Success!

My 30 challenge has nearly come and gone and I can say it has been a great SUCCESS! Dedicating myself to an alcohol free lifestyle for the past 30 days has been a refreshing and interesting challenge.

Here were the keys to my success:

1) Staying committed: It is essential to identify the key motivators and inspirations for you goal before you begin. If you feel this might be a particularly difficult challenge for you, please display these motivations and inspirations somewhere amongst your house for support. Some of my motivators and inspirations on this challenge were: "having a healthier mind and body, having a cleaner soul, experiencing the satisfaction of following something through successfully, being able to break through a negative family pattern, etc."
2) Keep it Small and Measurable: For me, a 30 day challenge is somewhat small and it is certainly measurable. I set this goal for this time period as I was fairly certain I could be successful with its completion. Some people make the grave mistake of pushing their limits too far. It is better to accomplish small achievable goals where you set yourself up for success! When you do this, you automatically instill newfound confidence and you are able to assess the strengths you used to get you through this small goal, which you can then use to accomplish future goals.
3) Accountability: You must be ready and willing to get real! Accountability is centered around your honesty with yourself and others. You must be willing to admit if you take an action which is not congruent with your goal and you must be able to take pride in your successes every day. You must ask yourself how you will monitor and check in with this honesty meter along the way. During my challenge, I used my blog, my partner and myself to remain accountable and successful.
4) Supports: Having supports in place when you are about to challenge yourself with a new goal is always essential. If it were not for the support of my partner's little reminders of why I started the goal in the first place, I'm sure I would have been more likely to get off track. So, reach out to friends, family, co-workers, a life coach :-), counselor, a motivational book, etc for support!
5) Focus on Action not Reaction: Setting and accomplishing goals takes consistent planning and action. When you are faced with a new challenge, it takes time and effort to practice new habits and set boundaries. You will inevitably be faced with support from friends and family as well as opposition from them. Some people like to have consistency in their life and they may balk at your thoughts to make change. People like to count on you as a friend just as you are, however when you are focusing on making a change for a brighter, better, authentic you, then you must be able to stand up to others who may not be willing to accept these changes. Again, some may react positively to your change and others will express negativity and indifference. It is vital you are able to set boundaries with yourself and with others during these times in order to accomplish goals. If others are not willing to support you are your new journey to a lighter, brighter authentically shining you, then you must be prepared to set boundaries with them and move on. During my journey, I had many opportunities to join in with friends for a drink. However, my ability to set boundaries and let them know about my personal challenge helped me to stay on track. And when you tell others about your goal, say it with confidence and an unwavering conviction so they know you mean business!
6) Reward: Don't forget to reward yourself for your accomplishments! All of those gold stars you earned in class when you were in elementary school were simply part of a psychological reinforcer to keep you happy and on track! As we get older, that need to receive gifts for our accomplishments does not disappear. For me, the money I saved from not drinking will allow me to get the beautiful purple shirt from Levis I've been eyeing.....ahhhhhh rewards :-)

Good luck with your challenges.........YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Coach Liz

Seven days In

My 30 day challenge began just one week ago so I thought I would let you in on the happenings! As you remember, I challenged myself to go 30 days without any alcohol and almost 7 days have passed so far. You would think 7 days is nothing but try throwing in your birthday and a trip to Vegas and it turns the heat up a bit. You may be wondering, have I been successful?!

YES, I have been successful so far.....

So, What's kept me on track while the waitress screams at the top of lungs, "cocktails" while the betting machines "chaching" all over the place? For one, having a travel partner who doesn't care to drink certainly makes things easier. Being around others who want to drink is one of the quickest ways to crash and burn. If you are taking a break from the drink, you will also have to tell your drinking buddies you can communicate over ichat instead for awhile!

Another positive reinforcer comes with accountability. This comes from being honest with myself and knowing I will be reporting to others about my goal. If you are serious about your challenge, you will find it essential to tell others what you plan to do. We are naturally built to want to look good in front of others so jump in and tell the world your plans.

The last positive reinforcer towards my success is that all powerful word, "NO". How lovely it is to get to say "no" as much as I want and know it is only doing something positive for me. It gave me clarity to have the same answer every time my mind triggered the question, "should I have a drink now"? I once was told if you repeat something 19 times it is committed to memory and it becomes habit. It makes me wonder how many times I said "no" during those 5 day stay in Vegas. Should I bet on 19?!

More to come, but please consider your 30 day challenge. If you need support and accountability, send me an email and we can get you started on some wellness coaching for success!

Coach Liz :-)
liz@rootedliving.com

A 30 Day Challenge

So New Years has come and gone. What is your resolution?? It seems to be the most popular question these days! Do you have an answer yet? Do you believe in making a New Years resolution?

As a Wellness Coach and Fitness Consultant, I tend to have a little more added pressure to continuously make efforts to evolve as a "well" person. I considered cutting out coffee, gasp! I love my coffee and not all the reviews are bad so I'm sticking to my one cup in the morning for now.

My actual resolution lies upon the next 30 days....starting today! I have long considered the idea of cutting alcohol out of my life for good. I have a long family history of alcoholics which predisposes me to the same dangers. When I consider my responsibilities as a Wellness Coach, I believe my next step it to take the plunge and go without alcohol for at least 30 days and see how it feels. I don't drink too often these days but holidays definitely make me reach for the bottle opener.

Oh and did I mention my birthday is in two days? And I am leaving on a business trip to Vegas today! I can't wait to deny free drinks.......Cheers to the 30 day challenge! What's yours?

Don't forget to check back on my progress......

Coach Liz :-)