30 Day Challenge to Improve Your Life -Theme Challenges
These Theme Challenges are based on doing something similar every day, based on a ‘theme’. For example, one of these challenges as you take a few minutes each day to identify an area of your life that needs to be improved, and to specify how you can improve it.
The common theme for the challenge is to discover a way to improve any area of your life, the difference between completing the challenge one day and the next involves examining a different aspect of your life.
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1. Theme Challenges — The 1 Thing I Could Improve About…
Every day, I will identify 1 simple way of improving 1 area of my life
Ideas: What you feed your mind, what you eat, how you start your day, your business, your relationship with someone you love, being organized, how you communicate with others, how you spend your time, what you say, how you think, your outlook on life
- Write down the There are a number of benefits to adopting this habit
- Write down WHY you think it’s an improvement and the potential benefits of doing it
- Spend at least 3–5 minutes each day on this challenge
2. Favorite Sayings
Every day, I will read one of my favorite sayings, think about what it means, and either think about how I’ve implemented its lesson/truth in my life in the past or find a way to do it in the future
- Maintain a list of at least 30 of your favorite sayings
- Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
- The more specific you can be discovering a way to apply the lesson of the saying, the better see yourself in a particular situation applying it
- Click here to find some of the best quotes of all time
3. Theme Challenges — The Nostalgic
Every day, I will enjoy reliving a great memory with clarity and emotion
Ideas: Choose memories from your childhood, experiences you’ve had with your friends and family, or something you did while on vacation
- Before beginning, this challenge as a whole, spend 10 minutes brainstorming a list of memories, you could use
- Spend at least 3–5 minutes each day on this challenge
- Use only positive memories
- If you have any pictures related to the memory that is easily accessible, look at them prior to each day’s session
- When reliving your memory, be sure involve all your senses — see
colors, hear sounds, feel the sunshine, and so on - Try to connect with as many details and emotions related to the memory as you
can!
4. Theme Challenges — The Achiever
Every day, I will enjoy reliving something significant that I’ve accomplished with clarity and emotion
Ideas: Choose accomplishments in your childhood, high school years, in business, in
relationships, with your kids, in an organization you’re a part of, with your hobbies, and so on
- Before beginning, this challenge as a whole, spend 10 minutes brainstorming a list of accomplishments you could use
- Spend at least 3–5 minutes each day on this challenge
- If you have any pictures related to the accomplishment that is easily accessible, look at them prior to each day’s session
- When reliving your accomplishment, be sure involve all your senses see
colors, hear sounds, remember the feeling of success, and so on - Try to connect with as many details and emotions related to the accomplishment as you can!
5. The Simple Cleaner
Every day, I will spend a few minutes thoroughly cleaning something in my environment that I often neglect
Ideas: Desk, computer, computer mouse, shoes, briefcase, glasses, a bookshelf, under the sink, a drawer, inside a cabinet, windows on my front door, the trunk of your car, a closet, window blinds, the glass in your car, underneath your desk, your
smartphone/tablet screen, your TV/TV stand, your plants, etc.
- Instead of tackling a big cleaning job all at once (like your desk or car), break it
down into smaller cleaning jobs, after all, you’ll have 30 separate opportunities to
clean something throughout the month - Try to keep your choices simple something you can complete in under 5 minutes
- Always keep your necessary cleaning supplies next to the next item/area you
choose to take care of - Take care of the cleaning task as early as you can, to get it out of the way
6. Bucket List Builder
Every day, I will spend a few minutes adding at least one thing to my bucket list (list of significant things I want to accomplish in life) and identifying the next action I need to take to move forward in achieving it
Ideas: Anything that you’ve ever wanted to do in relation to travel, relationships, career, financial, entertainment, education, health
- Dream BIG!
- Include as much detail as you can (in a sentence), along with a clearly defining
the first thing you need to do to make your dream a reality for example:
Item: Take a summer Rhine river cruise with Kathy
Next Action: Do research on the schedule of Rhine river cruises in the summer
7. Places To Visit Videos
Every day, I will watch a video that highlights a place I’ve always wanted to visit
Ideas: A city (Honolulu, Hawaii), place (the Nile River), building (The Empire State
Building), landmark (The Great Wall Of China), national park (Grand Canyon National Park), etc.
