Lately I’ve been thinking about all these things I want to do and accomplish. I’m getting all sorts of inspiration from my FEMALE friends, who are all SUPERSTARS and are constantly accomplishing new feats. I could pretend and tell you they don’t know they’re superstars, but that would be a lie. These women are strong, powerful, and kick ass on purpose all the time.

My friend CV, for example, has built an amazing career in the tech field. She exceeds all of her quarterly goals at work, is constantly traveling the world, has found true love, and wants to retire by the time she’s 40. She’s like two years away from her target retirement age. I know she’s going to make it happen. Another friend is going back to school for a SECOND master’s, and two more are hitting the books to get certified on new areas in their careers.

All these friends come from different walks of life. The only obvious things they have in common is me and the fact that they’re successful. I know, I know these women are successful because they ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN and they NEVER GIVE UP.

So I came up with a plan to achieve my weight loss goals. I realized that I needed to create the habit of working out first and foremost, because it’s something I’ve never really done. During this planning process, I remembered having heard/read somewhere that it takes around 30 days to create a new habit, and so my 30-day challenge was born.

I have to confess I didn’t research it before I started, I just threw myself into it without giving it much thought because I didn’t want to get cold feet. So far, it seems to be working. Granted, a lot has to do with attitude and determination and the fact that I choose to see this as a measly 30 days in the grand scheme of things. Still, there is something to it.

After my 30-day day exercise challenge began, I started thinking of other things I wanted to accomplish. Like I mentioned before, writing a book is one of them. I have a story to tell! Having no formal writing education, I turned to a book I’d purchased a while back.

It’s a how-to/silent workshop/writing companion. And guess what! It divides assignments into 30-day blocks!!! Huh.

I know what you’re thinking, I know. It’s that trusty little Universe again with all its whispering.

So I went on looking some more into this 30-day phenomenon. I think it’s fantastic. The more I read about it, the more 30-day challenges I learn about, the more it makes sense to me. I think it empowers people, making a task less daunting and the possibility of reaching a goal more real. It also gives others the chance to try new things, if only for a little time. I know I can’t wait for my first 30 days of writing to begin!

Here are some cool ideas of 30-day challenges for people wanting to reinvent themselves:

• 15 Unique thirty day challenges guaranteed to make you a better you

Here’s another inspirational woman who completed an incredible painting challenge:

• 10-minute painting challenge

And this inspirational lady came up with her own fitness bucket list, two 30-day challenges included!

• Fitness bucket list

What will be YOUR next challenge?

MA