Kay Hannaford
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No more excuses

5/31/2013

19 Comments

 
I love a good life changing experience once in a while. But little did I think, when I took on a 30 day challenge that promised to change my life,  it actually would.

It all started on Anzac Day when a story appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald entitled 30 Days to Change Your Life: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/30-days-to-change-your-life-20130420-2i6gw.html

I was intrigued by the guy in the story, Matt Cutts. He’s a Google engineer in the US who set himself a series of 30 day challenges to shake himself out of a rut. Simple things like eating vegan food, doing something nice for his wife, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (!)

Not that I was in a rut. I just love challenges, especially life-changing ones and I know about 30-day time-spans from my work as a mentor. I change lives for a living and I use 30 day time-spans to do it. The whole point is that it takes 30 days of repetitive practice for something to become automatic. 30 days is ideal: it’s short enough to commit to and not too long to seem off-putting.

Inspired, I decided to do a 30 day cycling challenge. I hadn't cycled in months. Too cold, (last winter), too windy (spring) too hot (summer), too busy, too tired, too dark (end of daylight saving) – sound familiar?

So I dusted off the bike that afternoon and set off. It was fun. Feeling rather pleased with myself as I cycled home, I had an idea. I could do several 30-day challenges at once. Cycling was so easy, I could take on a couple of others at the same time. I hit on the idea of writing a blog about my 30 day challenge that might get me into the lifelong habit of writing each day, something I'd always aspired to. But writing about cycling up the road and back for 30 days was pretty uninspiring, unless I fell off the bike and broke a leg. I needed to take on more challenges to make writing a blog worthwhile.

I considered giving up watching television for 30 days. I complain often about how much television we watch but I always have good excuses for not changing. Then I remembered the keyboard I bought last year and, after an initial flurry of activity, hadn't touched in weeks. So I set about cycling, playing keyboard and writing a blog every day for 30 days. I called my blog Write Play Ride. I didn't need readers, only a structure for getting into the habit of writing daily that would keep me accountable. No excuses for not writing, because it would show up on the date on my blog.

I’m proud to say I completed the 30 day challenge last week without missing a beat.

How did all this change my life? In very unexpected ways.

·         I lost 6 centimeters from my waist and 4 kilos in weight. (I forgot to mention that I also gave up eating bread for the duration of the challenge.)

·         I now see myself as someone who is up for challenges. That was not always the case in the past. Even though I say I love a challenge, it doesn’t always manifest in my willingness to try or commit to new things.

·         The need for planning, preparation and setting priorities to fit everything into my days actually makes life work really well. Duh!

·         I’m putting my own fitness and well-being where it rightfully deserves to be - front and centre in my life. Top priority.

·         The combination of cycling, music and writing each day leaves me feeling well and healthy physically, emotionally and mentally. Even though life is busy, fitting it all in, it also feels well-balanced.

·         Because being present (mindfulness) emerged as a theme that really enhanced my experience of all these activities, I’m being generally more mindful everywhere else in my life, too.

·         Television viewing has diminished markedly. Committing to daily music practice and daily writing necessitates taking some evening time away from the TV. End result? I still watch the programs I enjoy AND I do other things.

Here’s what I’ve learned about myself:

·         I can do anything I set my mind to

·         I am physically strong, fit, slim and healthy and that feels great!

·         I’ve let go of the old image of myself as someone who procrastinates and doesn’t finish things. Now I see myself as committed, productive and a ‘no excuses’ person

·          the more I take on, the more I can take on – and do it all easily.

·         playing music brings me pure joy, something I didn’t even know was missing from my life until I started practicing the keyboard every day.

·         practice really does make, well, if not perfect, certainly automatic!

·         I am still writing, playing and riding every day. Can’t imagine why I wouldn’t.

19 Comments
Mandy
5/30/2013 11:19:57 pm

Well done Kay ! I think I saw you on Day 4 or 5 .. What an achievement , and so inspiring ..!

Reply
Kay
5/30/2013 11:24:24 pm

Thanks Mandy. You spurred me on!

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Kate link
5/31/2013 03:49:56 am

Without a doubt, you are one if the most inspiring women I know- maybe you would write something for my website once we've done our makeover!? Keep being amazing, Kay xx

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Kay
5/31/2013 11:38:27 am

Thank you dear Kate. Wow! That's some compliment coming from you. I'd love to write something for your new website. Any time! Now that I'm writing every day, it would be great to have some readers!