- Before beginning, this challenge as a whole, spend 10 minutes brainstorming a list of places you’ve always wanted to visit
- To find videos, visit YouTube and either search for the name of the place (Honolulu), or include the term ‘travel’, ‘tour’, or ‘guide’ at the end of your search (‘Honolulu travel’ or ‘Honolulu tour’)
- Watch the video fullscreen, and as you watch it, imagine yourself there enjoying
the experience with someone you love
8. Places To Visit Images
Every day, I will view images that highlight a place I’ve always wanted to visit
Ideas: A city (Honolulu, Hawaii), place (the Nile River), building (The Empire State
Building), landmark (The Great Wall Of China), national park (Grand Canyon National Park), etc.
- Before beginning, this challenge as a whole, spend 10 minutes brainstorming a list of places you’ve always wanted to visit
- To find images, visit Google Images and search for the name of the place
- Scan the images found with your search, click on those that inspire you most to
view them full-size, and as you do, imagine yourself there enjoying the experience with someone you love - Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
9. Theme Challenges — A Month Of Random Kindness
Every day, I will look for, and act on, opportunities to perform random acts of kindness
Ideas: Perform a task for someone (a family member, friend or neighbor), be generous with your money, do something unexpected, give a gift to someone, yield to someone else’s needs or desires (give up a parking space or your place in line), praise/compliment others publicly, give something valuable away
- Remember the basic recipe for completing this challenge: Your act of kindness
should be random (not too planned), unexpected (a surprise to the receiver),
simple (little things mean a lot), and valuable (something the receiver will
remember and talk about) - Feel free to do more than one random act of kindness a day! 🙂
- Warning: Doing this challenge can be addictive!
- Click here for more ideas
10. Theme Challenges — The Simplifier
Every day, I will simplify my life by selling, giving away, or trashing one thing that I no
longer need or use
Ideas: Furniture, clothes, books, toys, remotes, gadgets, games, magazines, kitchen
items/gadgets
- Putting stuff in storage does not count things must be removed completely from
your life, either by selling, donating or throwing them away - For practicality purposes, you can get a box (or 3 boxes for stuff to sell, donate,
and trash), and each day put one thing in that box that you are getting rid of, then handle getting rid of everything all at once at the end of the month - When selling your stuff, sell everything as a package deal (all or nothing) on
Craigslist, so you don’t have to mess with multiple listings - Donate items to family, friends, coworkers, or your favorite charity
11. Significance 1st!
Every day, at the beginning of my workday, I will take care of something difficult or
important first something that, once completed, will set a positive tone of action for the rest of the day
Ideas: Writing, working on a presentation, cleaning your office, making important calls
- The something of significance that you want to do first every day tends to be the
one thing you look least forward to doing (not always, but fairly often) - For clarity, doing something of significance does not include Answering emails,
checking the news, watching videos, checking Facebook, or shuffling papers
around - For best results, determine the first thing you want to do, the day or night before
12. What You Mean To Me
Every day, I will think of one person in my life (past or present, alive or dead) and
consider what they mean to me, how they have impacted my life in positive ways, or what makes them so awesome as an individual
Ideas: A spouse, parent, sibling, child, friend, teacher, mentor, coworker
- Before beginning, this challenge as a whole, spend 10 minutes brainstorming a list of people
- Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
- If you have any pictures related to the person that is easily accessible, look at
them prior to each day’s session - When remembering the person and their impact on your life, be sure involve all
your senses see colors, hear sounds, and so on - Try to connect with as many details and emotions related to the person, and your experiences with them as you can!
13. Observe The Awesome
Every day, I will take an item and spend a few minutes observing what makes it so
awesome (its design, color) and how it adds value to my life (its benefits)
Ideas: Artwork, a piece of fruit, a flower, clouds, trees, gadgets, my pet, my hands, water, etc.
