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Bought Level Up Your Life the other day. I never actually got around to posting a hello or an intro so here's my origin story - and also my 20SoC for the day, because this much honesty on the internet associated with any part of my real name is vaguely terrifying. I'll be posting in 3 or 4 parts - not quite sure how far this is going to go, but I'm posting part 1 before I edit it into a blank document. Childhood Chiara was a plain child and maybe a little on the fat side. Growing up she was more interested in reading than making friends. She was more likely to be in the backyard reading than playing. She also spent a lot of time overseas. While in some this might have developed into an appealing exotic edge, in this little girl it just added another alienating layer between her and her peers. Her family valued mental cleverness over physical fitness, so while she tried every sport available in her little town, she rarely stayed with it past the season. Years passed, and as her teammates honed their skills and specializations, she knew that they were swiftly moving into a league she could not contribute to. So she retreated into her books – even entertained the idea of becoming an author for several years. Her parents noted this withdrawal, and while her mother was concerned her father was affectionate. “Just like me.” He said, “Don’t worry, she’ll grow out of it.” He did concede that the little bookworm shouldn’t become completely isolated outside of school, and once a week, dutifully drove her to a Girl Guides meeting. The first time our protagonist’s life changes is at age 12, when Chiara looked around a Girl Guides encampment and decided this was “too girly” for who and what she was. Her parents agreed that she could quit, as long as she found some other acitivity to do, or group to join. Flipping through the local newspaper later that week, she found her answer. That September, she joined the local cadet corps. For the next six years, cadets would become one of three things which defined her. At 13, she moved from elementary to high school. She had heard some of the senior cadets discussing high school clubs the year before and those respected individuals all seemed to be members of something called the tech crew. While too shy to seek them out herself, by luck she was seated next to the younger sister of a member. Happy to be recruited, being a member of the high school volunteer tech crew quickly became another identifier. These two parts of her identity influence her so much that the person this child becomes pursues a career in theatre, and later the military. But we'll come back to that. The third part of our protagonist’s identity sneaks into her life at age 14. She is now a respected member of the cadet corps and the tech crew. She works well with her limited group of peers, and though she doesn’t know it she’s on the cusp of becoming a leader in both groups. An offhand comment about a rather famous game leads her into one of the greatest joys – and greatest traps – of her short life. The game? Dungeons & Dragons.

Every super-person has an alter ego and I feel like this is a site where many create theirs. Whether you have one in your head or are looking to transform yourself into them I'm curious who your superhero alter egos would be. Mine is basically Kim Possible with a little Deadpool humor thrown in. I'm looking to become far better in the fields of gymnastics and general movement, but I love adventure. Please feel free to share yours as well! I'd love to know. By the way, my name is Emma. Superhero name suggestions always appreciated

"All the ways you wish you could be, that's me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not." -Tyler Durden Main Quest: Live as the person I wish I was, becoming my own version of Tyler Durden. 1st Rule: You do not talk about Fight Club.2nd Rule: You DO NOT talk about Fight Club. Life Quest: I will not talk about my diet or this challenge to anyone except those involved. Yeah, I am one of those. When I first started losing weight a few years ago, I found telling everyone what I was trying to do helped keep me accountable and it really helped. Now it's become a hindrance to me because it seems like it's all I talk about and I've become annoying. I also tend to share too much and would like to teach myself to focus my conversations on the other person and not give so much away about myself. My Tyler Durden has fun figuring people out, is mysterious about herself and never tells all of her secrets. She doesn't talk about her accomplishments, rather letting people assume what they will. Grading: Pass or Fail +4 Cha (For not being "that" person.) 3rd Rule: If someone says "stop", goes limp or taps out the fight is over.4th Rule: Only two guys to a fight.5th Rule: One fight at a time. My Tyler Durden knows when to quit. She doesn't force herself to keep going when she needs rest and doesn't feel bad about it later. If something isn't working, she stops doing it in futility and tries something else. Her fight is with the loser Chrissa, nobody else. She does not compare herself to anyone but that loser inside that wants her to take the easy, lazy way, eat the junk food (Tyler is a food industry terrorist remember...Pee cake anyone?) and continue to get fat again. She doesn't need to measure and weight herself. The image in the mirror and the fit of her jeans is enough motivation for her. Goal #1: Eat like her. My inner Tyler doesn't care for sweets and junk food. Isn't a big fan of heavy carbs or starches. She hates having to track meals and spend too much time planning and preparing them. She keeps her plans simple, fast and sticks to a few basic meals to stay on track with the least amount of effort. She consumes the right foods instead of letting food consume her. The action plan is simple, I'm attempting to go low enough carb for keto 6 days a week. Eating 1600 calories/day that will mean 25 grams or less of net carbs, 95 grams of protein and around 124 grams of fat. The other day I will allow for up to 75 grams of carbs as a treat or "cheat" meal. This leaves very little room for snacking between meals (which my Tyler disdains) and works best for me if I eat breakfast late as possible, preferably after a good workout. Grading: At the end of the day it's pass or fail for staying within the above macronutrient limits. 1 Point for every pass so I need 42/42 to get a 100%. Wis +3 (for learning what works/perseverance), Cha +1 (for leaning up and being more confident) She tackles one fight at a time, one day at a time, one hour at a time. She doesn't try to do too much at once and doesn't waste time on anything that does not help her main goal. 6th Rule: No shirts, no shoes. Goal #2: Train like her. My Tyler trains hard. No shirts, no shoes? Hell yeah! She works out without a shirt so she can see just what she is trying to accomplish. We don't wear shoes at hapkido, and you better believe she will be there religiously. She stretches daily and does a warm-up of punches and kicks to start her day. Before breakfast (or she doesn't eat!). She practices her techniques often, walks, runs or bikes in favor of taking the car whenever able and does strength training 3 times/week with or without her husband. She doesn't do excuses. Grading: 1 point for every strength and hapkido session attended for a total of 30/30. If a class is cancelled it will be scaled down (29/29 and so on). +3 Str (obviously), +2 Sta (persistence) Bonus points for each full week of pre-breakfast stretching and warm-up. 7th Rule: Fights will go on as long as they have to.8th Rule: If this is your first night at Fight Club, you HAVE to fight. Goal #3: Act like her. My Tyler likes the feel of a good workout, would rather get sweaty and sore than sit around surfing the web for stuff she doesn't need. "We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like." She wants her blue belt and is pissed at loser Chrissa for dragging her heels. She tells Chrissa off in the mirror every morning. Daily. She gives that bitch shit and works herself up to prepare for her day. She's not perfect and she acknowledges that, but she knows what she wants and never gives up. She is playful, sexy and fun. Most importantly, she surrounds herself with people who she admires. She spends time with them and enjoys helping others. Grading: Pass or Fail, make at least 2 new friends who are a positive influence and spend time with them often. +2 Con. Bonus factor of being psyched up and just plain bad-ass for telling myself off every morning.