2017 Year of the Purge

Sometimes I name my upcoming years. I don't think I named this year, or 2015. I know 2014 was the Year of Sports since Becky and I went to a lot of sporting events that year. It was so awesome. I checked quite a bit off my bucket list that year. For 2017 though, I want to make sure it is a yearlong activity. I want it to be something I do continuously every month. This is where the theme "The Purge" came into play. No, I will not be purging the way they do in the popular movie series. I will be purging in ways that are beneficial to my health and well being.

I will be purging toxins, clutter, stress, anxiety, finances and a host of other bad habits from my life. I know this is not going to be an easy task at all. I know this yearlong purge can and will add more stress and anxiety to my life in the short term, but in the long term, it will ultimately reduce it. I am going to experiment with different ideas and plans to find what works best for me and my lifestyle. Sacrifice is a difficult thing for anyone, and I do not want to sacrifice a happy life filled with things I love at the expense of this purge.

What I do want from this purge is to find a happy medium between what I really enjoy, what really keeps me in my best frame of mind/well being and what I don't really need in my life. The goal I am hoping to accomplish is the trimming of as much excess and unnecessary activity as possible. Let's face it, most of us have a lot of excess in our life. And that excess is often negative in nature, even if it does not seem so moment to moment.

They say it takes 21-28 days to form a good habit. A bad habit can become reality in as little as a day. You may not even realize you have formed a bad habit until one day you notice that you have less energy, or you develop an illness, or your savings account is empty and you have nothing to show for it. You may be cleaning your house and realize you have way too much stuff to clean. You may be drinking 12 beers after work instead of two. You may be throwing away more food than you eat. Bad habits are not limited to the standard addictions we see and read about in the news or on social media.

Bad habits have many faces and come in many forms. There are many scenarios and everyone is different. I'm not here to judge anyone. We all live our lives differently. What one person may consider a bad habit, may be perfectly acceptable to another person. I am not here to give lectures or unsolicited opinions to anyone. God knows I hate when people do that to me. The only person I am here to judge and evaluate is myself. I have to live with myself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. My opinion of me is what matters most.

I am going to try to have fun with it. I am going to try different things. I am going to reward myself for accomplishments in various ways. I know I am going to screw up. I know I am going to have days where I am going to cave. I'm not going to beat myself up over those days like I normally have in the past. You don't have to scrap an entire plan because of a few missteps. In fact, having a few missteps will assist me in learning how to rebound and push forward with my goals.

I am not going to give myself crazy difficult challenges I know I will not be able to accomplish. This is not about becoming Wonder Woman and impressing the masses. This is not about a complete transformation on an individual level. There are many things about myself that I love and accept. This is about becoming a better version of the person I am today in areas where I feel I could use some improvement.

I plan to build from one challenge to another in the various aspects of my life where I would like to see improvement. I know some of the challenges I will present to myself will seem like a walk in the park to some and a few of the challenges I take on will seem like torture to others. But, it won't matter because it's about the individual. It's not about society at large. I plan to write about as much of my purging as possible so I can to take you on my journeys. Perhaps I will inspire a few people in areas where they too feel they could use improvement. It will also help me in holding myself accountable for the challenges I give myself.

I have a bunch of items on my bucket list that I hope to accomplish through this yearlong purge. A lot of these goals have been sitting on the list for years. Why not just do them? Most of them are of minimal cost. I may even add a few items to my bucket list as well since I often discover new things that pique my interest while researching other bucket list goals. Sometimes I even remove items from my bucket list based on how I, as an individual, have changed. Some goals I no longer wish to accomplish.

We are forever evolving and changing as individuals. I believe that is necessary and vital for each individual. So.... on to 2017 I go. Can't wait to experience both the accomplishments and failures of my purges since both are going to shape me in beneficial ways. It's good stuff!!


Chrissy