Wow…I wrote a post a couple weeks ago and intended to publish it this week but then, obviously, a pandemic broke out and it then it just made sense to start a fresh post.

So let me start with what I’m up to. I am currently tackling the #75Hard. This is a 75 day challenge that is meant to be, well, hard. It’s meant to build mental toughness. I had planned to start on Monday, March 16, 2020. Pretty much all hell broke loose in the days leading up to my start date but I started anyway and I’m hoping anyone reading this will consider doing this challenge with me or at least do some other personal challenge during this crazy time.

What is 75Hard?
I just barely caught wind of this concept created by Andy Frisella a couple weeks ago and knew I had to give it a go. Only 2% of people who start it will actually finish…or so the legend goes.

• 75 days
• Follow a diet (you get to set your own parameters for that one)
• Drink 1 gallon of water a day
• Take a progress picture every day
• Actively read 10 pages of non-fiction/self-improvement every day (not an audio book)
• Complete two 45 minute workouts every day (one of those must be done outside)
• No alcohol, no cheat meals, if you mess up you go back to day 1

I’ll do a follow up post outlining what I’m eating etc, but I wanted to chat more about the importance of having personal goals amidst everything going on right now.  When things outside our control feel chaotic it’s easy to start feeling hopeless. Without our friends, jobs, gyms, social support and even just the normal stressors of life it’s easy to feel like you are just lost and floating around without any destination. Unfortunately, this thing doesn’t look like it’s going to be over any time soon so that would be a long time to be floating around in limbo. I know for me, I started looking at a calendar and how long it is until June and just thought: I need to do something.

Participating in a personal challenge give us a sense of purpose. A reason to get out of bed. A reason take care of ourselves (in the case of the 75 hard that is literally the entire challenge).

I started only a few days ago and in that time I have been through the following:

• The gym I work at shut down due to the pandemic
• A major earthquake that scared the pants off Rocco & me
• A minor cold (brought on by stress no doubt)
• Rainy weather
• Hectic schedule where I just didn’t think I would have enough time to get all the things in

But what I find I’m really enjoying is that every day that I’ve thought I wouldn’t be able to complete all the tasks, I did complete the tasks and that feeling of success has helped me feel so.much.better and overall better equipped to handle the things going on around me. It’s nice to have some personal betterment to focus on instead of all the doom & gloom on the news. Obviously it’s good to stay up to date on current events, but in my experience listening to too much news can also cause anxiety.

Alright, that is all for today. If you are still reading, I’d love to know what sort of challenge you have just formulated for yourself while reading this.

Laura