- Before beginning, this challenge as a whole, spend 10 minutes brainstorming a list of awesome things in your life
- Items can be a simple as a spoon, and as complex as a smartphone
- Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
- If possible, observe the item directly when doing this challenge
- Think less about the functionality of an item (something it does), and more about the benefit it gives you (how it affects you)
- Feel gratitude for the item and its impact on your life
14. Writing Freestyle
Every day, I will spend 5 minutes just writing whatever flows out of my mind, through my hand, onto the paper
Ideas: Write about something you like, dislike, love, experiences, a relationship, your
habits, the future, what you would do in a particular scenario, a goal, a dream, your
perfect day, the people you spend time with, something you’ve learned, something that’s holding you back in life, something you want to do better, I experience [positive emotion] when…, and so on
- You want to write, without restraint or worrying about grammar and punctuation
- You can write digitally if you like (using a word processor)
- If you like, tear up (or delete) what you’ve written when you’re done!
- Click here for more ideas for what to write about
15. Definitions
Every day, I will take an important word, and define what it means to me
Ideas: Love, trust, simplicity, discipline, kindness, generosity, gratitude, action, truth,
influence, health, quality, reason, value, organization, growth, joy, happiness, success, fun, focus, passion, purpose, forgiveness, consistency, purpose, abundance, change, optimism, experience, etc…
- Either write down or speak your definitions
- Simply answer the following prompt: To me, [word] means…
- Feel free identify multiple definitions for a word, listing them as bullet points (if
you’re writing them down) - For ‘extra credit’, identify areas of your life where the idea or meaning of the word (as you’ve defined it) is currently visible or could be expressed more often
- Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
16. I’m Unconventional Because…
Every day, I will consider and write down how I do things differently than the general public by completing the following sentence: Most people [activity], but I’m different because…
Ideas: How you spend your free time, what you eat, the movies you watch, your general attitude, your everyday speech, what you talk about, how you spend and manage your money, how generous you are, how kind you are, the value you put on honesty, and so on
- The purpose of this challenge is to help you examine how different your thinking
and habits are different (unconventional) than the general public - The reason to look for differences is that many people have lifestyles and
habits that contribute to them being unsatisfied and unhappy, and if you’re not
doing things drastically different than they are, you’re likely to get the same results they do - You want to look for major differences during this challenge…saying you don’t
watch the same TV shows as everyone else doesn’t count, but saying you spend quality time most evenings to work at on achieving your goals while others sit and watch TV, does count!
17. Dream/Goal Immersion
Every day, I will spend some time immersing myself in a dream of mine
Ideas: Write it down in detail, visualize it clearly and emotionally, talk to someone about it, watch videos related to it, look at pictures related to it, feel as if you’ve already experienced it, learn something about it, talk about it to yourself out
loud, cut out pictures related to it and put them somewhere you can regularly see them, interview someone who has achieved it, and so on
- You want to choose a single dream or goal to immerse yourself in for the entire
month, NOT a dream or goal for each day - The purpose of this challenge is to help you get crystal clear and emotionally
connected to an important dream or goal of yours to the point where achieving it
begins to affect your thinking and behavior in positive ways - Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
- One definition of immersion: The state of being deeply engaged or involved;
absorption
18. The Ideal You
Every day, I will identify an aspect of who I am or aspire to be by writing down my
response to the one following prompts:
Ideas: I love…, I think…, I feel…, I believe…, I value…, I say…, I connect with others by…, I fear…, I express…, I ask…, I learn…, I refuse to…, I consistently…, I have mastered…, I feed my mind…, I am grateful for…, I associate with people who are…, I expect…, I contribute…, I enjoy…, I regularly improve…, I have no time for…, I remember…, I’m different than I was a year ago because…
- Focus on answering one prompt a day
- Write as many answers to each prompt as possible let ideas flow out of you without worrying about grammar and punctuation
- Keep each answer short
- Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
19. The Imaginary Teacher
Every day, I will teach an imaginary someone, something I know or believe
Ideas: Something you believe and why you believe it, a tip or strategy that you know, a part of your personality, your perspective on an issue, something you want your kid to know, something you’ve always wanted to share with the world, and so on
