When I posted my last challenge report, 30-Day Workout-Every-Day Challenge Complete!, I resolved that my next challenge would be a 30-Day positive affirmation challenge. That means writing at least one page of positive affirmations a day for 30 days. I did it for 24 days, from October 18th until November 10th, before stopping. Now I've gone 7 days without writing a page of positive affirmations.
I guess I didn't have enough self-discipline for the challenge. But it's like lifting weights, you do what you can, and try to push your limit, and gradually increase the weight.
The funny thing is, it's hard to even explain why the positive affirmation challenge is so hard. The "work" is very easy, it takes just 30-45 minutes of writing and it's relaxing and peaceful; you can even listen to music if you're not simultaneously doing a music diet. And yet, somehow, it's one of the hardest challenges I've grappled with yet. Maybe it's because of a deep fear of success which makes the subconscious mind resist taking thoughts to such a positive extreme. Even though I had relatively little trouble with the strenuous 30-day stretch of exercises every day, and even though I was able to time-manage the incredible time burden of writing big articles every day for 30 days, the comparatively easy positive affirmation challenge was beyond me.
What has given me the inspiration to start the challenge over again-- and yes, I'll be restarting the count at day 1-- is that I recently found that someone extremely close to me has also done positive affirmations. Unexpected camaraderie is very motivating.
OBSERVATIONS FROM THE 24-DAY RUN OF POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS
I've found that positive affirmations no longer have been giving me the surges of joy they once did. It used to be that after a week or so, I'd slip into a pure positivity mode where my thoughts were ALWAYS positive, all through the day, and this was accompanied with a strong feeling of euphoria. I didn't feel that during the 24-day run. I wonder whether, doing affirmations as a 30-day challenge, maybe that takes some of the heart out of the affirmations. Like I'm just going through the motions, and it's not sincere?
It could be that I was rushing the affirmations because of my busy schedule. In the past when they were most effective, I did them in a kind of leisurely way.
I also did some experimenting for the first time (necessitated by logistics) with typing affirmations on my laptop instead of writing them on paper. I didn't notice much difference, but like I said, the effects either way have been much less dramatic during the 24-day run.
On the other hand, some of the things I've had on my list of affirmations for a long time (like, on a scale of years) have really been very firmly, deeply rooted in my subconscious, and they exist there now as rather solid beliefs. Not to mention that as far as objectively possible, they've been coming true, which is the test that really matters.
Here are some other articles I've written. May they positivize your life.
License To Change
Running On The Treadmill
Introduction To Toastmasters
Consciously Choosing Health
I guess I didn't have enough self-discipline for the challenge. But it's like lifting weights, you do what you can, and try to push your limit, and gradually increase the weight.
The funny thing is, it's hard to even explain why the positive affirmation challenge is so hard. The "work" is very easy, it takes just 30-45 minutes of writing and it's relaxing and peaceful; you can even listen to music if you're not simultaneously doing a music diet. And yet, somehow, it's one of the hardest challenges I've grappled with yet. Maybe it's because of a deep fear of success which makes the subconscious mind resist taking thoughts to such a positive extreme. Even though I had relatively little trouble with the strenuous 30-day stretch of exercises every day, and even though I was able to time-manage the incredible time burden of writing big articles every day for 30 days, the comparatively easy positive affirmation challenge was beyond me.
What has given me the inspiration to start the challenge over again-- and yes, I'll be restarting the count at day 1-- is that I recently found that someone extremely close to me has also done positive affirmations. Unexpected camaraderie is very motivating.
OBSERVATIONS FROM THE 24-DAY RUN OF POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS
I've found that positive affirmations no longer have been giving me the surges of joy they once did. It used to be that after a week or so, I'd slip into a pure positivity mode where my thoughts were ALWAYS positive, all through the day, and this was accompanied with a strong feeling of euphoria. I didn't feel that during the 24-day run. I wonder whether, doing affirmations as a 30-day challenge, maybe that takes some of the heart out of the affirmations. Like I'm just going through the motions, and it's not sincere?
It could be that I was rushing the affirmations because of my busy schedule. In the past when they were most effective, I did them in a kind of leisurely way.
I also did some experimenting for the first time (necessitated by logistics) with typing affirmations on my laptop instead of writing them on paper. I didn't notice much difference, but like I said, the effects either way have been much less dramatic during the 24-day run.
On the other hand, some of the things I've had on my list of affirmations for a long time (like, on a scale of years) have really been very firmly, deeply rooted in my subconscious, and they exist there now as rather solid beliefs. Not to mention that as far as objectively possible, they've been coming true, which is the test that really matters.
Here are some other articles I've written. May they positivize your life.
License To Change
Running On The Treadmill
Introduction To Toastmasters
Consciously Choosing Health
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2 comments:
Of it could be that the list of 'negative' affirmations we are exposed to - daily - are growing exponentially. Mortgage crisis, bank crisis, economic crisis, recession, depression, laid off, etc etc. It takes a lot to counter act this! Keep it up. And let me know how it goes. As you know, I am very interested in this type of stuff! Good luck!
Sounds like 30-45 minutes of wasted time to me. Thinking about doing, instead of doing.
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