You cannot reap and sow in the same season.
You must sow now and reap later.
Patience, my friends.

Guys, we have to put the work in. We cannot expect something for nothing and we can’t expect to see magic happen because we have worked at something for 5 minutes. It is so much easier to give in and reap the reward of immediate satisfaction than to work for months in hopes of seeing results. I know, I’ve done it too many times to count. What would happen if just this once you kept your promise and didn’t give in? There is no way you won’t see some kind of result at the end of 90 days if you really do the work. Sure, you might not have killer abs or defined biceps, but you will feel something.

This 90-day challenge that some of us are doing is based off the principle that it takes 21 days to create a habit and 90 days to have it become part of your lifestyle. Now, I hear that and I immediately think about my Diet Pepsi habit, which by the way I have given up many times prior to this challenge. I gave up Diet Pepsi while I was pregnant with each of my children. That’s THREE times I have given it up and THREE times I went back to get my fix. That is 270 days of not drinking Diet Pepsi and each time I have gone back to it. Why? And why do I think this time will be different? Because of my intention. When I gave it up before, I never, not even once, thought to myself that I wouldn’t have another Diet Pepsi again. In fact, my intention was to have one as soon as each of my girls were born.

So, obviously setting intentions at the outset is important as well as understanding what goals you are trying to achieve. If you feel like your goals are unclear, go back and take another look. What do you really want to change?

Still not convinced that this whole reaping and sowing thing is for you? Think about the 10,000 hour rule. Malcolm Gladwell states in his book, The Outliers, that if you want to master anything, let’s say being a successful runner that you need to practice or run, in this case, for 10,000 hours. To put that in perspective, our challenge asks us to workout for 30 minutes each day for 90 days. That is 45 total hours over the course of three months. That is a long way from mastering any of these habits, but it’s a start.

No, we don’t need to log 10,000 hours to create a new habit or routine, but we also can’t expect to see major change in two weeks. That being said, can you feel a shift? Has the axis tipped just a bit in the direction of wanting more for your life? Are you craving water in the morning? Are you finding that gratitude comes a little easier each day?

Keep sowing the seeds of these new habits and before you know it you will be reaping the rewards of all of your hard work.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,
Lowi & G