How To Succeed At 30-Day Trials

A lot of people fail 30 day trials in the first week. While I haven't finished one yet, I'm currently running four, and I've got through the first week with 3 of them so far. And I intend to keep scaling it up: and I haven't failed yet. So today, I'm going to give you some tips in regards to 30-day trials. But first, the obligatory progress report:

Day 17 - Midnight Trial

Day 12 - Programming Trial

Day 12 - Blogging Trial

Day 3 - Exercise Trial

The programming site I mentioned yesterday is a lot more indepth than cprogramming.com, however it's explained a LOT better. I'm enjoying going through, and I now have 18 lessons in the course and 18 days in the trial. It works out well:)

As for the exercise trial, apparently cycling in the dark without a light or reflective clothing is dangerous:) That's news to me! But seriously:  I tried walking instead of riding this time, and it was better than cycling. I felt even more connected to the universe, and I could take my time since it was 10 and I'd already taken care of my programming for the day. It was good: just walking steadily, and allowing myself to feel the connection. I felt at peace at the end of it. If you've never walked in the dark for a while (and you're not scared of the dark or people that may appear) I recommend it: it's great for relaxing too.

Now: on to the meat and potatoes of this post: how to succeed at 30-day trials.

Rule 1: Make it your passion.

A lot of failures start out as 'Eh, I couldn't be bothered' or 'It's just not the right time.' Sound familiar? In ANY part of your life? The way to succeed at these trials is to keep inflating it's importance in your mind until the mere THOUGHT of giving up is unthinkable. It doesn't matter how important it really is: to me it's incredibly important (especially since I want to succeed for me, not just for my blog).

Rule 2: Don't overdo it.

I sound like a hypocrite when I say this: but what I mean is, don't overdo it for you. And everyone has their limits: I don't know how far away my limits are, so I'll keep moving up 'til I hit them. But there are some trials I eventually want to do that I know I can't do now (as mentioned in yesterday's post, Future Trials). Everyone has a limit: don't go too far over yours.

Rule 3: Keep at it.

If you DO go over your limit, recognise it's over your limit and try for a different trial. Recognise that whatever it is, it's only 30 days, and then you can relax: but meanwhile, you can't give up! If you're committed, you'll start again at Day 1 when you fail. And that's a big motivator for me: it'd be like losing two weeks if I failed the midnight challenge!

It's time to play Play Along At Home! Starting today, I'd like each one of you who reads this post to start a 30-day trial. Start tomorrow only if you cannot implement it today: but start at the earliest possible time. I'll even provide a list of 30-day challenges, and 30 days fr0m now I'll provide a list of more challenging trials. And for anyone who completes a 30-day trial successfully, you can get a guest post on the blog about your experiences!

For those having trouble with coming up with a trial, here's my list from 10 days ago:

Physical:

Exercise 30 minutes a day.

Practice a sport for 30 minutes a day.

Walk 10,000 steps a day (get a pedometer)

Measure your energy intake, and moderate it for 30 days.

Cut your meat to 4 servings a week for 30 days.

Mental:

Practice Chess for 30 minutes a day.

Learn a new language (linguistic or programming) for 30 minutes a day.

Do 3 Sudoku puzzles, or a crossword, each day.

Practice math problems, riddles or brainteasers for 30 minutes each day.

Read for an hour a day.

Emotional:

Contact a friend each day for 30 days (never repeating the same friend twice in a row)

Meet someone new every day or two for 30 days.

Strike up a conversation with a stranger each day for 30 days.

Meditate 20 minutes a day.

Learn yoga 30 minutes a day.

Spiritual:

Keep a journal for 30 days.

Practice painting, drawing, music, sketching, photography, etc. 30 minutes a day.

Tell someone how you truly feel about something each day.

Learn an instrument, 30 minutes a day.

Write poetry, 30 minutes a day.

Any one of these could be useful: just pick one, and go for it! 30 days. Take it one day at a time, and you'll make it. Just remember:

Make it your passion. Make it so important, you CAN'T fail.

Don't overdo it. Start within your limits, and stretch them gradually.

Keep at it. Don't miss a day, keep your self-discipline like iron.

And I'm happy to hear from anyone who starts a trial, either on my blog or at Salivanth@live.com, my e-mail address.

Until next time, may you start your own trial.