I made it! I made it! I made it! I did everything I was supposed to do for 30 days with the exception of writing 1 single blog post, which means that if I grade myself in a traditional style… *tabulates results* I am officially, as it has always been “Miss 97%”.

You see, I went to a very competitive school for junior high, and at this school people were making themselves sick to get “the grade.” At this particular institution, a lot of people always strived for the 100% on everything. They would put in overtime and extra credit anywhere and everywhere they could.

I loved going to that school, as attending there was my choice, but the pressure was very high. Regardless, while yes, sometimes I did want the 100% and sometimes I got the 100% on a test or an assignment… I was always comfortable with achieving a 97%. Years later I would realize this about myself, and gave myself the title “Miss 97%.”

There’s something about perfection that I highly detest. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s typically unattainable. Maybe it’s the fact that it can be highly unrealistic. Or maybe it’s the fact that it compromises mental health. Either way, I saw the 97% in school as more than sufficient for achieving my goals at the time, and I often slid into home plate with that necessary “A” for my transcript, sacrificing a good 3% in the name of my mental health.

These past 30 days have taught me a lot about myself that I was not expecting. In fact, they’ve taught me a lot about you, the reader, that I was not expecting as well. I want to at this point thank you for reading and joining me on this journey. Now on Day 30, I see just how powerful a will power challenge can be, especially for settling in new patterns and dispelling old toxic ones. But time will tell if I stick to these things. Time will tell if I reap the benefits of having changed my routine. Personally, I think I have learned too much about myself at this point not to. However the truth is I don’t have a crystal ball, just intention.

Bottom line is yesterday I had mixed emotions about this 30 day challenge coming to and end, but I will vouch and preach for its benefits. The testing of my endurance enhanced my daily discipline levels and I now have valuable insight into how to best spend my energy. That alone is worth more than its weight in gold.

I had no intentions on grading myself for these 30 days, but since I got that “A” I’m going to celebrate my victory.

This is Arielle, signing off of the 30 Day Challenge!

Xo,

– @