It turns out 'moderately' drinking 2-3 beers every night has compounding negative impacts on health, mood and overall well-being. I tried to make things work, but my life has been on a downward spiral since I've started drinking again. I've also been playing a lot more video games, which tends to keep me up late and therefore deters me from getting a healthy (positive) jump start on my day.

So the time has come to put the drink on the shelf. I'm challenging myself to get out of this rut. I'm going to journal my progress, build the chain, garner support and use the momentum to gather steam. This is my..

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30 Day Challenge!

~DAY ONE~

Today is the first day of the rest of my life...

I have always believed my life could be great, but I keep putting off that greatness, for what? The right time?
I think I've just been waiting for something to happen to propel me to the wonderful and excellent life I know I am destined for..

But it's time to admit that nothing and no one is going to do that for me. Greatness is not out there.. it's within. I need the courage to tap into it.

Starting today I'm challenging myself to uphold myself to a higher standard. To find that courage and build the life I believe in. The rules are simple.. if I make them too complicated, the whole thing may implode before it ever gets off the ground.

For the next 30 days, I will..

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a) Snooze on the Booze

That's right, I'm going cold turkey sober. I believe the biggest detriment to my health and dreams is that alcohol slowly saps my energy, makes me irritable, and robs me of my precious sleep. It would be pretty hard to focus on building anything meaningful if I am constantly sluggish and hungover. Besides, my efforts toward betterment tend to be tenuous when strained. I am giving myself the best chance I can by removing this depressant from the equation.

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b) Get Up and At 'em

This is probably going to be one of the hardest parts of the challenge for me honestly. I am such a night person, I must be part vampire.. I spend most of the sunlight hours looking for ways to sneak in a few extra zzzs when and where I can finally coming alive when Apollo's fiery chariot has long gone beyond the horizon. But that is a symptom of a broken sleep cycle. For this challenge I'm plan on forcing myself up and out of bed before 8AM EVERY DAY.. laugh.. I know.. but when you are wide awake until 1:30--2--3--4am at night, having to get up at 8AM can seem like torture.. I work mostly evenings, but I feel like I get so much more done on the rare days that I am able to wake up early and stay awake. Besides, if I am up and at 'em earlier, the next challenge should be a breeze..

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c) Move it to use it

For a while last year and the year before I had very good stints of weekly exercise. I even ran a 1:48 half marathon.. fast forward to today though and it would be a miracle if I could run 10km without having to stop. I'm not going to lie, running can be painful.. no.. it IS painful.. but as any runner can attest to.. the high that comes after makes it worth it. By nature, I am averse to exercise, but I persisted to a point where I started to really enjoy running. I'm shattered that I let that slip. For this challenge, I have no delusions of bursting out half marathon pbs in one month.. the goal is simple.. just get moving.. any movement, be it walking, stationary bike, or a few sit ups/push ups.. I'm not setting the bar high.. 15 mins minimum a day.. I believe as the challenge progresses I will willingly take on more and more movement time, but at the start, and for those busy days later, 15 mins is plenty.

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d) slow the Joe

I'm an avid coffee drinker. I guzzle an average of three cups a day. So I'm not going to quit.. I love it too much, and it does have some health benefits. However, the foamy sugary iced cappuccinos that supplement my afternoons are going to have to go. Sorry Starbucks, during the next 30 days I'm going to stick to home brewed cups of java from my peculator. And all caffeine will be consumed BEFORE 2PM.. if its not down the hatch by then, it'll have to wait til tomorrow.. this should help drastically with getting better sleep. And finally..

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e) go full steem ahead!

I joined steemit to develop a possible skill in writing and supplement my income. I kinda fell off lately and was ashamed to come back into it. But this challenge is going to help me address that head on. Over the next 30 days, I will write a minimum of one post per day. I also plan on journaling and documenting my progress with this challenge, so if you'd like to join me and create your own personal 30 day challenge, let me know. Otherwise, please follow me and give me feedback and encouragement whenever you can. I appreciate the wonderful community that is on @steemit and I will be more and more involved starting this month.

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So that's it, 5 core changes that may get added onto over the course of the challenge, but will definitely be a life altering experience. I'm giving myself the green light.. It's time to get up and GO! Will you join me??