This is my third month in a row since I decided to do something for myself and to set challenges on a monthly basis. Even though some of the challenges I managed to cross off my list, that didn’t stop me from continuing in the next month to do the same.

April Outcome

1. Train for 5k. – As I mentioned here, I enrolled to Running Academy, which prepares you to run safely 5K. Until now everything goes according to the plan, and on the 7th of May, we will run our first official run in a charity event. It will only be for 1K at the beach, but even so, I consider it a big step forward for myself. This week, we have run 3,7 km. I am almost there!

2. Be more relax. – This needs more work than expected! Looking forward to cross it off my list.

3. Increase the type of exercises I do. As I previously mentioned [here][2], the gym I enrolled offers a lot of options to exercise. I have tried, Body Pump, which is something I did before, but the newbie on my list is the Boxercise. This is a training done in pairs, where you learn how to box, more or less. For me it was exhausting and at the end of the class, I could barely lifted my hand to open a door. I will go again, next Tuesday.

4. Change my home-work-home transportation way. Almost! Starting with the 2nd week of the month, I went at work by bike every day. If you count that I also used it as a transportation way during the weekend, I think I can cross off this from the list.

This Month List

1. Read one book.

2. Have a Ladies Night with the girls from the department.

3. Run in the Color Run Amsterdam.

4. Talk more with my long distance friends.

5. Go for a run/swim in the morning.

I read not long time ago an article where Dr. Joseph J. Luciani, a clinical psychologist, who says it’s all about building self-trust, “Once you get used to making small things happen, begin to recognize and embrace the truth: What I say to myself is what I do. Remember, to cultivate a capacity for self-trust, you must succeed. In order to guarantee success, don’t challenge yourself with a pledge that you’re not sure you can handle.” This way, he suggested to invent small challenges to build trust in yourself. These can be something really small, like cleaning your shoes when you go in the house or making your bed every morning when you wake up. “These are all trust-muscle builders, and you should view them as you would an actual muscle.”

Don’t be scared to create small goals for yourself. I was and I didn’t have the courage to go forward with anything. Use me as an example, every month since I started this challenge, I managed to do a bit more than half of what I planned. This is the start for me, for you, for everyone.

Let me know how it goes.