- If possible, speak out loud, like you’re teaching a real person
- Get into it stand up, and use gestures and emotion to be as convincing as you
can be - Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
20. The Visualizer
Every day, I will improve my visualization skills by visualizing a real-world
object
Ideas: A plant, your pet, a cup, a picture on your wall, a piece of furniture, your favorite hat, a pen, your smartphone, something on your desk, and so on
- To visualize, choose an object in your surroundings (either indoors or outdoors),
then close your eyes, and in your mind, imagine how it looks, feels, smells,
tastes, and how you use it to try to connect with the object as clearly and emotionally as you do in the real world - If it helps, vocalize your visualization experience describe what you see, how it
feels, what you’re doing with it, and so on - Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
21. The Biggest Weakness Destroyer
I will identify my biggest weakness, then each day, do something specific and actionable that will help me minimize, manage, or eliminate it
- Day 1: Identify your biggest weakness (a bad habit, how you eat, how you
manage your money, a character trait, etc.) and write it down - Day 2: Write down the effect that the weakness is having on your life be
specific - Day 3: Write down the effect that eliminating the weakness would have on your
life be specific - Days 4–10: Each day, write down one specific and emotionally compelling reason WHY you want to eliminate this weakness more specific and emotional, the better
- Days 11–18: Each day, using Google (or via some other useful resource) learn
and at least one tip or strategy you can use to help you eliminate your weakness and write it down (keep it simple) at this stage, you should have at least 7 tips or strategies that you can implement - Days 19–26: With the tips and strategies you’ve gathered, spend 3–5
minutes a day for the next 7 days implementing them - Days 27–30: In addition to continuing to implementing the tips and strategies
you’ve gathered, spend a few minutes each day closing your eyes and visualizing what it looks and feels like finally be free of your biggest weakness - Feel free to repeat this challenge another 30 days if you feel it would be helpful
- You’ll always have another ‘biggest weakness’ waiting to be tackled, so feel free
to repeat this challenge whenever you like
22. Facing Fear, Daily
Every day, I will do something I fear
Ideas: Something you’ve been putting off, the way you interact with others, something that requires you to step outside of your comfort zone, something that those around you do but you don’t for some reason, something you feel might lead to failure or you ‘looking stupid’
- Think of things that you make you feel uneasy or uncomfortable things
that you tend to resist, avoid, or delay doing - Focus on overcoming simple, everyday fears for this challenge you
maybe afraid of heights, but that doesn’t mean you have to do something as extravagant as booking a skydive for this challenge - Before beginning, this challenge as a whole, spend effect that eliminating the weakness a list of simple fears you would like to overcome
- Click here for inspiration for eliminating your fears
23. The Life Analyzer
Every day, I will answer an important question about my life
- Ask questions like these, and write down your answer (be as specific as
possible): - What have I learned recently; about myself, from a book, conversation,
observation, child, foreigner, and how do I plan on applying it? - What’s a specific way I can be more generous with my time, energy, or
resources today? - What makes me really happy, and why does it make me happy?
- What’s amazing in my life, and why is it amazing?
What could I change today that would have the most significant impact on
my life? - What belief can I adopt that will have a positive impact on my life?
- How can I be more awesome to the people I meet every day, while
enjoying the process? - Who is someone I really love, what do they mean to me, and what is one
of my favorite memories, I have of them? - What needs my attention more than anything right now (health, money,
relationships)? Why and how does it need my attention? - What are the themes and underlying messages of the things I mentally
consume on a regular basis (TV, movies, news), and how could it be
affecting my thinking and behavior? - What’s one thing that is I afraid of, and what about it scares me?
- What is a regular distraction I experience, and what can I do today to
minimize its effect on my productivity? - What’s one thing that should be very important in my life, and what am I
specifically, doing to make sure that it is? - What is the general topic and tone of what my closest friends talk about,
and how does it help make me a better person? - What’s something I eat or drink regularly, and how is it affecting my health
(good or bad)?
In addition to the questions above, come up with some of your own, if you wish
An optional process for this challenge (instead of answering a question for the day) is to look at one of the answers you’ve already written down, and develop a simple plan for improving your business, based on that answer
Spend at least 35 minutes each day on this challenge
