Purpose and Structure for #101DaysOfAwakening

I have been involved in personal development, self discovery and self mastery for five years. Now it is my career however, I started as a client. I wanted an answer, I was happy but unsatisfied and I refused to settle. I can honestly say that I have made significant changes in my thinking and the results in my life are truly extraordinary. (do you her the BUT coming?) And yet, I still feel stressed, anxious, doubtful about who I am and how I show up.

I started on this path because I wanted to have different "things" in my life; relationships, work, etc. Now I am interested in how I feel, how I experience myself and how I relate to the world around me. I read books written by all the gurus and I see there is a possibility for living in peace and in love with "what is." I want to create that for myself.

However, I have never been the type of person who could break a habit or implement a habit in 21 days. I am not even sure that is a real statistic. I mean, have you been successful with the 21 day rule? Besides, my habits didn't just show up in 21 days why would I assume it would take that long to dismantle?

That is why I have decided on #101days. If I commit to something for nearly a third of a year I will at least make significant strides.

There are two parts to this project:

First Part: Use my tools. In my work I have amazing tools to help get clarity, to develop emotional intelligence, to live in peace. Up until now I have only used those tools when I am triggered, off track or as an assignment to address something in particular. Now I have created a structure (below) to use these tools on a daily basis no matter how I feel to preemptively invite peace and creativity. 

Second Part: Invite fears and doubt into my life. Now don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm not going to get crazy and sign up for Sumo Wrestling, I just don't have the figure.  All I mean is that up until now I have avoided situations where I feel anxious and doubtful. Now I am holding the intention that they are welcome. I look forward to getting to know them better so I can see the truth and grow.

A this point you are probably asking yourself, "How is this a pay it forward project? Aren't you just doing all this for yourself." Well, yes that's true, I am AND as I said I read a lot of books. All these gurus write about the concept of peaceful thinking. They have grown and they write their books looking back on their growth. Some of them have dark backgrounds suffering from alcoholism, depression, and abuse. I have a pretty vanilla background, I can't relate to that.

Don't get me wrong; their insight is valuable, enlightening and have been extremely beneficial in my life. However I want to read about "some regular ol' chick" or "some regular ol' dude" experiencing enlightenment. I want to read about it as they go through their experience.

And I also believe the following:

What better way to end the emotional suffering in the world then to end my own. If I can do it, then it it is possible for all.

So here is my purpose and plan:

Purpose:
1. Awaken possibilities and creativity 
2. Inspire myself to live what I preach
3. Engage a community of accountability
4. Celebrate the growth I have already experienced
5. Address and replace old habits that no longer serve me
6. To dedicate 101 days to feeling free, appreciative and loving

Below is my plan for the next 101 days. It is my agreement to complete the following:

The Plan:
Daily:
-15 Minute Morning Grounding Meditation and Deep Belly Breathing
-Complete a One-Belief-At-A-Time Worksheet by Byron Katie
-Live By The Four Agreements: Keep My Word, Do My Best, Don't Make Assumptions, Don’t Take Things Personally
-Electronics off by 9pm in bed by 10pm
-Daily Instagram Posts To Document My Experience
-End Of Day Gratitude Journal

Weekly:
- Workout 4 times a week, 30 minutes or more
- Write about my week in a blog post
- Reduce TV to 2 nights a week


Stay tuned as it all starts tomorrow: January 1, 2014

"This is boring, who would want to read this??"

That sentence has been echoing in my brain for the last three days. Slowly driving me crazy (Yup, that's me on the left). You see, I have committed to something big and my mind is desperately trying to help me get out of following through. Up until now the power of that thought would have been very successful in stopping me, however I am more interested in feeling unstoppable so I will continue in my endeavor. However; I may be getting ahead of myself, so let me start at the beginning.  


My friend Marian, is brilliant. She is funny (to the right), engaging, fearless, creative and every month she picks a subject for which to focus her "happiness project" and commits herself daily to sharing a picture of her process in creating her happiness. For several months she has shared a slice of her life. It is real and inspiring. I don't know if she truly understands the impact her project has had on the lives of those connected to her.

I must say; I have been riveted. The first project was waking every morning for the sunrise, capturing its dynamic beauty and sharing it through social media for all to enjoy with her. Next was writing post cards of love and appreciation and sending them to the people of influence in her life. I was lucky enough to be included in that project.

When I received her postcard, my heart burst, a true experience of bliss. She included my husband in her loving thoughts and endearing words. She wrote about our future, dreaming of the difference we will all make in the world. I was sold, we will do the things she dreamt AND what truly captivated me was the post script where she wrote, "Will you pay it forward and deliver your own #flyawaypostcard?"

Well Marian, here it is. My #101DaysOfAwakening is an adventure inspired by you and it is the best way I know how to share what matters most to me and truly pay it forward.

I will pay it forward by embarking on an adventure and sharing it with the world. This adventure will test what I am truly made of and what I truly believe. On this journey I commit to daily meditation, introspection and exploration of self with the purpose of awakening my creativity, inspiration and appreciation.

I intend to do this in real, simple terms by acknowledging, sharing and processing my fears, discovering and addressing my sub-conscious beliefs and breaking the habits I have built around those beliefs and fears. All while building a practice of meditation and appreciation to implement habits more in alignment with whats real about me.

So back to that thought. "This is boring, who wants to read this??"  My ego pleads, relentless and unwavering in its attempt to protect me from the anticipated embarrassment and shame I might feel when I publicly share what I love with others. As you will come to find out about me, I have spent a lot of time in my life believing thoughts like this and over the last five years I have experienced unbelievable transformation by challenging these thoughts.

Starting January 1, 2014 I will start my journey of #101DaysOfAwakening. Tomorrow I will share my plan and daily I will share my experience of challenging my thoughts to see whats possible. I hope you enjoy reading about my journey. I hope I have half the impact on someone that Marian had on me. And if you feel so inspired, I hope you pay it forward.