Three Years and Thousands of Miles Later
December 1, 2019 was the start of something much bigger than I anticipated.
In my adulty life, I’ve had a relatively active lifestyle. I joined an adult rec soccer league, tapping into my tween soccer skills, though more for the social aspect than fitness.
And I’ve taken on short-term challenges like a 5k, half-marathon, even marathon and triathlon over the years. Knowing that general fitness was important to my physical well-being and having a persuasive younger sister, nudging me to try these things with her helped.
However, after weeks, MONTHS of being consistently inconsistent about moving my body, I made myself a promise. After completing a half marathon that fall, I wanted to keep up that sense of accomplishment and chasing a goal. We were approaching the end of the decade and I was tuning into talk about finishing the year, the decade strong.
I bought into it and starting December 1, 2019, I started the commitment to myself, a streak of daily promises to show up for myself, every day for the month. For myself, I defined that showing up was-
to move my body in a way that I enjoyed (presumably)
to close the fitness rings on my Apple Watch for accountability
Hydrating better, eating more mindfully and getting my rest are all part of the support pillars to accomplish this but I chose to not track them to just keep it simple.
What inspired all this? I wanted to see if I could really challenge myself. I was needing something to push me a little bit. I was also needing some evidence just to prove yes-
I am up for a challenge
I am starting this year strong
I can trust myself to keep promises to myself
I did the 30 days and then started the new year like well, let's use the momentum to keep going. And then that January was good and then well, 90 days sounds good. Then stretched to hit 100 days. We know what happened in March 2020 and the world fell apart.
In those early pandemic days, my focus shifted from showing myself how long I can tackle tough goals to keeping this streak for my sanity. As all semblance of normal fell away, having this form of stability became a lifeline. I needed the outlet to process my thoughts, to step away and to deeply breathe fresh air, connecting in with the routines of nature and seeing how the plants, trees and sunshine were still following the natural order of things.
The transformation
Stepping away from the uncertainty and wonky energy of all the things was how my streak transformed, changing from collecting the evidence of proving that I can show up for myself every day to evidence of the I give myself space for myself every day. A block of time I could count on making happen for myself.
Today’s streak is motivated by a need to connect with nature, have a block of time for myself for my thoughts and to build an indisputable amount evidence that I am showing up for myself. I’m staying accountable to my iWatch for tracking the streak and have established a Minimum Daily Promise (MDP) of how I maintain the integrity of my streak.
The minimum is a 15-minute walk, outdoors if safely possible and the rest can be through daily activity, meditation or yoga to close all 3 rings on my watch.
Knowing that I have this reasonable lower limit of what “counts” helps me stay streaking on the days where life just feels too much while still honoring the intent of my goal. I’ve learned that some seasons are not meant for giving everything you’ve got, pushing through to exceed challenges. That following through in a way that feels like you’re nudging, stretching yourself just enough while gentle on yourself and honoring your capacity is more than enough.
Now Here's the Tea
And confession time, I don't always choose to use it in the most restorative way. My kids have gotten me hooked into doing their Pokemon GO on my walks sometimes, especially when I'm kind of avoiding processing thoughts or shutting out the world.
But usually I am using it to take a breath, look around, listen to a podcast about something I need to hear or gives me new ideas. Sometimes it's just walking with my thoughts. When I need to, I'll turn on a voice note and talk things out to myself. FYI, no one thinks twice about you talking to yourself with your earbuds in.
That is how my streak has evolved and why I do it, using it to give myself what I need for the day. What started as a challenge, is now an ongoing streak of promises to myself. Evidence that I can show that I'm here for myself, I will give myself this space. Whether or not I choose to fully use it to my highest good is still on me, but at least I know that that space is available. And I can also count on myself to make it happen each day. And that I will do it again tomorrow. So, if today's not the day for facing what’s weighing me down, I’ll be here for myself again tomorrow.
How I’m Celebrating
One thing I also have a lot of evidence about is that I am not the greatest at celebrating all the things. Throughout this journey, I have neglected to really acknowledge and celebrate the milestones I’ve hit. Crossing 500 miles, and then 500 more. This is something I’m contemplating within myself and getting better at sharing my streak progress. You can read my journal entry reflecting on my 1,000 day milestone and how it was surprisingly emotional.
As I hit my 3-year streak mark, I’m planning on a couple celebrations to help recognize this accomplishment and to fuel my journey in knowing myself better.
First, to deepen my knowledge of Human Design and Gene Keys, I bought this thorough book on each of the possible elements for our life’s journey. After stumbling onto Human Design a year or two ago, I have fallen head long down a rabbit hole learning all I can about the topic and excitedly sharing with anyone interested (more to come on that front!)
To make my upcoming winter walks more festive and warm, I’m stalking some Cotopaxi gear on eBay (I love a good thrift find). I spotted a woman wearing a vest that I loved at Costco this weekend and rather than just ask her what brand it was, I kept eyeballing it as we passed each other up and down the aisles until I finally was able to read the slogan on the back. With a tagline of Gear for Good, I can know that I’m layering on the good vibes when I gear up for my outdoor fun.
And to help me gain some direction and clarity about the next part of my journey, I’m booking a reiki session with someone local who came recommended. It’s been several years since my last session and it gave me a few nuggets to contemplate and work through. This has been on my self-care list for a long while, but I kept giving into the excuses I gave myself to never make it a priority I took action on. Until now.
Where Next?
I’m not sure how long the streak will continue. I’m sure some life circumstance will make it impossible at some point, but for now I’m going to keep streaking ahead one day at a time. Until then, I have been exploring ways to give myself a bit of a challenge, to nudge my edges outward.
One of the ways I’m doing this is by taking running back up again. I don't know how consistent I'll be and I’m not pressuring myself to show up when it doesn’t feel aligned, but as we've had some really nice days, it's just felt like the thing to do. Infusing some new energy and challenge into my streak do remind myself that I can do hard things, and this level of consistency has actually maintained my foundation of endurance.
A little push to counteract some stories I’ve been telling myself and to remind me that-
I can do hard things
I have a foundation of strength
I have the energy to do that
It can actually be a bit fun
I’m learning this is an important element in a streak; to infuse some fire into it once in a while and break from the monotony, the security of habit and routine, especially after you build it for such a long time.
What Are You Starting?
With the end of fall, the end of the year, the coming out of the pandemic there are a few loops finding their own version of closure and it may feel like a good time to start a new cycle for yourself.
As you consider starting your own streak, it's important for you to think about-
What are you trying to move the needle on?
What is it in your life that you're trying to change or shift?
And for what reason?
It's also important to find out or to think through what feels important to you. Remember, this streak is yours. You're ultimately only accountable to yourself. Come up with some ideas about what is important to you, that's going to fulfill an unmet need in your life and fill your heart and spirit along the way.
As we enter the holiday season and closing the loop on this year, take some time to ask yourself where you want to be a year from now. What habits do you need to get serious about to start shifting the trajectory of your life to make those dreams and wishes possible? What loops or cycles are you in the middle of that need to close before putting more on your plate?
with a short-term goal that is in alignment with your capacity and your why and go from there. Not sure of your WHY, check out the Firefly Scout Illumination Kit to help you uncover it. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your goal and suss out all the nuances of what works for you.
You never know where the journey will take you.
*post may contain affiliate links
Stephanie Rose is a mom, wife, business owner and a forever student in finding ways to know herself better. She acts as guide for your own journey, sharing insights, tools and practices to help you remember your magic and live a life that lights you up. Sign up for her newsletter and check out her free resources.
Related entries
