If you’re on social media, it’s likely you’ve seen someone post about the 75 Hard Challenge. I happen to be a sucker for hard challenges in general, so when a friend was telling me about her 75Hard journey, I couldn’t resist looking into it.

The official 75 Hard Challenge has specific requirements for diet, exercise and reading, but what stuck out to me is that it’s for 75 days with zero mistakes, or you start over. I decided to personalize the challenge for my own goals, while keeping the strictness. So for me, it’s a 75-day commitment for different areas in my life I want to improve. The point is to develop your mental toughness, as well as good habits. Here are my personal 75 Challenge requirements:

1. Work out five days a week.
2. Do 10 pull-ups every single day.
3. Take a 15-minute walk outside every day.
4. Drink three tall mason jars of water daily.
5. Memorize 10 Scripture passages by the end of the 75 days.
6. Read the Bible daily, no matter what. 

As you can see, my goals are physical and spiritual. My aim is to cultivate small habits of daily faithfulness — ones that are so easy to neglect. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” The simple act of memorizing Scripture bears fruit for a lifetime, so I have the long term in mind with these 75 days.

Today (Monday, March 7) is my official start day, so wish me luck! My husband Nick is also creating his own list of 75-day challenges, so I’m excited to work hard alongside him. Also to help with accountability, I sent my friend Lauren at Rustic Honey a $100 bill. IF I make it through, she’ll send it back to me! (She and her husband are doing the challenge, too.)

Also today: we have once again opened up the Encourager Academy, and today is the last day we are accepting new participants. If you are feeling overwhelmed or discouraged in your family or business, you are not alone, and The Encourager Academy is for you. There are three options you can sign up for, and they are all designed to help you see personal growth in your unique roles. The testimonies from our first group have been so encouraging to me; it’s been such a blessing to see families and individual lives changed. 

May God bless you and keep you in whatever ways you need him today!

Onward and upward, 
Bekah