve always wanted to learn but had to put off because you “had no time”? Instead of letting yourself off the hook each time and giving yourself all the excuses in the world, try dedicating one hour each day to learn and improve yourself. Not to mention, it feels amazing whenever we accomplish something new. If you’re out of ideas on what to learn, do stay tuned for my upcoming post!
3. Get rid of one item every day
Being a minimalist comes with countless benefits but it also takes a lot of commitment. We all need to find a starting point so consider this a challenge to help you get started on this journey. Locate one item that you don’t need or want anymore and find a new place for it, whether it’s selling it, giving it away, or donating it.
4. Pick up a book and read one chapter each day
Even though the internet has most of the answers to questions we have, one of my favorite ways to learn would still be through reading. It’s been said that an average CEO reads 52 books a year. That’s one book every week! We might not all have the luxury to sit and read for hours each day but one chapter a day from an enriching book wouldn’t hurt.
5. Write in your journal book
Journaling is a great way to help track your progress in terms of reaching your goals and also to appreciate your life and reflect upon it. It might seem like nothing has changed day-in-day-out but when you look back, you’ll realize how far you’ve come and how much further you’ll be going. Besides looking back at your progress, you can also learn to understand yourself better with these writing prompts.
6. Exercise for 30 minutes each day
It’s been said that lack of exercise is as deadly as smoking yet so many of us fail to exercise at least 5 days a week. So here’s your challenge, try to exercise for at least 30 minutes each day for 5 days this week. It could be working out at the gym, jogging in the morning, or even rope-skipping. Any form of exercise for just half an hour each day for a healthier body.
Looking for sports to enjoy indoors? Check out this post! Stay Healthy: 6 Inexpensive Sports to Enjoy at Home
7. Create a new morning routine
For years, I’ve been brainwashing myself to think that I’m a night owl until I came across the book “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod and tried my very first morning routine. Almost instantly, I could feel the results. My morning routine consists of dynamic stretching, followed by yoga and then meditation. After meditation, I would usually turn to reading and then journaling. I will talk more about how to create your own morning routine in another post so stay tuned!
“I used to think going to sleep late was cool. Till I realized waking up early is the real boss stuff.”
— Wiz Khalifa
8. Wake up half an hour early
With a new morning routine, there’s no excuse not to wake up earlier each morning to make it happen. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tough but as I followed my morning routine, I started to accomplish more. I’ve been meditating for one month straight, ate much healthier, AND published my first blog. This can happen to you too!
Start by waking up half an hour early and eventually work yourself to whatever time you feel most comfortable waking up. Setting an upbeat song for your alarm might help!
9. Replace "I have to" with "I get to"
Words are extremely powerful. Simply by changing the way we say something from “I have to do this and that” to “I get to do this and that“, we can change our attitude and become more appreciative towards whatever it is that we need to do. Here are some examples.
- I have to go to school -> I get to go to school
- I have to feed my family -> I get to feed my family
- I have to wake up early -> I get to wake up early
10. Spend less time on social media
Social media is a way to keep up-to-date with friends but sometimes, when we’re hanging out with friends, we still spend a lot of time on our phones scrolling through social media. A helpful tip is to hide all your social media apps in a folder and tuck it away so it’s no longer one tap away. By making the app inconvenient to access, it would encourage us to use social media less.
11. Leave a "thank you" note
A simple “thank you” note could leave anyone grinning from ear to ear. It shows that you’re willing to take a little more time to show your appreciation towards them. Besides “thank you” notes, you could also leave notes here and there to make someone’s day or to show that you care about their well-being.
12. Unplug 1 hour before bed
There are plenty of studies on the negative effects of blue light on our sleep. That’s why we’re encouraged to unplug at least an hour before bedtime to avoid lowering our sleep quality. Some evening activities you could do to replace phone time could be meditation, reading, or even some light stretching before bed.
13. Prepare healthy snacks
I often find myself turning to junk food whenever I’m looking for a quick bite before lunch. Even though I remind myself how unhealthy they are, I just can’t help but snack on them when I’m starving because no preparation time is needed. I can just munch on them as soon as I’m hungry. That’s why each morning, I would spare some time to prepare a box of healthy snacks (e.g. an apple, a bunch of grapes, cherry tomatoes or sliced cucumbers, etc.) and bring them to work for me to nibble on whenever I’m hungry.
14. Manage your finances
One great way to get your life together is to get your finances together. Take out your account book or a budgeting app and start managing your finance today. (I’d recommend Fortune City if you don’t know what app to use. It’s free and fun!)
By tracking your expenditure and understanding the trends, you can find where your money magically disappears off to and come up with solutions to save you hundreds or even thousands. Besides saving money, you can also find ways to invest your money to make even more money!
15. Stick your self-affirmations to a mirror
Write down your self-affirmations on post-its or a piece of paper and stick it somewhere you can see every day. Read it out loud in the mirror every morning and through repetition, your subconscious mind will slowly push you to make your affirmations come true.
For interested readers, here are 5 Simple Tips to Make Your Affirmations Work
16. Enjoy a cup of tea
Sometimes we’re so caught up with work and keeping up with our social lives that we forget to give ourselves time to sit back and relax. What better way to enjoy some “me” time than to sip on a fragrant cup of tea and appreciate the evening sky.
17. Do something creative
Grab your art palette and start creating away! If painting isn’t your thing, you could always pick up a nice coloring book or even join a class to learn pottery. Anything that allows you to show off your creative talents and unleash the artistic beast within you!
18. Watch a documentary
If you prefer watching videos over reading when it comes to learning, there are countless documentaries out there that can broaden your horizon. Even if you don’t have Netflix, you can easily search on YouTube or other platforms. I personally enjoy Netflix’s “Explained“. Besides documentaries, you can also learn a great deal from watching TED talks.
19. Write a gratitude list
There are so many things that happen every day in our lives that we take for granted from being able to wake up in the morning and live to see another day to having fast and stable internet. By writing a list of all the things that we’re grateful for, we learn to appreciate what we have and not take them for granted.
For interested readers, check out 4 Genuine Benefits of Writing a Gratitude List
20. Listen to a new podcast
Podcasts are a great way to learn! If there’s a new language you want to speak or that e-commerce business you want to start but don’t know how, podcasts can come in quite handy. Not sure where to start? Feel free to try one of my favorites, “The Mindset Mentor“. I always start my day with a motivational podcast by Rob Dial.
21. Stretch all your muscles
I like to end each day by stretching my muscles before falling onto my bed, all relaxed. Whenever I finish stretching, I can feel the leftover stress and tension from work release, allowing me to sleep soundly. Besides releasing tension, stretching your muscles can actually help improve your posture and balance, build up strength, and also lower the chance of getting injured when taking part in physical activity.
You can consider trying some of the yoga poses below:
- Butterfly pose
- Child’s pose
- Sphinx pose
- Thread the needle
- Knee to chest
- Legs up the wall
To Conclude
By the end of this challenge, you’ll realize how far you’ve come and it’s only been 21 days! Just imagine how much more you can achieve in the coming years and eventually, live the fulfilling life you’ve always dreamed of. Best of luck!
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