Tags
nature, painting, photography, rewards, self care, time management
So, I’m starting my 30 day challenge – actually I began it yesterday, and knowing that my focus right now is on time management and accomplishing tasks, you might be surprised that my 30 day challenge isn’t about checking stuff off the to do list. I’m still going to keep doing my ten minutes of daily paper management which is working so well! I think I’ve got a habit going that I can stick with!
I’m going to continue my 10 minute morning grass time as well. Sitting with my feet on the grass and almost always a cat or two nearby, taking time to plan my day, read something inspirational and then just sit for ten minutes letting everything be – it’s the perfect way for me to begin every wild and precious day.
Here’s my surprising challenge: For the next 30 days, I’m going to paint or draw for 30 minutes. When I first imagined having control over my own schedule years ago, I pictured lots of free time to be creative. While I have no special talents, I enjoy playing with drawing and painting, and I’m struck with a pang of longing when I go to galleries and admire the colorful paintings, especially when they’re of the Louisiana wetlands.
But painting and drawing always ends up at the bottom of the list. It doesn’t get priority because I need to do the “important” things first. Well, that’s changing! The truth is, I have time to paint or draw and get my other tasks done. When I’ve tried this strategy in the past I’ve noticed that by rewarding myself some time every day with something fulfilling and fun, I manage to be more productive. Similarly, when people who are trying to lose weight focus less on food and more on doing and finding things that bring them joy and happiness – when they start practicing extreme self-care – they find that something shifts– and their eating habits magically become healthier, without even thinking about it.
So that’s my plan for the month. I’m excited!
I’m not quite ready to post my “artwork” for all to see, but I’m also going to take at least one nature photo a day – I’ve always loved that and I’ll make it part of my morning grass time, usually. Today’s photo is a raindrop caught on the ginger.
So are you thinking about it? What would you like to do for your 30 day challenge?
Join our Facebook Group (It’s open – come on in!) to share your plan and get support from a whole passel of coaches! And tune in here – I’ll be posting my nature photo and letting you know how each day goes! I’d also love to hear from you in the comments – what kind of challenge feels delicious to you this month?
Stephanie said:
That’s fantastic! I think it’s awesome to begin exploring the things that fill your well.
And I like the idea of doing something like that for smaller amounts of time, rather than saying, “I’ll do this for an hour every day.” For me, at least, that means it never ever gets done.
Good luck!
Carla said:
Yes- ten minutes or 30 minutes is so much easier! Today I split my drawing into two 15 minute segments and that worked beautifully. So far, so good – but I’m in the honeymoon phase!
Stephanie said:
I think I need to remind myself that incremental is just as important as “Sit for 30 minutes in one sitting.” Thanks for the reminder!
(And honeymoons are nifty places to be in! Enjoy it while it’s there!)
Carla said:
Yes! I was really excited about two 15 minute chunks yesterday, and happily, the honeymoon’s not over yet!
Robin said:
What a wonderful idea! Drawing is something I’ve wanted to learn, but haven’t taken the time for lately. (Lately? It’s been years!)
Can’t wait to see how this goes for you. 🙂
Carla said:
I’m loving (so far) making it more of a priority. Going for it. Letting it be all about play. Yay! 🙂