I feel like I've been really negative lately. "Oh, I'll work on my goals one day", "I feel trapped, my obstacles are too hard to solve" and things like that. I've been really negative at work as well, and I really hate that. I want to stop it! I didn't go for my lunchtime walk yesterday because it was too hot. I didn't want to come back to the office all hot and sweaty and gross-looking, and then have to be like that all afternoon. Good reason, no? No? But then - I missed my walk! I felt all stiff and had less energy. I missed the fresh air and the bustle of the city and listening to my podcast. I was disappointed in myself, stressed, and ended up eating some inappropriate foods when I got home. Making me even more disappointed and stressed!
I don't want to go through that merry-go-round again. So I've decided that I'm going to go outside today. No matter how hot it is! Even if I only make it half a block. It's something. And something is better than nothing. It's a mathematical certainty.
I was talking with my colleagues about hobbies this morning and had a blinding flash of an idea. Some of them have relatives who make themselves do a certain number of chores around the house, and then they can go do their hobby . One of them even formalised it with a Frequent Fishing Points system! It got me thinking. The idea I was toying with recently of some kind of walking challenge never took off. I've had it on my to-do list to set up, but haven't gotten around to it. The idea obviously isn't appealing enough to me as a motivational tool. But what about some kind of Frequent Walking Points system?? I could allocate points for distance/time walked, and then have a sort of 'catalogue' of rewards. I'm leaning towards working it out on distance. It wouldn't be that hard to work out a conversion system for other types of exercise as well. And I could allocate myself a few extra points to motivate myself to do exercise that I always end up not doing (e.g. weights training in the evenings). And perhaps even for other healthy behaviours.
The advantages of this challenge would be: easier to keep track of (no comparing distance walked to maps, less calculating distances & times, etc); can choose a range of small/large rewards at more flexible intervals; can reward other behaviours, not just exercise.
The disadvantages would be: no clear end to challenge; could spend a lot of money on buying rewards; will need to tinker with it to get best balance of incentive frequency.
The biggest obstacle to getting this whole thing started right now is ... me. I've thought of so many programmes and systems and motivational ideas, and I never finished most of them. Some of them never even got off the ground. To be perfectly honest, it's gotten to the point where I'm hesitant to even think of something, because I'm so sure I'll fail.
But no! Not this time! I'm over it! I want to be happy! And use lots of exclamation points!! Surely I deserve to be able to use lots of exclamation points!!! I was so proud of myself when I finished the Baby Elephant Walk challenge - I need to keep hold of that feeling! I didn't start another challenge straight away after that one finished (or at all), for various reasons. So perhaps it's a good thing that this new proposed system doesn't have a clear end. I'll just keep on going forever, ever and ever ... just like the Song That Never Ends. =D Or maybe not just like that!
