I've been in a funk this summer due to all the damn rain and cold weather. It didn't help that my summer vacation turned into a 3,000 mile college tour, also plagued by rainy and cold days. On top of that, my business plans went sideways, and hosting my nieces for a month distracted me from my work, leaving me feeling drained. Even my partner struggled with the long stretches of rainy days, and our home lost its usual joyful energy.

As a life and business energy coach, maintaining high energy levels is crucial to serve my clients effectively. So, I need to find strategies to get myself out of this funk quickly.

First, I must recognize that I'm in a funk. Next, I need to understand where my energy actually is so I can take the right steps at the right level to make an impact.

For me, it usually boils down to whether or not I'm taking good care of myself. This means prioritizing sleep, nutritious food, movement, FUN, and engaging in interesting conversations with unique people.

Last weekend, I went up to VT to see Noah Kahan in Burlington with a dear friend. Despite not feeling great initially, spending the day discovering new places, dancing on the waterfront of Lake Champlain with my friend and her awesome kids, and having coffee overlooking the green mountains on a glorious sunny day put me in a totally different place.

I came home feeling refreshed and with enough energy to ask myself, "what is one thing I can do to love me today?" That's when I decided to take up a 30-day walking streak challenge. I downloaded the most basic of calendars and texted my sister, who also needed help and motivation, to join me.

I started today, which happens to be the best weather we've had all summer – 70s, sunny, breezy, and gorgeous. As I walked, I thought about all the things I could track on my 30-day challenge: pace, number of steps, daily stairs goal, distance of a daily walk, etc. I know how to use Canva, so I can recreate the simple calendar with all the things I want to track!

As I was contemplating all the possibilities, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I always do this – take something simple and make it harder. I tend to add on too many things, get overwhelmed, and give up before accomplishing my goal. It's ironic since I coach people on their goals every day – I should know better!

So, this time, I'm determined to do the hardest 30-day challenge I've ever done – keeping it as it is. I won't "improve it" or make it more complicated. I'll stick to tracking whether I've walked or not and how many steps I took for the day. That's it.

I'm going to make it easy to stick with it and reach the 30-day mark with 30 walks. The walks can be 5 minutes or an hour; I'll be kind to myself.

Oh, and as I came home at the end of my walk, I was overcome with gratitude and peace I haven't felt in some time. It's exactly the energy I want to shift back into

If you want to join me in the challenge let me know!

Or you can check in with me on 9/1. Ask me how my month went. If you do your own challenge, tell me how yours went.