This morning I had a mini debate with myself. This tends to happen quite often as I’m someone who very rarely is able to make a decision without laying out all the facts & details first. What was my debate about?
- Whether or not I wanted to go to a coffee shop or stay at home to work
- How I wanted to get there…car or motorcycle
Part 1: Where to Go
My main concern with this one was if I wanted to spend money or not…I recently reset my monthly budget because a) I’m in a new state with a new apartment, b) I’m not currently working full-time, so my income has changed, c) my monthly expenses have adjusted with this move. I know I need to cut down on how much I spend out and about, especially on food. So I’ve made a rule for myself: If I have cash on me, I can grab coffee or food while out.
I had some cash, so that was a go!
Also I had been home all day the day before, so I kind of really needed to get out of the house if I wanted to get any true work done.
Part 2: Transportation
The weather is absolutely beautiful here in Wilmington, NC…this morning was below 70 (I was psyched to be wearing a long sleeve and leggings when I went to the beach this morning for the sunrise!). Anyways, making my way to a coffee shop – I had planned to go to Matter More Coffee, but ended up at Just Brew It instead (no regrets). I knew I was bringing my laptop + notebooks, also was planning to bring my meal prepped food — again save money, and still on my nutrition reset (join me on this reset starting Monday, 9/20!). The car is great, I can just throw everything in and go. BUT I love my Indian Scout…and it was a beautiful day out. I could throw everything into a backpack and just go. My only concern was that I had never taken the bike up to Hampstead and onto that end of 17 (similar to 125 in NH).
How did this mini debate that seems so minuscule and unnecessary lead me to writing this post?
Well, it started my brain on the word CHALLENGE. Why? Because I’ve only had my motorcycle for about 2 months and now being in North Carolina, I am still not totally familiar with the area. I want to be a good confident rider, and in order to do so, I need to challenge myself. I need to test myself, my abilities and put myself into situations where I may be uncomfortable at first…such as going to a new location, dealing with different traffic, etc. Which is exactly what I was going to be doing. And I did!
Since you have a little backstory to where this whole topic is coming from, let’s dive into where I’m going with it!
Challenge:
noun
- A stimulating task or problem
- A calling to account or into question
Every day you are presented with various challenges that test you.
These challenges test your resilience, your ability to stand and conquer. They test your strength to push, to learn, and to grow.
The challenges you face each day may be small or large. They may be personal or societal. These challenges could be emotional or physical, or both. And so many other things.
A challenge is rarely one dimensional…
The way you and I face the same challenge may be very different.
The challenges you face, whether they are ones that you CHOOSE or ones that are thrown at you, they’re there for a reason. The obvious…to challenge and to test.
These challenges will spark you to ask yourself:
Who
- you are.
- your support system is.
- you do things for (yourself or others).
What
- you do.
- you want (in life, relationships, career, etc.).
- your values are.
- your beliefs are.
Why
- you do what you do.
- you want / need X, Y, or Z.
- it’s important / significant to you.
In the past 2 months, I’ve faced many challenges. Some big, some small, but all life changing in some way.
The motorcycle dilemma was most definitely small scale, but it was still a challenge because choosing to take the bike and to somewhere new forced me to adapt to the situation.
On a larger scale, I left my job. I left New Hampshire which I’ve called home for the past 6 years. I said goodbye (for now) to my friends and family in New England. And I moved 1,000 miles away to North Carolina – with no job and no apartment waiting for me. I had no plan, except to figure it out as I went and take it all day by day.
Those 2 challenges (which I created for myself), though very different, I will NEVER regret in my life. I have come so far in just the past 2 months since creating this plan… and reflecting back to even a year ago, the amount of growth amazes me. The woman I was last year couldn’t keep up with who I am today.
Are Challenges Scary?
ABSOLUTELY – life wouldn’t be exciting without being a little scared!
Are They Worth It?
100% No Doubt – it’s an experience to remember + live by
I have challenged myself, put myself to the test and have learned so many things and grown in the process. I will never stop doing this. Without challenges in life, there’s nothing to be directly proud of. And I hope this is something you can do for yourself too.
My life goal is to always be the best version of myself. That’s my challenge — to always be learning and growing as an individual. And through that learning + growth, to educate and inspire those around me.
What Challenges are You Facing?
How Do You Challenge Yourself Every Day?
How Do You Push Yourself to Be Your Best Self?
I needed this today…Actually, i needed this this year! Thank you for the reminder Mariah! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