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Peter Wesley-Smith
5/31/2013 11:40:37 pm

My thoughts are with poor Bob ...

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Kay
6/1/2013 09:07:27 am

It's OK. I use earphones when I'm playing keyboard so he doesn't have o listen to Winchester Cathedral and I'm in the Mood for Love over and over

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Neville link
6/1/2013 10:18:38 am

Bewdy Kay!! Like the idea - definitely heading your way - waiting to see what happens here at auction in two weeks time. Keen on the auburn place at the right price, but will be heading south, if that doesn't happen. Major life change will incorporate challenges and like the idea of several at a time. Hopefully see you in the near future!
Nev.

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Kay
6/1/2013 10:22:47 am

Great news Neville. I'll be your Challenges Coach!

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Louise DAvis
6/1/2013 03:35:09 pm

Love it Special K - I too have given up bread and haven't missed it a bit and my body is thankful! My new challenge is about reducing the amount of processed food in our household - been making most things from scratch now - very interesting! Write, Play, Ride - sounds like a great book title - your next project maybe??

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Kay
6/1/2013 04:34:34 pm

Thanks Louise. Who knows what I will do with all that writing? Stay tuned.

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Carole Hancock
6/2/2013 10:37:03 am

Kay, as always you are an inspiration. Never did I imagine you would considered yourself a procrastinator! I have not undertaken any specific challenges, but since breaking my leg, I have had to deal with the challenge of sitting, doing nothing and slowly feeling sorry for myself. My solution was to undertake projects. My first one was the political investigation, which I enjoyed and that reinvigorated my love of writing, which has lead to my being asked to look after the blog for a charity. I also decided that finishing (a lot) of unfinished craft projects would keep me busy, so not only have I finished most of them, I have a giant pile of new items. Not sure what I am going to do with them but I am sure the solution will present itself. My leg is slowly mending, and despite the lack of exercise, amazingly I too have lost weight. I decided that I just had to be very disciplined about what I was eating. The other consequence of all these changes, and very unexpected, is that I am moving again, this time to the house I have that my father has been living in for the last 20 years. It is really a villa, and so is small, but the monthly mortgage is less than a week's rent in Sydney, so it makes sense. The children are comfortable with the idea as we will have a pool and be near the beach. I am sure that I could not have as easily made the decision to move there if I hadn't been making all the other changes. More does lead to more.
Cheers, and well done. Carole

Reply
Kay
6/2/2013 10:53:22 am

Thanks Carole. Great to hear your story too. Good luck with the move.

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Stephen McConnell
6/3/2013 01:22:30 am

:-)

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Karen
6/3/2013 10:39:40 am

Kay - you never cease to amaze me, or inspire me :-) How very timely too, that you chose to take on challenges at this time, head on and with gusto. You make me want to dust off my keyboard and start playing again! No time like the present eh? (and 29 more days after that....)

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Kay
6/3/2013 11:06:16 am

Go for it Karen. You don't have much else going on in your life right now, do you?

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Karen
6/3/2013 11:09:47 am

Meh - PhD, bit of work, mum stuff... piece 'o' cake :-)

Carolyn
6/4/2013 10:04:29 am

I have just completed a 30-day challenge under the mentorship of Kay. For me it was about 'banishing' the old beliefs I had about myself and setting some new ones. The key is then repeating these new beliefs to yourself twice a day for 30 days. I am amazed that such a simple process can have such an effect. I feel 'transformed' and 'released' in many ways and I know that if an old belief creeps back, I will have the new ones to get me back on track. Special thanks to Kay for her guidance and support. I recommend this process to anyone who is being 'dragged down' by habitual, negative thoughts!

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Shoana
6/15/2013 09:43:34 pm

Well done Kay! A fabulous achievement (or 3!), great to hear that it is keeping you mentally, physically and emotionally well. I love the part about being mindful, I have found my current trip to induce a sense of mindfulness by no other action than being with a 2 year old 24/7 - no time to think of other things than what we are doing in the moment - a great way to forget about work for a while. We have been doing all sorts of things we don't normally do which is also challenging me - today we went whale watching, we have been caving, seen snow, driven in Sydney (that was terrifying) and all sorts of other stuff. Keep up the good work on your challenges, I look forward to hearing about your next achievement.

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phd projects link
6/18/2014 06:42:43 pm

nice posts

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