Take the 30-Day Challenge!

By Jason Scott, MBA, CRA, FAHRA, RT(R)(MR)

I love challenges. I love doing something that I, or someone else for that matter, thought was impossible and succeeding at it. On a personal level, that is why I love fitness activities. I push myself to run one mile longer to meet my personal challenge to increase my fitness level. One of the reasons why I am passionate about radiology management is the many challenges it presents. As imaging leaders, we are challenged every day to make our departments more effective and efficient. We are challenged with implementing Clinical Decision Support, abiding by government regulations, adopting ways to meet accreditation standards, and increasing our employee and patient satisfaction scores, among others.

I am a huge proponent of an activity dubbed, “The 30-Day Challenge.” The premise is that you find one aspect of your life that you want to become better at, or something that will challenge you, and do it for 30 days. It has been said that 30 days is enough time to solidify a new habit that you want to incorporate in your daily routine, or even eliminate a bad habit.¹ Completing a 30-day challenge has many benefits, including:

• Increasing self-confidence
• Personal satisfaction of accomplishment
• Becoming healthier
• Achieving your dream

For the last three months, I have been completing my own the 30-Day challenges. I have found them to be very rewarding and fulfilling commitments to enhance my well-being. Some of the challenges that I have accomplished are:

• The pushup challenge: I gradually performed a maximum number of pushups by month’s end.
• The positivity challenge: I said something positive to at least one person each day that was sincere in nature.
• The thankfulness challenge: Fitting for the month of Thanksgiving, right? For this challenge I wrote a log of something each day that I am thankful for.

There are many 30-day challenges for people to consider. If you have a bad habit that has been bothering you, why not give it up for 30 days? If your office has a tendency to be messy, like mine, set aside time each day to better organize it. Exercise and eat right for 30 days to lead a healthier life. The challenges and opportunities are endless.

I am certain that a 30-day challenge will have a positive impact on your life, both personally and professionally, just like it has on mine. Challenges not only give you a sense of accomplishment, but they also boost your confidence. An anonymous person once said, “Challenge yourself with something you know you could never do, and what you’ll find is that you can overcome anything.”² So, what are you waiting on? Accept the 30-day challenge!

References:

1. Embracing Simple. Available at http://embracingsimpleblog.com/fifteen-30-day-challenge-ideas-will-change-life/. Accessed November 4, 2017.
2. Quotery. Available at http://www.quotery.com/quotes/challenge-yourself-with-something-you-know-you-could-never-do/. Accessed November 4, 2017.

Jason Scott, MBA, CRA, FAHRA, RT(R)(MR) is the chief patient experience officer and director, imaging/pulmonary/neurodiagnostics/wound care/hematology-oncology at Witham Health Services in Lebanon IN. Jason is also a current member of the AHRA Board of Directors. He can be reached at jscott@witham.org.