By Brai Schwandt
On sheer coincidence, Saar started writing about their "30-day challenges" at the same time I started writing about mine. I love Saar, and the way they live their life is an inspiration to me. However, the way they do their “30-day challenges” would stress me out if I were to do it the same way.
Even the fact that they call the goals "challenges" would stress me out. I prefer the word "focus."
They mark off each day in their bullet journal when they are “successful” and write down every challenge that they do. They have a list of things they want to do for their future challenges. They often have 5 challenges going on at one time. Sometimes the challenges occur on different days for different challenges. They have different categories for their challenges.
This is absolutely not how I do it.
Some time ago, I started trying to focus on some goal from full moon to full moon as a way of connecting me to my body/mind. I wanted to have another way of measuring time outside of the calendar, while focusing on something that gets me to live a little healthier and happier. I call these "moon shots."
I got the name “moon shot” from the phrase "shoot for the moon" because it means trying to achieve something that is difficult to reach. As I attempt a moon shot, it becomes easier and more habitual. I also have a lot of things that I want to do but are not necessarily difficult. I want to play guitar, sing, do voice lessons, run, do PT, do yoga, meditate, or do intermittent fasting. I have incorporated these into my moon shots as well.
Since starting my moon shots, I've given up sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and weed a few times for different reasons. (Those are my 4 vices of choice. My brother and I call them "the Big 4.") But if someone were to ask me when was the last time I gave up something? I would just say, "Many moons ago."
I don't have a history of my moon shot goals written down. I don’t need a good record of such things. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. I try to stay in the present and what matters to me is my current moon shot, not the previous ones.
Going from full moon to full moon is a fun way for me to connect with the moon. When I'm doing a moon shot and I look up into the sky and see a new moon, I know that I am halfway through a moon shot. I get excited as we approach the next full moon. It's beautiful to watch the moon change from day to day. Following the lunar cycles is a tangible yet inexact way to watch the time change. I like looking up and seeing a waxing crescent of a moon in the sky and not knowing precisely how many days there are until the next full moon. It makes me feel like time isn't so definitive, and that I can go with the flow of how I feel.
I find it to be much more enjoyable and natural than watching the days of a calendar count up toward 30 or 31 (or, for February, 28 or 29 depending on the year).
I intend for my moon shot goals to have a type of impermanence and non-exact nature to them.
My goals are made when I look up at the moon and see a waxing crescent moon. I think, "Hmmm… what will I do for the next moon phase? What do I need right now?" Sometimes that changes 3 or 4 times before I find the one thing I want to focus on. I often find that those other 3 or 4 things are on my mind as I go through the full moon phase and my life is healthier and happier.
The last few months have been so chaotic that I disconnected with the moon and my goals. Over the last few months when moving from Denver to Phoenix and starting a new job, there were a few weeks where I didn't touch my guitar even once. When this happens, it is one of the main ways that I know that I am stressed. My moon shots are a way for me to reconnect with the way I want to live my life and recognize when my life is deviating from what I want.
I choose one thing that will help me reconnect with myself on a full moon and I focus on that until the next full moon. Then I do it again. I rarely ever write anything about it. In fact this may be the first time I've really ever written something about a moon shot goal that I had.
My experiments with different “odd” things may be one of the reasons I am a bit of an eccentric person. I like to try new things and experiment with my life. These moon shots give me a chance to try something really “wild” like taking two naps a day or walking barefoot.
I've done many different things to varying success. It's a very personal experience and sometimes I'm embarrassed when I don't do something perfectly.
Life gets overwhelming sometimes. The weeks and months and years go by and life is dictated by what day of the week it is, what time it is, and how many months away we are from whatever deadline in X years. I understand that it is necessary in our world, but it is exhausting.
So I enjoy connecting with the moon in a way that is less structured and less exact. My goal is to be healthier and create my experience. These moon shot goals are intended to be something that I carry on into my life beyond the single lunar cycle...if I find that they help me be more true to myself.
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