Monday Matchstick Challenge #22

Sparking a sense of adventure in everyday life

Happy Monday! ⭐️

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend wherever you were in the world. 🌍

What did you get up to?

It’s been pretty chilly here in Brussels - snow at last! So the perfect excuse for wrapping up and exploring slowly in the crisp air. ❄️

A frosty winter view in the morning. Photo by author, Holly Bailie.

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Hi, I’m Holly - coach, mindfulness facilitator and author of Zestful Zen. As well as this weekly adventure challenge, I write about self-care, personal growth, mindfulness, and purpose. If you like life to be full of zest and energy, complemented by a zen, calm mind, Zestful Zen is the community for you! Join as a free or paid member now. ✨

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Last week’s Monday Matchstick Challenge was: 

Go on a hunt for one type of thing - coffee shops, art deco, the colour red. 🔍

How did you get on with this one? I hope it prompted some fun adventures!

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Mindful exploring 🧭

I loved this challenge!! Having not done one for a month, I was an over-achiever this week and picked one thing a day (okay, I skipped a day, so only 6 things total).

I did two colour hunts: red one day, blue another; hunted architectural details; explored textures; searched for stickers; and spotted frosty nature.

Renegade art: stickers in Brussels

I’d be hard pushed to choose a favourite among my “treasure hunts”, as I started thinking of them towards the end.

Architectural details, textures and frosty nature.

My Challenge Takeaways

Each hunt made me slow down and notice. Which probably appeared rather odd to fellow pedestrians. 😆 Or maybe it encouraged them to take a mindful moment too?

• The colour hunts made me pay attention to the ordinary in my surroundings, the different shades. I found it interesting that depending on the light, sometimes I’d get closer to an object and then realise “oops, that’s actually orange”.

• Spotting architectural details was fun, given all the art deco buildings in Brussels, and I’m always drawn to textures. The frosty nature hunt was a nice way to make the most of the snowfall and encouraged me to leave my cosy cocoon at home.

• The sticker hunt made me slow down the most. You could pass hundreds in a day in Brussels - it’s a thing here. But I actually took time to stop and look all around the lampposts, instead of random stickers just catching my eye as I rushed past.

🧨 🧨 🧨 🧨 🧨

How about you? Did you go hunting for particular objects? Or choose a colour? Maybe you went searching for sounds or smells instead? Any lessons from your challenge?

💬 Share your takeaways in the comments. 💬

This Week’s Challenge

This week’s Monday Matchstick Challenge is:

Create an alter ego and be that person for a day. 😎

Time to get my Sasha Fierce on!! This one should be fun. 💃

⭐️ Join the challenge and share your experience in the comments. 💬

I can’t wait to hear about your Sparked Adventures! 💥

Have a magical Monday 🪄✨

What is the Monday Matchstick Challenge?

The idea is to have some fun together trying new/random things.

• Every week, I select a faux matchstick at random from the game Spark Adventure – 50 Ways to Explore and Discover, and post it to Substack.

• I try to deliver on the challenge by the end of the week, sharing my attempts/the outcome with you here. 

• Fellow Substackers also dive in, have a go and share their anecdotes.

Photo by author, Holly Bailie

If you’re new to the Monday Matchstick Challenge:

• You can read about the genesis for the challenge here: Monday Matchstick Challenge #1.

• Previous Monday Matchstick Challenge posts are available on the Zestful Zen homepage, if you’d like to have a go at igniting your sense of adventure in everyday life!

Ways to connect or work with me 💬

DM me, jump in the subscriber chat, or connect via my website, LinkedIn or Instagram 😁 I offer coaching sessions and mindfulness courses.

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