Challenge accepted... challenge failed

Confession time:

So I lasted a whole 9 days of no gluten before I gave in and ate a pizza.  And the only reason I gave in was because it was late, I just got off of work, I was tired and hungry. Not a really good excuse but it happened. In addition, I failed the journeling. I also stopped that around the same time. But what I did do, was pay attention to how I have been feeling- and that has been CRAPPY! I am feeling like I did when I got sick, the calm after the storm but before the next storm.  My hands, knees, and feet are back to hurting.  I am so tried regardless of how much sleep I get. I am starting to get lightheaded and dizzy when I stand.  SO it is hard to completely blame gluten and if it is the demon that has possessed my body, then 1) it hasn't fully left my system and is still causing havoc or 2) it's not the gluten at all, but a whole different demon that is also causing damage.  My thoughts are that dairy is now also a prime suspect being that I have been consuming quite a bit- man I LOVE cheese.  So new goal- eliminate dairy.
Another thing I have come to learn about "gluten" or bread like products- they make me backed up and it makes using the bathroom tough and uncomfortable, so I must continue to keep those products to a bare minimum.
Word on the street is that it only takes a week or so of elimating diary to determine how it effects you. SO hopefully I will be feeling a tad bit better.  It has been a full 2 days of no dairy and eating out on gluten AND dairy free is a lot harder than people think. It forces me to cook meals to take for lunch/dinner when I go to work.

But I didn't want this post to focus on venting about constantly being sick. I wanted to focus my thinking on how we have to fail in order to succeed.  I mean if we succeed at everything in life without making any mistakes, what do we really learn?  So as much as I want to succeed at everything I do, I have to remember that it is okay to fail.  It is okay to not be successsful on the first try as long as I don't completely give up.  And based on this past year, I think I am doing a mighty fine job at not completely giving up.

Life is full of challenges...

So I have decided to break my challenges up into smaller periods.  Last month, I decided to challenge myself to run a mile every day for the month of June. Needless to say I didn't exactly meet that challenge because I missed a few days, however, I still feel like I accomplished something because on many of the days that I didn't run, I got out of the house and walked A LOT- like at least 3 miles, and sometimes more than that.  And really the whole point of a challenge is to push yourself beyond where you started at.  However, what I did learn is that 30 day challenges are hard. I mean, I know they are supposed to be hard, or it wouldn't be called a challenge, but I learned one thing about myself.  I learned that, right now, my goals need to more attainable.  30 days is a long amount of time.  I need much shorter time frame so that I meet goals.  In addition, I have learned that I need to find one focus and stick with that.  When I try to add all kinds of other things like running and the bubble butt challenge and so forth, it becomes harder to keep up with it all and I am more likely to give up.  So, with that said, I am now challenging myself to something new.  And it's something I need to do because my health is starting to deteriorate again. So starting today here are my goals for 21 days:

1) Eat gluten free
2) Practicing Reiki
3) journaling the 21 day journey to have proof as to whether it at all works or not (because really, if for some odd reason gluten doesnt change the way I feel, then I sure as heck don't want to give it up forever! I mean I do love  me some bread and pasta!)

So there it is. It is important for me to throw my thoughts out into the universe instead of keeping them bottled in. I find that when I say things aloud, then they are more likely to actually happen.  The universe works in mysterious ways.