Begin your thousand step journey

There’s just something about the first day of the month, the day of a job or new project. Or even better, the first day of a new life as a married couple, or starting college for the first time. It is so catching and hopeful. It’s so full of promise and trust. It seems as if the heavens open up, and shine on just us for that single moment. And what we do with it depends on us. But it is nice to have a start with everything. I will admit knowing where to start can be difficult in some circumstances. Often we find ourselves ready to take on the world, with a lot of firsts. It can be beautiful and, yet toxic at the same time. How we keep that good momentum going is all up to us.

I started a first of many. I dedicated the month of march as a no social media month. This was because I had so much writing that needed to get done. Well, it was overwhelming.it was insane. Like for every one paragraph i wrote, I had twenty waiting in the wings. But it goes deeper than that. I also noticed some behavioral changes in myself that were not the best. In terms of my health and lifestyle. So not only was it about my writing, but also a cleansing of the crap that had entered my life. 

One thing that can lead to devastating consequences is that I am lactose intolerant and a phone addict. Don’t worry; I won’t go into too much detail on the latter. But being lactose intolerant is hard. Because, you never can tell where your limit is. For everyone that has it, it’s different. And despite all we do, it seems like lactose is in everything we touch.I have scouted a few stores that carry such things. They may not be Walmart cheap, but close enough. So I bit the bullet on that as well. But what’s funny is that every first of the month, I say the same. But by day two, it dies. So I start each month again. Hoping it sticks. I am just one voice among many that have such problems. It seems like it’s a problem for many people. I am not just talking about those who are lactose intolerant like me. 

Being a phone addict is something everyone can relate to. And I mean everyone. From a small child to even grandparents. It seems like phones are everywhere. Have you ever tried not to look at your phone? This is true even for the business people of the world. It is not the easiest thing to manage. Once you get on it, it seems to suck you in, and before you know it. You have wasted hours on it looking up random things. What sucks, is there’s not a cure for it. People will tell you, put your phone away. Or block the notifications. But it’s more impulsive than that. And I don’t think some people quite get that. I could vent all day long about it. I’ll just save you the guilt.

I love firsts because it allows you to look at life in a fresh light. So many of us on new year’s day feel it. That all the planning will pay off, and you finally get it all. That new job, the new car, the house you have always dreamed of. Actually, it takes commitment, with a lot of hard work. But we are all capable of each of those. And so much more. Looking at it freshly also allows you to look back at what didn’t work and plan, which helps a lot in the long run.

We can keep this fresh light by constantly changing how we perceive life by simply looking at things. What I mean by that is to live in each moment. Feel the sunlight on your skin. Feel each breath you take, Everything you can sense at the moment. Fully feel everything with your senses. Sight, taste, smell, touch. They are always with us everywhere we go. Often we take them for granted. In my honest opinion, we shouldn’t. or we end up feeling like endless drones just going and going until we die.

I recently had this happen to me. I was cleaning a stall—a simple task when you are a farmer. But I was suddenly hyperaware of everything going on around me. I could feel the rake in my hand shaking as I tossed things. I could hear footsteps and hoof steps thundering in the arena across the way. I sensed the winter warmth in the air. It was such a moment of clarity that I hadn’t experienced it in a long time. It was what kind of jolted me into realizing just how lax I had been in certain aspects of my life. And it was the drive I needed to change. I guess, even mentally, I was getting sick of the path my life was taking.

Therefore firsts are a big thing in my life. I love planning and implementing them. But it becomes a detriment if all you do is the planning. Because it makes life stagnant and stuck in the same essential thing. How depressing can that get? To constantly be on such a whirlwind is, well, terrible. That is where first come into play. It’s a starting point. An inner focus of a drive to change or improve oneself. A way to change things up a bit. So my challenge to you is to search in your life for something you are lacking. It could be money, happiness, or more superficial things. Make a detailed plan, and make it your primary focus for a week, month, or even a year. And get your dream or goal. You can do it; I believe in you.