Nudge Challenge Week 100 = Review & Celebrate!

NUDGED: "Review all my past nudges" and celebrate!

BACKSTORY: I can't believe this is my 100th nudge! I began this project on October 14, 2018, after being inspired by the 52Nudges blog. I desired to have more joy in my life and to get out of my comfort zone. I wanted to accomplish things instead of just talking about them and saying "someday". These nudges have challenged me and helped me grow in so many ways.

For this 100th nudge, I wanted to look back at all my previous nudges. What were my favorites? Which ones were the most difficult? Which things have I continued to do after the week's challenged ended? What have I learned? 

QUOTE: 

REVIEW:

My first nudge was "Change my routine" on October 14, 2018. That week was difficult as I was kicking off this new nudges project and really wanted it to go well. While it was difficult to change my schedule (I'm a planner!), I found myself happier afterward and was motivated to continue tackling more nudges. 

Which were the most fun to complete? It was really hard to narrow it down because there were many, many good ones. My top 5 favorite nudges were: writing my own story (March 2019), playing my flute for me (January 2019), giving in to an impulse that gives me joy (May 2019), going to a new market (July 2019), and connecting with an old friend (November 2018). This shows me that I really like doing creative things and exploring (very true!). 

The top 5 hardest nudges to complete were: read through an old journal (July 2020), not complaining for 5 days (March 2019), forgiving 5 people (November 2018), no lying for one week (July 2019) and learning the names of people I came in contact with (October 2019). Apparently, I don't like bringing up past painful memories or working on my bad habits (complaining and lying). Ha!

Did you know I didn't complete all of them? My one did-not-finish (DNF) was in November 2019 when I was trying to memorize a Psalm (still hasn't happened!). I also struggled to complete changing my perspective by having a conversation with someone who has opposite views (Sept. 2020) and teaching Coco a new trick (June 2020). 

Many nudges were completed in the week and then, to my surprise, continued after that week. Thanks to this nudges project, I have continued to take photos of things that I love, try new foods on menus, update my Pinterest board of my favorites, get 8 hours of sleep every night, do things that scare me, drink lots of water daily, learn and use Spanish, practice hand-lettering, and work on being more environmentally friendly. I'm so glad these things stuck! They have enhanced my life.

LESSONS LEARNED: I have learned so many lessons that it is impossible to state them all here in a few sentences. Here's a few thoughts though....

Going into this nudges project, I really thought I would have others doing them with me physically. I told many people in my family, friends, and Bible study about this project, thinking I would need their physical moral support. I am surprised and proud to say that the vast majority of these nudges have been completed by me while alone (physically). It has proven to me that I am stronger than I think.

Completing nudges has definitely given me much more confidence in myself and my ability to do hard things, even when I am scared. I have embraced my curiosity and found joy. I have tried so many new things. I am now brainstorming for new ideas and projects to build upon my momentum. 

Most of all, I am so grateful for all the emotional moral support and understanding. Thank you for reading and cheering me on! I am grateful for you.