As we move through life, some experiences impact us more than others. These events have a way of shaping not only our personality, but also our representation among others, often in ways we may not be completely aware of.

This past weekend I was talking with some friends and they joked that I couldn't go a day without talking about Germany. I know that my year abroad in Hamburg was a formative life event, but I didn't realize I mentioned it to such a significant degree. Curious to gain a better sense of awareness, I decided right then and there to try and make it 24 hours without talking of Germany.

My friends were impressed that I made the commitment, but within minutes I had already brought up the subject by accident. So, I reset the timer and began again. Over the next two days, I would reset the clock somewhere around 10-15 times. The first few hours after starting the challenge Sunday morning had the most resets, although there were also quite a few Sunday night when my friends kept baiting me by bringing up Northern Europe or asking me what language my phone was in, etc. The closest I came before actually finishing, was with 6:34:34 remaining. I was on a morning walk with my friend whose family is from Paris, and I happened to slip up and mention a certain one of France's eastern neighbors. When things were all said (or rather, not said) and done, the challenge took me 45 hours and 38 minutes.

Although my friends have since joked that my new thing to talk about is challenges themselves, simple games like these can be a great way to push yourself a bit outside of your comfort zone and even possibly gain more self-awareness. Incidentally, this is in a similar vein to the 21 day no complaining challenge I did last year, but more focused on the positive things we focus on.

Is there anything people think you constantly talk about? Try to make it 24 hours without breaching the subject and see how it feels. I know I sure noticed by the end how often I was bringing up Germany (too often) and am grateful to my friends for helping me gain some marginally increased sense of awareness. I'm sure I will still talk about it too much moving forward, but hopefully a bit less than before.

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Photo is of a sign in the Vasant Kunj Social restaurant in New Delhi’s Ambience Mall. I had dinner there on my last night in India this fall with a friend and enjoyed both the food and the ambiance. Missed the post two week ago, marking the end of my bi-weekly streak of posts. However, I’m back in the flow now and should keep them coming for the foreseeable future.