Intek

I'm in too. Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

The book was written by Mark Manson. He has another one that was recently published. Models is a great resource for not only dating but life. It was recommended by a friend at camp. Cooking at home does feel a little strange yet calming. I'm not expected to create perfection so that allows room to experiment and try out different things. I'll talk myself out of it like how most people talk themselves out of a workout if I don't get started. For the next few meal preps, I'm creating a menu to plan things out better. What works will stay and what doesn't gets notes for improvement.

It's been a week so here's what's been happening. With the handstands workouts, I'm noticing that my hands and wrists are not as tight when I'm at work. Usually my hands feel stiff from grabbing and holding things all day. It's nice not having to stretch them out all the time. Morning stretching is still routine and keeping up with it for maintenance. I did notice my mid-back has been getting sore lately from bending over too much at work. Now I'm just bending at the knees to counter and prevent that from happening. On the mental side of things, I'm halfway through my book. Taking it one chapter at a time is easier than reading as much as I can. It makes digesting the info a lot more manageable too. Most people would have been done in a few hours but this is the fastest I've gone through a book so far. Writing in a journal is helping me slow down so I can process and break down things a lot better. For creative, the only thing I've done so far was write down thoughts and ideas. My next day off is dedicated to reorganizing my room once my new mattress gets in. I still can't believe I bought it at 3am lol. It's the one I've been wanting for awhile. With my social goals, I did much better than anticipated and made a discovery along the way. On my day off I went to the local Renaissance Fair to see what it was all about. I talked to one of the performers there and got his view on how he was able to make a living doing what he loves to do. He's using the money from his performances to save for a house. After his big performance, he showed a small group of us some magic tricks. I wanted to see how he was misdirecting but decided against it just to allow myself to be in the moment and enjoy the show. Also on the way out, I got a super positive smile from a girl that was volunteering with cleanup as I smiled at her. I also talked to two cops later that night at a different place. I wasn't nervous at all when talking to the performer but was super nervous talking to the cops. I asked them a simple brainteaser but you could tell in my body language and the way I spoke that I was nervous. One of them laughed while the other didn't get it. I walked away realizing that if I don't put in the work and getting past the part where I'm scared out of my mind doing it, I won't get better. So here's to doing things that scare the crap out of you. I should do it more often. Meal prep was a total success. There were some T-Bone steaks I saved from a month ago that were on sale. I prepped and cooked with some steamed veggies and a bacon egg cup. Also a little hummus for fun. Normally I don't like cooking after work so I decided to get it done on my day off. Totally worth it. I'm enjoying the cooking process at home more than work. Although I prefer the stoves at restaurants because I'm so used to super hot gas ranges. That's pretty much it for now. This week is a new week. Let's see how it goes.

Because of Nerd Fitness... I learned a way to how make lifting heavy things fun, found out how to make the world my gym, and see my body is both stronger and more flexible than I perceived it to be. I've also met awesome people, both online and in person, that embrace their nerd nature and use it to improve themselves.

Over the past few months, I've taken a few vacations for self development, some time off, and camp. It's been great, I learned a lot, and had fun. Leading up to these vacations, in between, and to now, I've been working way more than usual and it's taking a serious toll. Working too much, having very little time off, and not taking care of myself is what is leading up to this respawn and challenge. The overall goal is to create a self care plan that will be fine tuned over the next few months. Things are broken down into different categories based on needs. Here's what I'm doing. Physical Stretch or Longevity Movement in Morning 3x week Handstands Workout 3x a week Walk Outside 2x a week Mental Read Models By End of the Month (A chapter a day) Midnight bedtime Emotional Daily Meditation even if it's 2 minutes Journal 3x a week Creative Optimize bedroom (hang & organize whiteboards) Write down goals to accomplish within the next 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year Get a notebook and write lyrics to songs I connect with Write down my ideas and thoughts Social Meet 1 stranger per day off Smile at 5 strangers per day off Life Alone time to recharge (30 minutes minimum) Meal Prep once a week Organize all activities on a calendar and stick to it I'm hoping to feel better and more in control by the end of this challenge. Any constructive criticism or suggestions for ways to keep me accountable would be greatly appreciated. As usual, I'll give you a quote relating to the challenge. Thank you for taking the time to read this. "And remember, courage doesn’t always roar out load. Sometimes courage is simply the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering, “I will try again tomorrow.”"

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -Theodore Roosevelt

If Montell Jordan went on tour and opened up with "This Is How We Do It," is he coming back on an old school track?

