Training is essential. You do weight training with free weights to strengthen your muscles, mental training with books to expand your knowledge, corporate training through programs and courses to advance your career, etc. But what about character training?
Is there any type of training you can do to improve your character?
As a matter of fact, character training is the foundation of all self-improvement. But the question then becomes: what can you do to start “training your character?” There are many things; however, I know of one method that is particularly effective.
I’d like to introduce you to…
The 100-Day Lifestyle Challenge
Your lifestyle is a representation of who you are. Good people lead virtuous lives; unhappy people lead miserable lives. And people fall into these categories based on how they conduct themselves in their daily routines. In short, how you live—your current lifestyle—determines the quality of your life.
So if you’re looking to make improvements in your life by taking on better quality habits, consider The 100-Day Lifestyle Challenge. But why 100 days? Research shows that it takes, on average, 2 to 3 months to form a new habit.
Emphasis goes to the phrase “on average.”
Depending on the habit you’re trying to adopt, it may happen quicker, or it may take longer. But as a general rule, it takes 60 to 90 days for new habits to form. For this reason, 100 days is a sufficient time length to throw most of your new habits against.
But why should you even bother with this challenge in the first place?
The purpose of this challenge is to develop your character by incorporating better habits into your life. Remember, the quality of your life is in direct proportion to the quality of habit you consistently engage in.
Keep reading until the end of this post to see my personal 100-Day Challenge. But first, here are the…
Benefits of Taking on the 100-Day Lifestyle Challenge
Here’s how this challenge can completely transform your life:
- Puts you in full control: Too many people live their lives based on whims and fleeting emotions. They do what feels good instead consciously looking at what’s in their best interest and moving toward it.
- Strengthens your resolve: The majority of people are weak-willed. They lack decisiveness and follow-through; as a result, they never reach their goals. The 100-Day Lifestyle Challenge helps to cultivate grit.
- Develops self-trust: Do you trust yourself? If you say you’re going to do something, do you know deep down that you’ll do it? Or do you constantly break promises to yourself (and others), fracturing goodwill along the way? The 100-Day Lifestyle Challenge helps you develop unwavering self-trust so that you move through life operating with integrity in all that you do.
How it Works
Disclaimer: You need to understand something important about this challenge. It’s for those who are more advanced. Meaning: If you struggle with the simplest of disciplines (getting up early, eating healthy, exercising consistently, etc.), then you may want to reduce this challenge from 100 days to 50 or maybe even 30 days.
Otherwise, you’ll end up getting down on yourself for failing at something you haven’t yet developed the mental fortitude to complete.
But with that said, here is how the challenge works. I’ll use myself as an example since I started my own character training 100-Day Lifestyle Challenge earlier this month.
1. Choose the Habit(s)
This step is simple; decide what habits you want to adopt (as well as any you want to eliminate). These habits can be anything as long as they are healthy and productive. So ask yourself: What habits do you want to start living? Do you want to read more, exercise daily, or practice a new skill? Once you decide, you can then move on to the next step, which is…
2. Write it Down
If you don’t already have a journal, now’s the time to get one. This challenge requires daily execution; therefore, you’ll want to keep tabs on your progress. And keeping a journal handy is the best way to do that. Write down every good habit you want to adopt and every bad one you want to eliminate.
Now, here comes the good part.
By writing your habits down, you’re essentially goal-setting by developing your plan of action. Consider this as the “blueprint” you’ll use to construct a new lifestyle. Character training of this calibre requires intentionality. And this is how you inject more intention into your life.
3. Find Accountability
This process may sound simple, and that’s because it is. However, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. In fact, you will have many days when you feel like quitting and reverting back to your old ways. Don’t give in to this weakness. To ensure you stay on course, it may be helpful—even essential for some people—to find accountability.
Choose a close family member or a good friend and tell them about your 100-day challenge. I struggled with this for a while; I found it difficult to ask for help as I thought I could do it all on my own.
That was my ego. And I had to learn to keep it in check. You may have to do the same. When asking for assistance, ensure that the person you’re enlisting is someone you can trust not to let you slide.
Now, here comes the kicker.
Once you’ve selected your accountability partner, you must put something sizeable on the line. After all, if there are no consequences to failing, what incentive do you really have to follow through? For my 100-day challenge, I told my accountability partner that I will give him $500 if I slip up.
4. Review and Execute
Here’s where you’ll gain momentum. You must review your lifestyle challenge and then execute it daily. The whole point of the 100-Day Challenge is to develop consistency in the healthier habits you’ve deliberately chosen. Therefore, a daily review is necessary.
Humans are interesting creatures.
We learn best through repetition. Rare is it that we remember an idea, concept, or plan the first time we’re exposed to it. Oftentimes, it is only through forced repetition and repeated exposure to an idea that we finally absorb, adopt, and accept it.
And this is where things get really interesting…
By reviewing your Lifestyle Challenge every day, it becomes like goal setting. You are consciously reaffirming your target. Therefore, you gain the clarity needed to step into this new “Lifestyle” and make the necessary changes to improve yourself.
My 100-Day Lifestyle Challenge
Here is my own 100-day challenge for character training. The list is a little extensive, but I wanted to be transparent. I started this challenge on August 8, 2023, and for 100 days, it will take me all the way to November 16, 2023. Each of these disciplines must be performed daily.
I’ve been practicing some of them for a number of years. However, others I just recently decided to adopt; hence this challenge. The habits include the following:
Read
Reading has been instrumental in my life. I have not missed a day of reading for 6 years. For this reason, I’m excited to keep this habit as a staple in my routine, and for this lifestyle challenge.
Train
It could be running, weight training, martial arts, you name it. But I have to—no matter what—perform some form of physical activity every day. This is non-negotiable. Physical exercise is among the best and most healthy habits you can engage in. That’s why it is a priority for me and a major part of this 100-day character training lifestyle challenge.
Journal
Journaling has changed my life. It has helped me become more self-aware, enhanced my communication skills, and was even the foundation that helped launch my writing career. As a result, it is not only a staple in my routine but also a habit for the challenge.
Wake up Between 4 AM – 5 AM
I am a huge advocate of early mornings. Waking up early every day has completely transformed my productivity. And even though I’ve already been practicing this habit for about 3 years now, I wanted to incorporate it into my challenge as it is a great discipline to live by.
Sex Transmutation
Sex is the most powerful form of energy we have. Unfortunately, most people lack control over their sexual urges and desires. But by channelling it into more productive and creative endeavours, this energy can be used to catapult us to achieve our grandest goals. This process is called Sex Transmutation. And it has been practiced by many of the world’s most successful people, such as:
- Steve Jobs
- Nikola Tesla
- Gandhi
- Mike Tyson
- David Haye
- Muhammad Ali
- Kanye West
As a part of character training, I am incorporating the practice of sex transmutation into my 100-day challenge.
Cold Showers
I have talked about the benefits of cold showers many times on this blog. This practice has truly helped me to stay on course in life. As a result, I wanted to continue doing it as a part of my 100-day lifestyle challenge.
Eat Healthy
This means healthy eating every day (with the exception of one cheat meal a week). Fruits, vegetables, good quality protein, and 8 to 9 cups of water daily.
Of course, there are many other habits I’m practicing in conjunction with these ones. But for the sake of brevity, these are the most important habits that are injecting into the 100-day challenge.
Character Training: Are You Ready for the 100-Day Lifestyle Challenge?
Self-improvement is about the journey, not the destination. As a result, you must learn to embrace the ups and downs, highs and lows, peaks and valleys, etc. This is one of the most important aspects of character training. When you learn to love the process, you’ll become unstoppable in the pursuit of your goals.
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