So, I woke up this morning and realized August was over. Today was the first day of September. My initial thoughts this morning were:
Rent is due.
The inevitable ending of summer is near.
It's my one month wedding anniversary.
Needless to say, September 1st represents a lot.
As I went through my day, I cheesed while I looked over wedding pics; I checked my bank account to plot my weekend spending once rent was dealt with; and I moped about the loss of summer, my favourite season. I had a fleeting thought: "Only 4 more months to choose my 2012 resolutions"...then thought, "why wait?" And here, my 90-day countdown was born.
I updated my Facebook status this morning...
"So...who wants to join me in a 90-day challenge? Want to lose weight? Feeling a lil Zoe Saldana-ish and want to gain some? Want to save money? Want to be more positive? Want to be more productive? Whatever your goal is, let's get it from Sept 1-Dec 1! We'll take December off to get ready for 2012 :)"
...and got a ton of responses. Why 90 days? Eh, I just liked that number. Why not just ride out til the end of the year? Eh, because once December hits, my schedule is all thrown off. It's one of my most indulgent months, so I'm not going to lie to myself and act like I can maintain everything I plan to...unless it really becomes second nature ;)
People have goals and dreams knocking around in their heads, and most of the time, they're just looking for a reason to move from thinking mode to doing mode. I know I needed that kick in the ass to get moving, so I thought, why not make it public and have others hold me accountable?
So here we go. For the next 90 days, I'll be focusing on my goals, which centre around the '3 P's': Productivity, Physicality, and Positivity.
To be more productive, I'm going to stop hitting the snooze button every morning, and get up early enough to accomplish some things for me before I go accomplish some things for The Man. I'm also going to make my bank account more productive by being smarter with my money, ESPECIALLY around eating out. Definitely have to cut back on buying lunches multiple times every week....that shyte adds up!
To improve my physicality, I'm going to make sure I get a decent breakfast in at home before heading out to work. No more rushing out the door with two waffles and a container of yogurt. No suh. I'm going to get back into working out - using my fave Nike app and getting back into some dance classes. Also need to keep up with my newfound love of Nutrament - I'm never going to be a brick house, but winter is coming and the Mister needs a lil extra cushion to keep him warm. I definitely look and feel better with more weight on my 6 foot frame than less, but wedding and work stress over the past few months have me running a bit haggard. Time to get back into peak condition.
All of this leads to positivity. I know that once I implement some of these new goals, I'll be much happier and mentally healthier. I also need to work on keeping my cool, finding ways to laugh every day, and stay realistically positive. Actually - sometimes I need to NOT be realistically positive. Sometimes I'm going to need to be unrealistically positive and just be crazy happy. I don't do that enough. I'm always focused on what's next, and I get frustrated with myself when what I'm grasping at isn't yet available to me. In order to be more positive, I need to enjoy the now, and plant the seeds for later without obsessing over the future...that will be a challenge for me, but I'm ready for it.
Not sure what my measurables will be, but if I act, look, and feel improved, I'll take that win. So, I say to you, come along for the ride! Lifestyle improvements aren't just for New Year's - you can start anytime the motivation strikes you. 90 days starts....NOW! Good luck to you (and me)!