Sunday 29 January 2012

Make 12 Changes in 2012... The 30-Day Challenge


Bo’s Corner
Make 12 Changes in 2012... The 30-Day Challenge

You’ll receive something powerful in January 2012.  In our four-part series at the Feast on January titled 30-Day Challenge, you’ll receive one of the most potent tools that you can use to change any habit or behaviour you want to change in your life.  Perhaps you want to be a more affectionate spouse.  Or you want to stop eating fatty food.  Or you want to start your business (finally!).  Or it could be as simple as waking up earlier – so you can pray more, read an hour each day, or write your journal.  Whatever change or new habit you want to acquire, the 30-Day Challenge can make it happen for you.  I believe the 30-Day Challenge is a lethal weapon.

What is the 30-Day Challenge? You’ll commit to doing one thing (and one thing only!) for the next 30 days.  If you miss one day, you’ll go back to Day 1 and start over.  Why 30 days?  Because according to psychologists, it takes 21 days to learn a new habit.  It takes 21 days to create a mental pathway in your brain.  So why not call it the 21-day challenge instead?  I don’t want to take a chance.  21 days is the passing mark.  30 days is the honor mark. 
There are 7 rules of the 30-Day Challenge.  Let me share with you the first one:

Rule 1:  Select One Habit
Don’t try to change 19 things in your life.  Just choose one habit.  Choose something simple.  Because it’s the simple things that will cause a massive difference in your life.

Here are a few suggestions:
To Grow Your Relationships, you could... complement your spouse daily; or hug your spouse in the morning; or have a weekly date with your spouse – and text or call her up the rest of the week or spend 15 minutes with your child daily; or call up one friend or family member every day; or talk to someone new every day.  To grow in your personal life, you could... Read one hour a day; Or replace television viewing with reading; Replace videogames with reading; Or read the Bible everyday; Or write your journal; Or wake up early; Or play a musical instrument daily.  To Grow in Your Health, You Could... Stop smoking; Or walk every day; Or decrease coffee and drink herbal tea; Or quit softdrinks and drink pure water; Or quit meat and eat veggies.  To grow your finances, you could make 20 sales calls every day.

Just focus on this one habit for 30 days.  Whatever you pick, make a commitment when we start the 30-Day Challenge Course in January.

(But hey, you don’t have to wait for that day.  You can practice now!  That will be a great preparation.  Most of all, I urge you to start praying for this big change in your life.)  Here’s the magic of this program:  If you can make one change in January, you can change something else in February, and then another one in March... Do you get the picture?  That way, you could make 12 changes in 2012.  Isn’t that awesome?

The Other Rules: When we start the 30-Day Challenge Course in January, we’ll discuss with you in detail the other 6 Rules.  It’ll be too much to explain all of them to you now, but here they are anyway.

Rule 2: Strive to Do It for Thirty.
Rule 3: Set it Up Daily.
Rule 4: Specify the Schedule.
Rule 5: Substitute the Behavior.
Rule 6: Study the New Habit.
Rule 7: Support it With A Friendly Word.
The more you stick to these 7 Rules, the easier it will be for you to change your life.  See you next year!


May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez