One Word 2011 : Challenge

I am really feeling as if I have definitely chosen the right word for me and what's going on in my life in choosing the word challenge as my word for 2011. I have been in a rut so long just hiding out that I never realized how many ways there are that I can challenge myself everyday. I am feeling so purposeful, so motivated and so positive.

Health & Wellness: I really haven't been challenging myself in this aspect of my life yet. In all honesty when it comes to exercises and nutrition I can be quite lazy. I hate exercises of any kind and I eat what I want whenever I want. This is an area that for the month of February and onward that I really need to work on. I am joining a gym called Curves where you do a 30 minute circut three times per week. I am challenging myself to force myself to go no matter how I am feeling about it. It really is time I got rid of the extra 30 lbs I am carrying. I am so tired all the time and spend night after night with very little sleep. I am going to challenge myself in a few ways for this. Firstly I am a huge coffee drinker. I am going to start limiting myself with my caffeine intake. I really do not mind drinking decaf coffee and in the past few weeks I have started drinking it much more often especially in the evenings. This is something I am going to continue to do. My goal is to have my first few cups of regular coffee in the morning, and then decaf the remainder of the day. I am also going to give in to my aversion to the sleeping pills my doctor has prescribed for me. The medications I take each day cause insomnia and I have always been to scared to take the sleeping pills. I am always scared I won't wake up if one of the kids needs me. I am going to start taking them every now and then as I just can't go on any longer with such a small amount of sleep. I have a doctor's appointment this week and am going to talk to my doctor about quitting smoking. It is something I have been thinking about for a long time and it's high time I get motivated to do so.

Habits: I have many bad habits I fall back on when I am feeling anxiety or depression kicking in. I am challenging myself everyday to not fall back on these old habits. To do something new instead of what I have always done. This week this has been working out wonderfully for me and I am more motivated than ever to break these habits.

Hiding: This week I have not been able to challenge myself in leaving the house everyday as the girls and I have all been stuck inside sick. Next week I will be back to making myself leave the house at least once a day for something other than driving the kids to school. The more I get out, the more I will feel comfortable doing so.

Digital Scrapbooking and Challenges: I have been keeping up with some of the challenges I have committed to participating in this year. Project 365 is not going as well as planned. I will continue to challenge myself in taking pictures each day. I also challenge myself to finish my Digi In Deep V2 class, Joy of Love workshop and to continue to work on Creativity 101.

Thinking: I have been doing really well at challenging my thinking. To look for a better way to deal with what is going on around me. To remain more positive and motivated. The more I challenge myself this way the more it will feel more natural to focus on the positive.