We are in Day 3 of the PowerHabit 30-Day Challenge.

You can find Day 1 and Day 2 here.

For Day 2 of the challenge, we chose the habit we want to focus on for these 30 days. We identified and wrote about what we know TO DO in this area that we are NOT doing. We wrote about it in detail and forgave ourselves for the judgments that arose as we wrote. Today the activity is very similar to yesterday’s except that John-Roger asks us to look at this area from a slightly different perspective.

Day 3

Step 1

Today we will continue to keep in mind the area we chose in Day 2. Today let’s think about what we ARE DOING that we know NOT TO DO in this area. As we write, we want to continue being as specific and detailed as we can.

The area that I chose to focus on is “finishing.”

What am I doing that I know not to do?

1. I know that I usually dive into an activity without planning the longer vision or the larger plan. I don’t create a long plan of action and stick to it. Sometimes I spend hours planning but then don’t follow the plan. Instead, I focus my activity on those things that are “in front” of me.
2. I consciously avoid the planning stage because I want to get to the “fun” part and planning feels like avoidance and work that I can just skip to get to the “real” work.
3. Many times when I am working on an activity I move to another activity thinking that it will be quick and that I will get back to my original activity. But then, something else comes up and it takes me longer than expected to return to what I was working on or sometimes I don’t come back to it at all.
4. I know that I spend less time on activities that are no longer interesting or that I don’t see the immediate payoff. Instead of continuing with it until a task is finished, I leave it undone.
5. I know that I spend too much time feeling guilty about what I perceive I should be doing. When I know something is undone, I leave it on my list of to-complete. I don’t clear off my project list so that unfinished projects don’t feel burdensome.
6. I know that when I start a project I think of the newness and the new learning. I don’t consider or avoid thinking about the energy that will take to sustain the project for the long-term. I commit to starting without knowing the full implications of the long-term commitment.
7. I know that this issue of finishing centers mostly on activities that are for me own benefit and growth, that have no deadline, and that don’t negatively impact others.

Step 2

After writing about what we do that we should not be doing, we forgive ourselves for any judgments that may have arisen.

Of course, the judgment that comes for me is that I should know better because logically I understand the drawbacks of of what I do and the benefits of what I should be doing. So I take a deep breath and forgive myself for these actions.

Like we did yesterday, we want to breathe into the feeling of forgiveness and hold on to it. Remember that we are taking small steps towards working on this area we have chosen.

I will see you here for Day 4 tomorrow.

It’s not too late to share this with someone who may benefit from the 30-Day challenge. Forward the link to them today.

Are you modifying the challenge in any way to meet your own needs? We can benefit from your creativity. Share what you are doing by leaving a comment below.