I created a challenge...

Good Morning Y'all!

Today is a big milestone for me.

A few months ago, I created a mindfulness challenge for people to regain clarity and reconnect with their mind, body, and soul.

Today is Day 60! This means I have officially completed the challenge!

Let me explain, it's super simple.

SOLITUDE 60

Solitude 60 goes like this:

• Set a timer for 60 minutes, and find a quiet space free from distractions.

• Sit down, and be observant of whatever thoughts and feelings may rise within you.

• Do this for 60 days in a row.

Yeah, it's really that simple.

People ask me, "So you created a challenge that's all about doing nothing?"

I say, "Yes, exactly."

They say, "But you're not actually doing anything."

I say, "Yes, exactly."

I then share one of my favorite quotes with them...

Today's lifestyle has many of us overdosing on stimulation.

The point of this challenge is to remove oneself from being bombarded by all of the distractions and temptations that come with modern life.

This, along with the lack of movement, sunlight, and proper food is what I believe has led to the sudden rise in mental illness among my generation.

FOCUS ON BEING

We've been conditioned to believe that we must be "doing" something, leaving us no time to enjoy "being".

We're constantly "doing" because we're told we must be striving, achieving, and working towards something greater than the present moment.

This often robs us of enjoying the daily miracles that take place right in front of our eyes.

It keeps our minds focused on the future or the past, but never the now.

"Being", or living in the present, allows us to fully enjoy our current environment, feeling connected to everything around us.

Sitting in silence also gives us the space to reflect, allowing ourselves to identify behaviors that no longer serve us, shortening the behavior loop needed to become the most aligned version of ourselves.

It's impossible for us to evolve when we do not have the space to reflect.

SOLITUDE 60 REFLECTIONS

I had a feeling that I'd have some profound changes in my life as soon as I intentionally took time out of my day to sit in solitude.

Knowing this, I thought it would be a great idea to record a video immediately after finishing my daily practice.

I’d then publish this raw, uncut, brutally honest video onto Twitter every day.

Some videos were 1 minute long, and some were 15 minutes.

Out of all 60 days, it never went super viral, but it built a small cult-like following.

At the time I'm writing this, there's a few dozen people that have decided to partake in this mindfulness practice, and many have had pretty amazing results.

Two people in particular also felt called to also create reflection videos, just like me, recording their immediate emotions that came up during their daily practice.

Solitude 60 allowed for all of the experiences that we've been shoving under the rug our entire life, to finally come to light.

It felt quite beautiful and relieving.

Many days were incredibly emotional. I openly cried on camera, along with days where I expressed how sad, irritated, or joyful I felt about my life in that moment.

I was finally sitting with my thoughts and feelings, instead of choosing to numb myself with distractions.

Now that I’m on the other side of feeling those emotions, I feel as if a large weight has been taken off of my shoulders. A weight I didn't even know was there prior to this practice.

Taking that hour a day to be present and observant of my internal dialogue has allowed me to feel much more calm, productive, and lighter for the other 23 hours of the day.

CONCLUSION

I feel like I'm onto something here.

I feel like the more we give ourselves the space to think, (more importantly feel), the better life decisions we will make.

I feel like the solutions to our world's complex problems will be incredibly simple.

We just have to remember.

I'm going to keep up my practice, and continue to publish these videos for the world to see.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes, and share stories that myself and others have experienced from adopting this mindfulness practice.

That's it for today, see you tomorrow!

I love you all.

-Cameron Hogan