monthly resolutions update 6/12
8 months ago, it dawned on me how motivation as a concept is very short-lived, and no matter what you try to do, you can't sustain the same level of motivation for a sustained period in time (unless you're kobe, man) yearly resolutions like hitting the gym everyday or you writing online everyday started to sound far-fetched & unrealistic.
chances are, that at one point in time, you've thought "Monday se shuru kardunga" but how many times did that Monday ever come? or how many times did you stick to that activity for more than 4 weeks? VERY FEW. we don't have the mental strength to sustain a habit for that long, really. so what do we do to build that mental strength to push ourselves out of our comfort zone all the time?
we experiment.
and so it goes --- in December 2021, i decided to experiment with monthly resolutions. a way to challenge myself every month, in different ways. safe to say, it's been one of the most rewarding decisions i've taken to challenge myself. i'm almost excited about the challenge next month, and overtime, people have started asking me what my challenge this month is, what has been fun for me & how they'd like to do it next year.
this public accountability has only motivated me to show up every month, without fail.
this is the twitter thread where i announced it, and this blog, is going to be me documenting everything each month's challenge put me through.
a better glimpse of my resolutions:
here's the link to this template, please tag @HeetTike or @RipenHQ when you upload it? (:
now let me dive deep into each month, so far:
January.
Goal: Publish a blog/thread every weekend.
Updated Goal: Nil.
Intensity: 7/10.
Satisfaction: 4/5.
Thoughts:
This wasn't as challenging as I'd expected it to. when you can write naturally, writing a blog isn't difficult. The only reason why i gave myself this challenge was because how inconsistent i was with writing in 2021. here's what i wrote:
my first thread, talking about monthly resolutions.
a blog-turned-twitter-thread on 101's of personal finance.
I REALLY fancy good quotes, so I spun a blog on quotes that live in my head rent-free.
January was a crucial month so i wrote a blog on the leap of faith I took to go full-time on ripen.in
Would I recommend this?
a mild yes. only if you're into writing. don't force yourself.
February.
Goal: No dopamine rush.
Updated Goal: Take a solo trip (1st half of the month) + no dopamine rush (second half of the month)
Intensity: 9/10.
Satisfaction: 5/5.
Thoughts:
I had miscalculated my goa trip -- so goes without saying, i knew i would not be willing to let go off my sweet sweet G&T & wine. also, sins & vices are MAJOR interest groups your new travel buddies are into -- so letting go of them would be stupid.
hence, i moved my september goal of taking a solo trip to february. the first 15 days, i was in goa. having fun. i was solo for 10 days, which was very, very empowering. here's some beauty pix from my time in goa:
BUT, i diligently followed the actual goal of February all throughout Feb 15-28. i was off smoking, alcohol & poker. quite intense, but i was mentally prepared for it, so it turned out to be a breeze.
Would I recommend this?
YES.
March.
Goal: No sugar.
Updated Goal: Nil.
Intensity: 10/10.
Satisfaction: 5/5.
Thoughts:
For any of you who know me personally, y'all possibly know 2 things: a) i have a sweet toot b) i don't get a sugar rush. that's largely because of my sugar intake. which is very HIGH. chocolates, ice-creams, cakes, cookies & anything sweet kept around me doesn't last long.
to make it worse, this was the month I moved to bangalore, so going out was a constant & ordering food was a necessity. yet, i survived because i had willed myself to just stay off sugar come what may. i remember taking a very very small bite of the chocolate dressing of a cake because the birthday boy forced me a lot.
Regardless, Ritvik joined me on this challenge, so having an accountability partner who is around you 24*7 helped immensely, and though we had to control each other plenty a times, we sailed through without failing.
Would I recommend this?
Only if you have a sweet tooth.
April.
Goal: Run 2kms/day.
Updated Goal: Nil.
Intensity: 6/10.
Satisfaction: 2/5.
Thoughts:
I took this challenge for some good physical fitness. i don't get a runner's high, but i've heard of people talking about it -- so i wanted to give it a go. running has always been pain, soreness or fatigue for me, and sadly, nothing changed this time.
It was difficult to make time for 10-12 minutes everyday. it's more of a mental block ngl, 10-12 mins is very easy & doable, but i went at it for good 13 days regularly, until... i hit a burn out. I was pretty tired & had fatigue from work. I went off for 3 days where I didn't contribute anything anywhere, i needed some time for myself to rejuvenate.
bottomline, I couldn't pick it up after day 13, i went on a run twice after, but didn't get in the groove. it wasn't about motivation, but largely where my head was all through-out, which wasn't a pretty place --- but it's okay, we keep marching!
Would I recommend this?
Meh. If you guilt-trip yourself over fitness, then YES.
May.
Goal: Go Vegan.
Updated Goal: Go Vegetarian.
Intensity: 9/10.
Satisfaction: 5/5.
Thoughts:
Maaaaybe I over-estimated one toooo many things while I was putting this plan in piece. Going Vegan is hard, I've seen people try & no matter how much effort they put in, it's very difficult to just transition effortlessly.
Hence, I updated the goal to going vegetarian and a LOT of my friends were shook to find me ordering vegetarian food since i'm usually found roasting them on the handful scrumptious food choices they have, but alas.. how the turn tables.
to make things worse, our cook was on a holiday so i was found ordering food everyday. prior to may'22, i could count the number of times i've ordered vegetarian food for myself, so it was really difficult in the first few days to NOT lure in & have a cheat meal, but by day 14, I'd gotten into the jive & didn't find it difficult to control my taste buds.
Would I recommend this?
A BIG BIG YES. Clean your body!!
June.
Goal: Live under 3,000 for the entire month.
Updated Goal: Upped the limit to 6,000 - excluding rent & groceries
Intensity: 234234/10.
Satisfaction: 3/5.
Thoughts:
Right from the get-go i was told by a gazillion people that this is next to impossible, but my broke ass thought this is a blessing in disguise because it came at a time when it wasn't a challenge but rather a necessity. ALSO, it was a great excuse to say no to clubs/dinners or even travel w/ expensive cabs for the fact. So it worked out really, really, well for 3 weeks. Obviously, equally intense, because I had to control
Till the 20th, I was actually in control & I had only spent INR 3,500, I was really satisfied but then.. I travelled to Delhi & everything went south. I still try to stay in control, but cabs -- food -- going out is a non-negotiable sadly. And hence, I've spent over 14k this month... I know it's scary because I went WAY above the 6,000 -- but it's alright. It was a nice reminder to set a realistic goal the next time.
Would I recommend this?
FOR EVERYONE, YES. This is very challenging, so YES. No matter how much you make, don't bloat your lifestyle beyond means.
To end this post, i really need to tell you about how PUMPED I AM for the next 6 months. I have some really really exciting challenges lined up, I'm high-key scared of some, but I want to prove it to myself.
July -- a month of calisthenics coaching. I start Monday & i'm MAD excited!
Ciao.