Photo Courtesy of sindy (flickr)
The most effective way to try anything new is with the expectation that it will be temporary. Trying new things forces you to overcome fears, jump into the unknown, and risk failure. Knowing that something new will only last a few weeks will allow you to open up fully to the experience. In the last few months I have completed a few 30-Day Trials and they have been incredibly successful. 30 Days is a great time frame because a month seems so short, yet it has just enough time to allow you to form a new habit, adjust to a new lifestyle, or even make a positive, powerful, and permanent change in how you live. If you attempt something new just once, you don’t really know how it could affect your life on a daily basis. Having the time minimum of a certain number of days forces you to continue past the initial wall of fear and judgment. 30 Days lets you open your mind to the possibility of you living with your new decision on a permanent basis.
The real goal of a 30-Day Trial is personal growth. You want to be able learn from the experience, increase your self-awareness, and come away with new knowledge that makes you one step closer to a long-term goal such as running a marathon, moving to a new part of the country, or changing careers. If the experiment doesn’t challenge you in a significant way, keep brainstorming. Start by looking at examples from others and examining the habits of successful people. Look to your mentors and experts in your industry. Pick out something they do that you believe would greatly benefit you. Try just one thing at a time and see how it work. Put your full energy and resources behind the trial to maximize its effectiveness and to give you an authentic perspective on how it could change your daily life.
I recently completed a 30-Day Trial growing a sexy beard. It wasn’t a huge challenge, but it was personally important for me to test my masculinity. Seriously. I wanted to know if I could grow a legitimate beard. The end result was that I could, but I didn’t like it. Beards aren’t for me. I like the idea of a beard more than the itchiness, scruffiness, and scraggly appearance. Ultimately, I prefer a clean shave or a 3-day stubble.
At the moment I’m in the middle of a 30-Day Trial with Green Smoothies. I won’t even hesitate to say that this has been a HUGE success! I will definitely be continuing this lifestyle long-term. The health benefits are incredible and I love my new focus and energy. I have also read a few books on food, joined a CSA, and switched over to eating mostly vegetarian and organic foods. I won’t go on too long about this, just check out the blog post.
A few months ago I went a little crazy and started running at 5 am, before I went to work. It was an amazing experience and I really fell in love with the early morning. The trial was difficult to maintain because my life was very busy at the time, but I really felt better every day I ran. I ended up going back to evening exercise routines and that has been more effective for my current lifestyle. I don’t regret the 5 am experiment because it taught me a lot about my own self-discipline and habits. I will be repeating this 30-Day Trial again someday to see if it sticks permanently.
Be Creative & THINK BIG
Experiment with something you have always wanted to try but have been putting off. Don’t pick something easy. Think outside the box and find something extreme. Radical change will be the best method to dive in head first and experience a whole new life. Changing my diet was very extreme because I have a close relationship with my food. I tended to eat whatever I want in huge quantities all the time. Now, not so much. I have completely altered my perspective on what I eat, when I eat it, and especially how much. Getting creative will boost your ability to think critically, act courageously, and live fearlessly. Just do it!
Remember You Can Quit AFTER 30 Days
Quitting is not failure. Failure would be never trying at all. Remember that the goal is personal growth. Even if you find something that doesn’t work well, now you know. Growing a beard didn’t work for me. No biggie. When I was in High School I colored the front of my hair bright blonde. It looked ridiculous. No biggie. Now I know. My first job out of college was a terrible door-to-door sales experience that ended in less than 9 weeks. No biggie. I’m smarter and more prepared than ever because of that job and the many others I’ve had since then. Quitting is not the end of the world and attempts that are not successful should be celebrated because you made the effort that most would never even consider.
The Clueless Graduate,
Jeff Sanders
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