Persistence is EVERYTHING - and 30 days can be a magic number.

Persistence IS everything.  It embraces the 'change in behaviour' component of real change (change in thinking is the other, companion, component).  We often give something new a try (e.g. a gym membership) but don't persist (I am guilty as charged).  Or we embrace a new idea but don't put it into action. So it remains just a theory.  

One of the main purposes I serve for my clients is to help them keep plodding forward.  You don't lose 50kg in a month but you can really embed the new healthy behaviours that will eventually lead to a 50kg loss in that month.  And, remember, you don't have to like it (i.e. its not easy, change makes me uncomfortable, its not my "normal" etc.) - you just have to do it.  

I love the Calvin Coolidge quotation below (and you don't usually see it in its entirety.)  Emphasis is mine.  


"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."

Read more:http://www.quoteworld.org/quotes/3186#ixzz2RRdmT91p

Now, on to a more modern (i.e. still alive) person who is putting things in his life into 30 day challenges and reaping the rewards.  He is PERSISTING (see above) and getting to feel and see more satisfaction and excitement in his life.  What can you commit to changing for 30 days?  It could be as simple as eating an extra piece of fruit a day, getting off the tram one stop early for 30 days, writing a food diary for 30 days.  Think of something that will be challenging, yet rewarding, and GO FOR IT.

What am I going to do?  I am going to walk Charlie every day for 30 days (rain, hail or shine).

30 days to change your life

Amy Molloy 
Published: April 24, 2013 - 8:45AM

In 2009, Matt Cutts, an American engineer who works for Google, felt he was ''stuck in a rut'', so he set himself a 30-day challenge. He vowed to walk 10,000 steps every day for a month - and he accomplished it.

Three years later, he has transformed his life in one-month intervals doing things such as following a vegan diet, learning to play the ukulele, getting eight hours' sleep a night, and doing something nice for his wife every day. Recently, he underwent a 30-day technological detox, abstaining from reading news online or checking emails after 9pm.
He has even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a 30-day makeover.

''It turns out, 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract one,'' Cutts says. ''I noticed, as I started to do harder challenges, that my self-confidence grew. I went from a desk-dwelling computer nerd to the kind of guy who bikes to work for fun.''

He also found the challenges made him live more in the moment. ''Instead of the months flying by forgotten, the time is much more memorable,'' Cutts says. ''I challenged myself to take a picture every day for a month and I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I look at every photograph.''

He is not alone in his quest. In the past few years, the popularity of 30-day challenges has grown. Many yoga studios offer discounts if you clock up 30 classes in a row, and there are 30-day programs for meditating, quitting sugar and improving self-confidence.
So, why is 30 such a magic number? If you believe in the theory of biorhythms, everyone's body clock has the same cycle of renewal. Our physical body works on a 23-day cycle, our emotional body on a 28-day cycle, and our intellectual body a 33-day cycle. This makes one month ideal for self-improvement, although it's worth noting that this ancient theory has no scientific proof. Many medical studies show that repetition is the key to making lasting changes.

''We can actually lay new neuron pathways in our brains by repeating an action or way of thinking,'' psychologist Meredith Fuller says. ''The aim is to transform a new activity into an automatic habit. With repetition, it becomes something we do without thinking; in fact, we experience discomfort if we don't do it.''

The odds for successful behaviour change are stacked in your favour when you undertake an organised challenge as part of a group.  ''That sense of camaraderie is key,'' Fuller says. ''It heightens motivation and the resulting pride in your achievement. We respond well to cues - whether that's a gold star next to your name on a noticeboard or a hug from a friend after a workout. It's far harder to let someone else down than yourself.''

The majority of challenges featured are fitness-based. A recent study from the University of Michigan found that working out with a virtual partner is just as motivating as doing it with a real-life fitness buddy.

Business adviser Wilson Lunar wrote the best-selling self-help guide Save $30,000 in 30 Days and insists that's all the time you need to get your budget in order. ''It's the simple things done consistently that make the biggest difference,'' Lunar says. Cutting small costs, such as buying a coffee, can add up to big savings. ''One of the reasons people yo-yo after a crash diet is because they've felt deprived,'' he says. ''Challenges are tough but you still need to enjoy them.'' Lunar suggests adding variety to the month by tackling a different area of your outgoings every week, such as utility bills and entertainment costs. ''Don't underestimate the power of the small things done repeatedly,'' he says. And if you do miss a day, don't catastrophise it into a failure. A missed day doesn't mean you need to go back to day one.

And when the final deadline arrives, manage your expectations. Rather than telling yourself, ''I'll now follow this regime forever'', set small sub-goals, extending the plan by one month and then another.

In Cutts' words, ''What are you waiting for? I guarantee you that the next 30 days will pass, whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you've always wanted to try and give it a shot.''

http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life/30-days-to-change-your-life-20130420-2i6gw.html