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Have you ever surprised yourself?

I think I just did. When I decided to take the 31 day challenge in the month of October to write each day, it was laughable. I truly thought I’d last about 4 days. And yet somehow more was said this month then was not said. (Is it ok to be proud of myself?)

Thoughts from this month’s challenge:

I live a clumsy life and that’s ok.

I was definitely less then perfect at this challenge. There were days I missed and there were posts with typos (God forbid.) The perfectionist in me almost quit at the very first mistake. “See, you don’t have the discipline for this type of work,” she taunted. But this month taught me to push past that self-induced condemnation, pick myself up and continue my imperfect progress with pride.

My journey is, well, mine.

With over 4000 women taking the same 31 day blogging challenge, I would read what others were doing, saying and judge my own efforts against theirs. But oh the freedom in letting my own path roll out before me! In this season and time this was the approach I needed.

• Some pre-planned or pre-wrote with an outline. I wondered each day what I was to say.
• Some held to a tight topic. I was all over the map.
• Some religiously hit every day. I took Sundays off, and while I was at the Allume conference, and when I babysat my nephews, and, and, and… but in the end, I still completed.

My journey is my own and I’m loving it.

I am motivated by challenge and goal.

I meet so many who have a desire to do or act and they speak of it in the terms of “some day.” This is me too. I have to be pushed to stop the planning, and start the doing. A challenge such as this month is what I needed and that is ok. My result is not less potent just because someone lit a fire under my procrastinating butt. Amy Lynn Andrews summed it up well at her session at Allume.

“No one goes to a football game to watch a huddle.”

A public challenge with a level of built in accountability forces me to break the huddle and run the play.

Thank you for coming along for the ride.

I am literally floored by you who have read along with me this month. It must be part of how I’m wired but I literally see your faces before my eyes as I write. I write for you. I write for me. And I write for Him.

What fun it is! Here’s the month in a nutshell.

Did you miss one? Did you have a favorite? Take a look back, there are some goodies here!

Day 1: 31 Days of Glancing Back and Leaning Forward: in which I welcome you

Day 2: Mourning the Invisible: in which I fantasize about stealing your children

Day 3: Swirl with It: in which I become like tumbleweed

Day 4: The Day our Plumber Went to Jail: in which I feel sympathy

Day 5: Be Kind to Thyself: in which I run from a train

Day 6: Sunday Break: in which I rest

Day 7: The Honesty of Waking Thoughts: in which I lean on the windowsill

Day 8: To You: My Leaders, My Followers and Me: in which I share my prayer

Day 9: Progressing or Arriving: in which I think about spiderwebs

Day 10: Blog Redesign Day

Day 11: Just Launch: in which I show you my new design

Day 12: About Me On the Weekend: in which I define myself for you

Day 13: Sunday Break: in which I rest

Day 14: Oops… I missed this one

Day 15: The Big Kitchen Reveal: in which I brag about being done!

Day 16: Speak to the Chaos: in which I name names

Day 17-19: Sigh… I don’t know.

Day 20: Sunday Break: in which I rest

Day 21: Let People Be: in which I stop “should-ing”

Day 22: The Girl on the Plane: in which lightning strikes

Day 23: Missed another one!

Day 24: Together: in which I get used to our new schedule

Day 25 – 26: Allume Break!

Day 27: The Reservoir of the Deep, Deep: in which I float to the top

Day 28: Quotable Allume: in which my weekend turns into nuggets

Day 29: Gems in My Pocket: in which life is Candy Crush

Day 30: Your Presence is Heaven to Me: in which it’s all I got today

Day 31: 3 Things I Learned for My 31 Day Challenge: in which I break the huddle

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This post is part of my series 31 Days of Glancing Back and Leaning Forward: Personal reflections and life lessons from my year.

To see the rest of the posts in this series, please click here.
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It is pure joy to me knowing you are reading what I am writing. Thank you.

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