Can a 30-day Challenge lead to a better you, or even a better family?
When I am in the car, at the gym or cooking, I eagerly fill my ears with the most interesting Podcasts I can find. From news to history, entertainment to enrichment – if the topic interests me and the hosts are knowledgeable, I’ll probably listen. Speaking of which, if YOU have a Podcast, either one you run or want to recommend, drop a comment. I’ll look it up!
Last week I was listening to an episode of the TED Radio Hour when a section caught my attention. The idea of 30-day Challenges as presented by Matt Cutts.
Every 30 days Matt chooses a new Challenge to tackle, one that will help him grow as a person and possibly become a better version of himself. These challenges do not have to be daunting or overwhelming. In fact, many of them seem quite pleasant. Practice gratitude, meditate, say thank you, cook at home… you get the idea.
30-Day Challenge? My family can DO that!
These challenges fall right in line with what my own family recently took on, The 30 Day No Screen Challenge. Those 30 days, while a bit difficult at times, have altered the dynamic in my household. Attitudes are better, activities are more enjoyable and family meals are paramount. My girls have stopped whining to watch TV ALL the time (it’s down to a few petulant whimpers here and there) – and even my husband pauses before he grabs a screen.
Full disclosure, we still watch screens… just not to the depth and breadth that the digital holes enveloped us previously. This success latched on to Matt’s TED Talk and got me thinking, what else can we do as a family? What other challenges should we take on? Should it just be me? All of us?
Should we do another one?
The possibilities are endless, and the excitement contagious. I asked the girls last night if they wanted to participate in more 30-day challenges and both jumped at the notion. Mind you, that could be because they are 4 and 6 and not fully aware of just what I mean – but hey, I’ll take what I can get.
30 days is just enough time to form a habit or discover something you do NOT want to do again – and those 30 days just may lead to a better family.
If I can improve my parenting with a 30-day challenge, I’m all for it!
I am still mulling over what the family should choose as our first, rather second, 30-day challenge, yet for me personally, I have chosen hugs.
“We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” – Virginia Satir, Family Thereapist
I am not sure of the scientific backing of this claim, but the concept itself feels right to my heart. I know that I find peace in a hug and that my children seem to find their calmness when they settle into a hug. Honestly, even if there is no scientific consensus on this concept, what could it hurt? I cannot harm my children by hugging them more and knowing that I will have to consciously stop and reconnect through a hug can only make me a better parent.
So, for the next 30 Days, I will endeavor to hug both of my girls at least 12 times a day. Luckily I have taken up the Bullet Journal trend, so setting a small daily section aside as a hug tracker is easy enough.
Which one do you like better, the hugs on the left or the boxes on the right? Leave a comment, let me know!
As I ponder what 30-Day Challenges my family can tackle as a unit, I wonder what your ideas for a family focused 30-Day challenge would be? Leave a comment with your suggestion, I’m very curious! Is this something you want to try, for yourself, or for your family? You never know – that 30-Days could change your life!
What a great idea that I never thought of. Doing the 30 day no screen challenge…I don’t believe it would have lasted by the end of the day in my household, but the hugs I can definitely do! And I like the hugs on the left, the hearts win it!
I tend to agree with you – I like the hearts too! =)
I love this idea of setting aside 30 days to commit to something. Whether it’s being overly demonstrative with your love and hugs or cutting the television. Cutting TV might help us to jump on the books and get to reading more. 🙂
Cutting the TV habit has changed the dynamic in my household for certain! The hugging, surprisingly enough, is proving to be a bit more of a challenge. I thought it would be easy – I hug my kids all the time! Apparently not as much as I thought though. I am having to play the “hugging monster” to catch those last few hugs of the day!