
January: a month of challenges, growth and other stuff
I know we still have two days left in January. But because Sunday was the last day of my Whole 30, I feel like the month is over. For me, January wasn’t just about changing my eating habits, so I thought I would give an update on what happened this month.
This first month of my year of being “intentional” was definitely one I will look back on. It included some challenges, a few wins, stepping out and some disappointment. I’ve been trying to figure out how this whole idea of being intentional would play out in 2017, and I feel like I learned a few things from dear ol’ January.
Just as I took control of my love for food and started exercising regularly in January, I want to find one thing to give up and one thing to add in future months. The thing I give up would be something that has become a negative factor in my life. The thing I add is something that is its opposite. So, get rid of the negative, add the positive.
Here’s how things went in January:
- I finished the Whole 30! I gave up many of my favorite foods by eliminating all grains, sugar, dairy and legumes. I feel such an amazing sense of accomplishment that I DID IT! I will admit that around Day Nine I was thinking of every reason in the book that this was a bad idea, and I should quit. I’m so glad I didn’t give up. I feel so much more in control of my food choices. My body is feeling well fueled. And I did end up losing three pounds. (I’ve been really sick the past five days, so I can’t really say if I have more energy.)
- I started exercising more regularly. I’ve been working on my couch to 5K progress and doing a couple of strength training workouts via the Internets.
- I decided to face my fear of falling and go for something that I wanted to do that was just for me. I’m typically very cautious of committing to anything beyond my wife/mom/work/church duties. But this seemed like something that would help me grow in an area that is a passion of mine. Guess what?!? I got REJECTED! Guys, I actually got a rejection letter! (It was an e-mail, really.) I was really bummed for a few days. I think it’s just hard to think about doing something fun that is just for you, getting excited about it and then hearing that rejection. In the end, I know it wasn’t meant to be. The rejection actually was a confirmation about what I need to do in February, so I’m trying to be thankful for falling.
- I also completed a big personal project for the month. I uploaded all of our photos from 2016 to Shutterfly and organized them into photo albums. It took two albums, with the maximum number of pages! I start this process almost every year, but this is the first time I actually completed it since 2011. I am really, truly going to try to work on my photo book at the end of each month in 2017. I barely took any photos this month, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
Well, I’m excited about February. I have a big challenge for myself. I know what I’m going to eliminate. I know what I’m going to add. And I know what project I want to complete. This is going to be a tough one for me, so I’m glad the month has only 28 days! 🙂
How about you? How did your January go? Do you have anything you are trying to accomplish in February? I would love to hear about it in the comments!
HUGE re: not being scared to fail…and BRAVE for sharing the rejection!!! Love.
Excellent re: photo albums!!! I was so diligent printing through June: http://castleblake.shutterfly.com/ until my laptop crashed in Sept, and I let it go. 🙁 I need to not give up!
Sues, OK… So, I just checked out your approach to printing your photo albums. I’ve never thought about printing them as they fill up. Duh! So life changing! I have it in my head that each photo book should represent one year. I have to give this some serious thought. 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Its such as you read my thoughts! You seem to know a lot about
this, such as you wrote the guide in it or something.
I think that you just can do with some percent to pressure the message home a little bit, but other than that, that is wonderful blog.
A great read. I’ll certainly be back.
Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Ie.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I figured
I’d post to let you know. The design look great though!
Hope you get the problem solved soon. Cheers
Outstanding story there. What happened after?
Good luck!
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m inspired!
Very useful info particularly the last part 🙂 I take
care of such info a lot. I used to be seeking this particular info for a very long time.
Thank you and good luck.
Link exchange is nothing else but it is simply placing the other person’s webpage link on your
page at proper place and other person will also do similar for
you.
Very energetic article, I liked that bit. Will there be a part 2?