22 Day Challenge
If you’re anything like me, then you might grit your teeth when someone gives you a simple solution to your obviously complex problems. Hear me when I say, I understand. In order to restore hope, I needed to be ready to receive hope. Additionally, I needed the “simple solution” to be based on truth and not greed or selfishness of the person providing the advice, and I needed to see something change quickly to avoid any further resentment. As I write this, I realize how ridiculously childish this sounds. I was not in a good place.
This is the truth: One day, I started reading a book called The 5 a.m. Club by Robin Sharma. It’s a wonderful book that I highly recommend reading, however, it likely could have been any number of books that tipped the first domino of this beautifully situated trail of positive impacts. The difference was, I desired to make a change and had my ears and mind open when I read it. We all know there are things we can change in our lives for the better, but when viewed as a whole, it can be incredibly daunting. When a fairly simple task presented itself in this book, I did it. Here’s the thing-it was totally against what I would normally do, or even what I found to be valuable in my day. Still, it set off a series of changes. Everyone in my life-my husband, my mom, my closest friends, and even my kids-were taken aback. I was taken aback.
There have been seasons of my life that were so painful that I despised the world and could not have cared less if I was a part of it. There have been seasons that were so joyous I could not reconcile my previous hatred of it. There have been seasons of doubt, seasons of faith; seasons of despair, seasons of hope; seasons of grief, seasons of healing. I know our hardships might be different, but if you are reading this, I have been some version of you at some point. Isn’t that a beautiful thing-that we are constantly changing based on circumstances, thoughts, and actions? Not long ago, I was someone who was so far underneath the pile of problems life stacks up against us that I felt disconnected and resented anyone who even dared offer a solution. The pain of life can lead to unintentional isolation, whether consciously or subconsciously, when it’s not faced. On the contrary, life can be joyous to the point of bewilderment once those wounds are tended to. What then, can we control?
There was a time in the history of mankind that sorrow and hardship brought about a closeness and connection within a community. Based on both my experiences and what I’ve studied, I believe the overuse and availability of technology has contributed to the overall avoidance of sharing real emotion and thus healing, and instead promotes viewing it as something to be feared or repelled.
I obviously appreciate technology, or I wouldn’t be using it to spread what I know. I think it can be used for good within each individual’s life and for the world as a whole, and this is NOT a challenge to get you off your devices necessarily. That said, I maintain the fact that it has stolen so much of life from those raised in its revolutionary and exponential growth.
This is a challenge to do ONE thing different each day, for at least 22 days. For me, this number originated from the book I previously mentioned which intended to guide readers through 3 phases of “habit integration”, but 22 days is only the first phase of this process. The reason I chose 22 days for this challenge is because I know it wasn’t necessarily the action in and of itself that set off a series of other changes, but rather, it was the decision to do something different for 22 days, something outside of my regular daily habits. I knew there were two more “phases” of total habit integration to complete in order to make this a real habit, and I did complete them (though not perfectly), but I was in awe of the visible, quick changes that occurred in just 22 days.
I love science and studied microbiology in undergrad, but I’m willing to admit I do not have anywhere near the knowledge of those who’ve devoted their lives to this topic, so I researched this number. As it turns out, it was believed for a long time that it took 21 days to develop a habit. After many years of research among psychologists and neuroscientists, the current consensus is that 22 days is simply the amount of time it takes for neurological pathways to be broken down in order to implement new habits, and there are actually two more phases required to fully integrate a habit. It’s the breaking down of these neurological pathways that I’m interested in. Our human nature is to want to see results quickly, even more now in the technological age we live in, so it’s no surprise that people are drawn to marketing ploys which claim to offer “quick” and “fast” results. Even as babies, we are wired to learn from “cause and effect” toys and gadgets. How many people have seen a baby get angry when one of those toys is out of batteries? I have.
The most important step in changing anything about your life is changing one thing you do. The most important step in changing one thing you do is starting. In order to start, you have to believe you can start, which is why this should be and can be simple. Starting is the cause, and you will see an effect of some degree. If you get outside of your typical day, your typical day will change. Join this super simple challenge and see for yourself.