When Sloan had about a week left of her seventy-five-day challenge, we were sitting around the dinner table talking about the reward Sloan wanted for completing the challenge. As we were discussing her prize, Danika jumped in the conversation and casually stated she was going to the challenge. When I asked her what made her change her mind about doing the challenge, she responded by shrugging her shoulders and stating, “I have nothing else better to do”. For her challenge, Danika decided to complete two tasks each day. She also chose to drink water (68 ounces each day) and then she chose to wash her face twice a day because she had been struggling with some skin issues that had not been clearing up due the fact, she had not been consistent with washing her face daily.
Danika took to the challenge quickly and rarely needed any reminders from me to complete her daily tasks. At first, Danika did not see any benefits from her tasks, but as the days went on, Danika really began to see the benefits from washing her face. Her face began to clear up and at times it looked as if her face was glowing. Regarding her water consumption, Danika would tell you she saw no benefit to her increased water intake, but I am sure the water also contributed to the improvement in her skin.
Danika completed her challenge on June 2nd. For her prize, Danika chose money that she could put into savings. She is currently saving up money for our vacation in October. When we are on vacation, she likes to buy all her Christmas presents and then any remaining money she has she uses it for souvenirs for herself. I love the fact that Danika attempted the challenge too and was able to successfully accomplish it. I feel experiences like these instill in my girls that they can successfully achieve goals they set for themselves.
Like Sloan, there are several lessons we can take from Danika’s challenge experience:
- Start when YOU are ready – Any goal takes effort at first, so it is important to start when you are ready, rather than when someone tells you to start or when you think you “should” start. By starting when the time is right for you, you are more likely to be successful in achieving your goals.
- The results of what you are going after take time – Danika’s challenge was halfway over by the time her face started to clear up. If Danika would have given up after a week of not seeing results, then her face never would have cleared up. Remember results takes time!
- Take on as much as YOU can handle – For Danika’s challenge she chose two tasks because she was able to handle that. Now if Sloan would have tried to do two tasks, it would have been much harder for her, and she probably would have not been successful. The goal is to do what you can handle so you can see wins because the more frequent wins you have, the more likely you will remain committed to whatever goal you are working on.
Now that Danika’s challenge is over, she is drinking more water than she used to prior to the challenge, but she is not drinking as much as she did during the challenge. However, she has remained consistent with washing her face. Danika is happy with how her skin looks and does not want it to go back to the condition it was prior to the challenge.