I decided to replace the brain training quest with a breathing training quest. My o2 Trainer has been sitting in its case for awhile. It's about time I bring it out and use it again. When I meditate, I'm noticing I like complete silence and darkness, if possible, to minimize sensory input. Everything gets shut off and the mind gets to flow more. This makes me wonder if a float tank (sensory deprivation tank) might be useful for me. Current streak is 41 days. I didn't have a day off last week but I did do my social quest today, as much as I hated it. I'm not at the point where I can have a full conversation with someone so I just said hi to a guy wearing a grappling shirt and complimented it. Now that I know that's possible, the next step will be asking a question (directions, suggestions, etc) or initiating a small conversation of some kind depending on the situation. Reading has been decent so far. I've learned a few things about The Dip and get to unwind with reading Get Off Your "But" since the ideas and examples are explained in a storytelling form. It's relaxing in a way. Gold Star - For listening to my body and not staying up so late, I get to wake up earlier and am more rested through the night. I used to stay up when I started dozing off. Now when that happens or when I feel I'm going to be tired soon, I just go to bed. Demerit - I didn't schedule me time or journal at all last week. Plan of action - Dedicate a solid 30 minutes every night after work to let go of everything and unwind. 15 minutes for journaling.

So I just finished The Dip. Didn't take as long as I thought it was going to. The hard part was just sitting down and getting it done. Now that the book is out of the way, time to move on to Get Off Your "But." I'm going to have to scrap the Elevate quest and replace it with something else. My secondary device died and my phone doesn't have enough space to install the game. I'll have something up in the next few days.

Keep up the good work so far. I like the system you have set up.

Following. How does a virtual run work when it comes to race day?

Your habit style seems be more of an Abstainer than a Moderator. More "out of sight, out of mind" instead of "i can just have a little." No one way is better than the other. It's good that you're understanding how your habits are working for and against you. It'll help you build a system and set yourself up for success. There's 3 things I can tell you based on what I've read: If you've done it once, you can do it again. Everything you do is a decision you made whether you realize it or not. Choose to make things easier on future you. Everybody knows if you talk to your friends the way you talk to yourself, you won't have any friends. But if you talk to yourself the way you talk to your friends, imagine what kind of game changer you have in your hands. It's stuff I learned on my own journey. Hope it helps you on yours. Let us know how things go for you. We're cheering you on.

As a fellow NC resident, welcome to your first challenge! It looks like you have a good set of goals to start out with. Small, simple goals are the best to build habits. Keep it going!

This month, I'm going to take it easy and not stack so much on my plate. Some crazy things happened last month and I put the challenge in the back burner. The goal for this month is progress and sustainability. Daily Meditation I reached 31 days in a row as of today. Keeping the streak going to 60. Daily Elevate (Brain Training Game) Gotta train your brain to stay sharp. This game is pretty fun and challenging. Breathing Exercises 3x a Week I'm going to make use of my o2 Trainer and do my breathing exercises more frequently. Training myself to breathe deeply with proper form through my diaphragm. Finish 1 book (2 stretch goal) Polishing the blade of the mind with books as my whetstone. After I finish The Dip (which should have taken me an hour or two and that was two weeks ago) I'm going to finish reading Get Off Your "But" by Sean Stephenson. As a stretch goal, I'm going to read the #AskGaryVee book. Talk To 1 Random Stranger on my Day Off This was a side quest for the past 2 months. In that time I learned that I can talk to people that work at the store and my cab drivers without a problem for the most part. This time, it's a main quest. The goal is to talk to a complete random stranger on my day off. Content doesn't matter. It's to challenge my own assumptions and social beliefs. Anxiety will be through the roof and the comfort zone will be missed. Journal 3x a Week To recap and process things that happen through the day. The journal I have has a theme to find the awesome in things so that's what I'll do. Get Physical 3x per week! Whether it's walking, running, swimming, or bodyweight exercise, push my body and challenge myself. I'll thank myself later. Me Time aka Introvert Time aka Hermit Mode - 30 minutes a day This is time separate from everything else to decompress and disconnect from the world. This is dedicated to listening to music, writing, doing whatever and finding what it is I like and enjoy. A period of self discovery, revisiting my inner world, and putting myself first. Create a Morning Routine Instead of just getting up and blindly going through the day on autopilot, the goal is to create a routine to tell my body to wake up, prepare for the day, and be mentally ready for what's ahead. It's a good reminder to slow down and be ready. Create an Evening Routine This one is to help me tell my body that it's time to wind down and the day is over. Eventually, I want to be in bed by midnight by the time this challenge is over. Gold Stars & Demerits You know the deal with this if you've been following my previous challenges. Gold stars for anything awesome happening or highlighting things I want to keep doing. Demerits for things that could use improvement or when a goal is missed. It's to show myself what might not have worked and how to make it better next time. I'll leave you with these words of wisdom: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." -African Proverb

This month is going to be some fun. Battle: Ready.