New Challenge: Create The Break You Can’t Catch.
“…start living that the limits that set us free…”
(Author’s Note: This article has been updated to include the results of the first challenge attempt)
We live at the upper limits of our financial means, stress levels, disconnectedness, and ability to mistreat our own bodies. What happens when we live this way? We can’t catch a break. A flat tire breaks the bank. Stress becomes illness. Communities disconnect from each other. Any new hurdle, no matter the size, becomes unmanageable because there are no buffers in place to withstand them. No emergency fund. No general good health. No connected community to lean on.
Let’s change that. We’re going to build buffers and start living that the limits that set us free - at the edge of our comfort zone, optimal health, fitness potential, investment capacity, intellectual curiousity, skill sets, and connectedness.
I’m going to go first.
January 1st to February 14th, 2024 I completed a 45 day challenge.
The challenge:
1hr outside rucking daily (45hrs total)
1 non-fiction book weekly (6 total)
1 social weekly (or 6 total)
1000$ extra monthly (or 1500$ total)
An extra immutable habit:
Sundays off completely
By building buffers with our health, finances, knowledge, and connectedness, we are, at the heart of things, taking control and increasing our resilience.
It’s ridiculous that a flat tire ruins a day or a few days of being sick risks our monthly budget.
We’re not doing that anymore.
“In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life.” - Albert Bandura
BUffer 1: Health - 1hr outside in movement daily (45hrs total)
Three things that are undeniably good for us that are frequently under leveraged - time spent outside, walking, and carrying heavy things. So it can be walking, hiking, or rucking - but in 45 days, I’ll spend 45hrs outdoors, walking, and carrying a weighted ruck.
Ways to get it done:
1hr rucking daily with an amount of weight that’s right for you (5,10, 15, 20 lbs).
A few 1hr rucks during the week and a longer ruck on the weekend.
4x 15 minute rucking breaks (walking the dog, getting groceries, running errands).
Buffer 2: Knowledge - 1 non-fiction book weekly (6 total)
Picking books that I can apply to life, work, or make me re-think. The books I’ve set aside to read are:
Ways to get it done:
Read a few chapters nightly before bed.
Take Sundays off screens and read a book cover to cover.
Listen to an audiobook while doing errands, housework, rucking.
Buffer 3: Connection - 1 social weekly (6 total)
Not surface level chats, but the real good-for-the-soul in person socials that help you connect to self, others, or something greater.
Ways to get it done:
Meeting up to discuss big ideas or work through current hurdles with friends.
A therapy session to further connect to self.
A faith based practice with others to connect with something greater.
Buffer 4: Finances - 1000$ extra monthly (1500$ total)
Who has 3 to 6 months emergency funds? Who is debt free? Who has robust investments set for their retirement? Not many of us. When it comes to buffers, that emergency funds is the first financial goal so that when the unexpected happens, you can deal with it worry free.
Now, I already have an emergency fund and am debt free, so for this buffer, I’ll be putting the funds in investments. An extra 1500$ in 45 days is lofty, but we’re up for that challenge. You might be surprised what can be pulled off when we put our minds to it.
Ways to get it done:
Reduce spending by eating homemade meals, cancelling subscriptions, or renegotiating bills. Challenging yourself to a no-send month.
Increase earnings by dog sitting through rover.com, driving with Ubereats, leveraging your current skills and selling services/products (aka building websites or selling sourdough bread), or selling household items that you no longer use.
because. life.
I’m going to use a tracking sheet and aim for the totals. That way, I can go for a long hike on Saturday if I needed the extra time on Friday for appointments, daily, or other work. A little fluidity without ‘losing it all’ in the challenge because as we all know, life happens.
Why am I creating this?
The challenge will coincide with and compliment my upcoming book on adversity and well-being. I’d like to create a movement where we increase our resilience, agency, and enjoyment of life.
Why High Agency Human™?
Well, spoiler, if I have my way it’ll be the book title as well as a movement. But once I find a publisher, their experts will likely choose something else. That’s ok. It will, at the very least, be the name of this movement, which includes the challenge.
THE RESULTS
This is just the beginning. The first attempt was humbling and the results were:
1hr outside rucking daily (45hrs total)
Rucked 48hrs total for the 45 days with 20lbs using the GoRuck Ruck Plate Carrier™. I felt better, slept well, and by the end, 20lbs felt really light. Time to bump up to 25-30lbs.
1 non-fiction book weekly (6 total)
Ended up reading Illogical by Emmanual Acho, Subtract by Leidy Klotz, Same as Ever by Morgan Housel, Achievable by Fraser Wilson, and How to Know a Person by David Brooks. Each have insights and practical recommendations that I’ve highlighted to implement in my own life. On my list to finish this month is Think Again by Adam Grant and Right Kind of Wrong by Amy Edmondson.
1 social weekly (or 6 total)
Enjoyed well over 6 socials where the conversation wasn’t small talk or about others, but focused on big ideas, rethinking, real connection, and health.
1000$ extra monthly (or 1500$ total)
This is where I didn’t quite shine and ran out of time. I managed to make an extra 400$ and save 250$ by cutting/reducing subscriptions, then took that total amount and put it into my HISA (High Interest Savings Account). On the flip side, I’ve identified 3000$ plus in extra stuff sitting in storage to sell off and I’ll be putting that into investments. Now to take action on selling those items.
The challenge clunky to take action on. I think it needs a little more research and redesign to make it into something more helpful/implementable for others. I’ll work on that.
What’s next?
This is just the beginning.
I’ll revamp the challenge and try again myself.
A beta run of the challenge in September, I’ll be asking for volunteers.
What can you do until then?
Wish me luck, ha ha ha. This won’t be easy.
Sign up for the High Agency Human™ email notifications for challenge updates. This website page will also be updated as the challenge and resources are developed.
Follow High Agency Human™ on Instagram and TikTok, I’ll be building both sites as the challenge and resources are developed.
Feel free to tag me on Instagram or LinkedIn with your comments and insights, or email hello@vickiemlanthier.com