There’s so much we can accomplish in a day — yet alone a year — and yet we cut ourselves short. It all comes down to time management. How early are you waking up? How long are you working? More importantly, what are you doing while awake? Are you going through the motions or moving mountains?
Whatever resolutions you set for yourself in 2020, I’m adding eight to your list. Why? Because, why not? Challenge yourself to make the most of your life. You’ll be happier — trust me.
Learn a New Language
It requires patience, practice, and lots of learning. Pick a language spoken at your dream destination. Reward yourself by going there once you’re at a good level. Learning new languages also helps with creativity and uses many different parts of the brain.
Meet One New Person Every Day
These challenges are all about getting you out of your comfort zone every day. Life happens outside your comfort zone. What better way of leaving your comfort zone than meeting someone new? You’d be surprised by what comes of it, but I can tell you that it will be beneficial. You never know who you’ll meet. My only advice is to see what value you can bring to their life. That’s the way you build an effective network.
Create An Eating Window
Your digestive system needs a break. Imagine a car that always has the engine running; that can’t be good. I personally eat from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. My general rule is the body shouldn’t be eating for about half the day. Now that may sound crazy, but when you consider sleep, it’s not that bad. Add 2-3 more hours on top of your sleep schedule and there’s your window.
Wake Up at 4 a.m.
If you’re already sweating about how you’re going to accomplish the first three challenges, I have the answer for you: Wake up earlier. This is probably the hardest one to do consistently, but it’s also the most rewarding. Usually the hardest things are.
Not only are you creating time, but you can get SO much done during this window because the world is quiet. Distraction is at a minimum. On top of that, there’s the psychological component of getting a head start on everybody else. The momentum it creates is a hard feeling to mimic.
Take Cold Showers Regularly
There are a lot of physical and mental health benefits from taking a cold shower. From the physical standpoint, the cold releases a chemical called Adiponectin, which helps break down fat and pushes glucose into cells. This is health’s version of a “magic bullet.”
From the mental side of things, the cold builds resilience. It’s hard to do and outright unpleasant, so if you’re willing to do it the mental toughness builds. You don’t have to do it for the entirety of the shower. You could use hot water for the hygenic part, and then make it cold for the final 10 minutes.
Carry Weight
Incorporate more physical adversity into your day. Carry something tough in a farmer’s carry fashion. Why? Because it’s healthy to get the blood moving throughout the day. It’ll keep you focused, sharp, and feeling good.
Do 100 Crunches Every Morning
Feel free to get creative in how you do them — as long as you’re doing them and feeling the burn.
Do An Ultra
It’s 30 miles and 60 obstacles, and EVERYONE should strive to do one. Get it on the calendar so you can train hard for it. (You’ll need to.) Even though the medal is awesome, it’s not about that. It’s about pushing yourself to a new level. When you cross the finish line, you’ll feel better than you’ve ever felt in your life. I guarantee it.
