52 Small Challenges: 36 Week Update

My first post went live on September 1, 2014 - just over 8 months ago! I started with a simple exercise challenge, based on my friend Dave's month-long challenge. And my first week was a success. 

This week, I updated my logo! It's the same great logo my friend Sam drew, but with a white background and white letters. Another artist friend of mine, Katie O'Malley, did that for me. Thank you so much, Katie! Katie also did the portrait of our cats which you can see in this post. 

Now, 36 challenges later, I've had my fair share of successes - and failures. In the 12 weeks since my 24-week update, what have I tried, and what have I learned? 

• Week 25, I attempted to start something I had been putting off - namely, exercise. FAIL
• Week 26, we (Eric helped) caulked the bathroom and kitchen. SUCCESS
• Week 27, I listened to the Great Courses audiobook about Mindfulness. SUCCESS
• Week 28, I attempted Mindful Eating. FAIL - But I learned a lot. 
• Week 29, I looked at paintings every day. SUCCESS
• Week 30 was No Makeup Week, one of my faves! - SUCCESS
• Week 31 was part of the 21-Day Meditation Experience. 50/50 - I did all the meditations, but not in a timely manner. 
• Week 32 I tried to create a better morning routine. SUCCESS - for a while, but more on that later.
• Week 33, I did the freezer cleanup. SUCCESS, of sorts
• Week 34 was improving my food logging. SUCCESS, mostly
• Week 35, I responded to some writing prompts. 50/50
• Week 36, I did my media diet. It was definitely a SUCCESS. 

So only a couple true failures, a few in the middle, some 50/50s, and a lot of successes. 

Sometimes the failures look large, while the successes fade, and the balance shifts in my mind. That's why it's good to keep track of your successes, which is advice I've gotten often, but don't always take. The blog certainly helps with that.