#29 2014 Challenge - 1: 30 Days No Sugar

My dad always said,

"the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results." 

But 62% of us will start 2014 with broad resolutions about what we need to accomplish, change, or add to our lives. Of those, 46% are destined to make it past 6 months and 8% will make it to the end of the year.

I want to change a few things in my life: I want to be healthier and skinnier, travel more, learn more Italian, write more - and something meaningful, and live in a way that's true to my heart. I want to be a professional, get more education under my belt, learn about Italian culture, and be a better teacher. I want to get more friends and be more creative about what happens on the weekend. I want to be more consistent in my mood and my workout routine (although those go hand in hand). I want to run more and actively. I'd like to lose 30 pounds.

I want to take it easy on myself. I want to remind myself that I'm carving out the life I am living slowly and meaningfully, one step at a time, one day at a time and remember to be in the moment. Life isn't about giving yourself a high five at the end of the year when you've accomplished everything with a, "whoopee, we made it!" Life is creating all those moments: the agony and the inspiration. 

I just realized though, that what my head wants and what my heart wants are different, they are the two paragraphs above. Which one do you think is which?

Here is what I should be thinking about for the new year (take a look, it's pretty fabulous).

I want to forgive myself that my goals this year are very similar to my goals last year. And I should. Because the things that I've written above are not goals. They are hopes, or dreams, but there is no solid plan behind them. There is no tool of measurement. As a teacher, I know how to set learning objectives. You cannot measure your students "understanding" of a concept - you can, however measure the output: speaking and writing. So I have to think about myself the same way. How am I going to measure: live healthier and get skinnier - what does that even mean?

It means that I want to think outside the box in terms of what is going in to my body. I want to plan my meals around fruits and veggies and not just add them to the side. I want to cut out processed foods and make my own where I can. I want a treat day to be one meal, once a week, not a little treat (or two) everyday. And I want to feel accomplished right away and have immediate results (because I am an impatient, media-controlled human).

Keeping that in mind, I've decided to follow the idea of doing "30 Day Challenges": Participating in meaningful & small changes that can be sustainable for 30 days. You get a feeling of satisfaction everyday after you've won the battle against your Self.

The first one (of 2014) is - 30 Days No Sugar, and I will use this blog to document my feelings. My first thought is that this is sort of a redemption from my failed attempt at #30daysnoalcohol. You can check out my food blog for the recipes. Make sure to search for #30daynosugarchallenge.

I'm in the planning stages this weekend, trying to research what I can and cannot have so I can make my first week as much a success as possible. It doesn't help that upon returning from England for Christmas we brought back a ton of curry, brown sauce, beans, and sweets. Oh well! In this life there will always be temptations. I was lucky enough to have discovered mince pie and warm brandy cream. It's now replaced Crème brûlée as my favourite food in the world. I'm planning to use this information to achieve my goal: if it's not as good as mince pie and sweet brandy cream I don't need it.

#28 If You Won the Lotto...

It's almost 2014 which means that the world is coming to grips with the end of a year and a beginning of a new one. Some people choose their birthdays to reflect upon years passed while others do it seasonally. Most people, at some point during the Christmas holidays - maybe even sat around a tree, commenting on the growth of children - think about what happened in the last year. … and what will the new year bring?

For me, I have decided that I want to travel more. No one is going to hand me the lotto and say: go. I'm getting older everyday which means that I need to do the things that I want. That I really really want to do. And that is travel. And yet I am a poor person. I don't have a trust fund and I don't have money for tickets around the world. So how can I achieve this goal?

I sat and thought during my Christmas vacation. I meditated. I turned my brain off and tried to look inwards for a solution. Nothing.

Frustrated, I told my friend about the problem. He bought a lotto ticket, nice guy.

So we discussed in length: what would we do if we won the lotto? We're talking maybe 6 million or something.

And I really thought about it. After blowing a few thousand on a vacation, I'd want to invest the rest (luckily my mom is a financial planner, and an excellent one at that if you need advice) and then go back to work, shut my mouth and pretend that nothing's changed. For at least 6 months. I'd want to use the interest to do the trips I've always wanted: whiskey tour in Scotland, swimming under a waterfall in Bali, eating a steak in Texas...

Then what? Maybe open a school of my own. I'd want to volunteer as well. I love people and helping them reach their goals, and that's why I like teaching English so much. Well, now, I can't open a school in Italy because bureaucratic policy won't allow it. But I can volunteer.

Volunteer… it's a nice word. Not in Canada, but abroad. Not with United way, but … something really hard like on a farm. In Switzerland. Alone.

I have an idea stirring in my heart. The idea is terrifying and absurd but my heart likes it. The idea is to take a year of my life and volunteer. It won't be this year… but soon.


Ps. The idea that I thought, took action, and then the solution was brought in front of my eyes has not been lost on me. It's actually brought me more inspiration to take more action: telling you.