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UPDATE (Nov 12): Thanks to all for the feedback! Most of the goals are now sorted out Hi. I'm a Wizard. Or at least I aspire to be a Wizard. NF has no caster types, though, so the Druids' guild is the closest match. I've always been one for multiclassing anyway, so it's all good. Speaking of multiclassing, I have some existing degree of fitness and exercise regularly, so this challenge contains very little goals in terms of physical exercise. Exercise is sort of like my therapy, so I'm all good there...for the time being. My diet is also relatively clean (no junk, no bread, no pasta and no beer 95% of the time.) I took on my first challenge already and passed it with average colors and planned to do challenge #2 in the Assassins's guild due to being a fan of body weight exercises but...it seems like I have a permanent case of mind fog, which hinders any attempts I make to level up as a Wizard. I fear--nay, I KNOW--I'm at a stage now where I can't really level up my life anymore unless I lose the mental encumberance. Let's just say having a clear mind and a more positive outlook in general is a prerequisite to me gaining any more levels in anything. tl;dr version: I'm a mental wreck and I hate it. I've also picked up the book How To Be A Mentalist recently, thinking "OMG, this will totally help me become a Wizard!" Naturally, I started reading it as sooon as I got home, thesis writing be damned. However, the first few pages of the book stated that in order to be a mentalist, one must have a clear mind in order to have better observation powers. Well, shit. This is like the opposite of me. Instead of complaining and feeling sorry for myself like I normally do, though, why don't I take on a NF challenge to make some changes happen? Main quest: Where do I want to be in a few months? LESS STRESSED. More successful, possessing an attention span greater than that of a squirrel on PCP, being able to think more clearly, having powers of observation that at least put me in the "functional" range of society. No joke, often times while playing D&D online, my friend will ask me "Did you loot?" and I'll reply "Huh? What loot?" and then I'll be told that there was a chest that I was standing RIGHT NEXT TO and did't notice. Then I'll feel like a complete retard, think I'm not even worthy of being in the party, hate myself for being the group's village idiot (seriously, aren't Wizards supposed to have high INT?) and it all goes downhill... For example, the .gif below is a good example of my I-just-died-because-of-lag (or I-just-caused-a-party-wipe) reaction: Just add F-bombs. I also I want the constant negative, racing thoughts and ever-present mental fog to GTFO. I want to be the stoic, unflippable badass that I picture myself being in my fantasies, as opposed to the spineless pansy who cries and/or flips right the fuck out as soon as the slightest, most insignificant little thing happens. I want more than 1/10 self-confidence. I don't want to be that person with the legendary mental instability and ever-swinging mood. I want to be able to function like a normal person who isn't stressed out and anxious all the time for no particular reason. I want my mind to be clear. I want to be able to think and focus. I want to be able to form a sentence properly on the first try, without stuttering because of anxiety or thinking I'll screw up my words somehow (which constantly happens because I'm nervous, due to being afraid of being nervous.) I don't want to be the poster person for social awkwardness but, as it is now, I can't observe anything worth a shit, or pay attention, or follow discussions half the time. Okay, maybe that's too much of a transformation to ask for in 6 weeks. This might be an unrealistic main quest for a 6-week challenge, but y'know what? Screw it! It shall be a main quest in life in general, with the more immediate quest being Nax becomes a mentalist. Incredibly specific goals that will help me achieve the main quest: 2.1: Meditate daily. Which type of meditation? Whichever type I try! The first one will be: ...the basic meditation exercise in the Mentalist book I mentioned earlier. The book also describes other, more advanced types of meditation that the author suggests should be done with a mentor at first but...mentors tend to not be cheap, nor are classes :\ Eh. I might try them on my own later anyway. What could possibly go wrong? If I pass out, then great, it's cheaper than alcohol. 2.2: Do some kind of yoga or breath exercise every day. See above re. which type of yoga. I'll be hitting up the link Evenewbie posted below, do the beginner program on DoYogaWithMe.com. 2.3: Do the daily brain training on Lumosity. I've been slacking on that site so much lately, it's not even funny. Side quests: 3.1: STOP PICKING AT MY FACE/NECK/HAIR!!1 Update (Nov 13): I've decided to give myself some kind of a grading system for the picking issue: Catch myself picking less than 5 times in one day: 0 points (A.) Catch myself picking between 5 and 10 times in one day: 1 point (B.) ...Between 11-15 times: 2 points (C.) ...Between 16-20 times: 3 points (D.) ...Between 21 and 25 times: 4 points (F.) At the end I'll add up all my points and convert them to a letter grade...somehow. I'll worry about the math later. I'm hoping that, now that I know there's a grade attached to picking, I'll be more conscious of it, and my face will become prettier as I stop mauling the hell out of it. 3.2: Eat more vegetables. This was actually a quest from a previous challenge. I didn't rock it as well as I wanted to, so it's following me into this challenge. UPDATE (Nov 19): The scoring method for this is as follows: 4 vegetable helpings: A 3 vegetable helpings: B 2 vegetable helpings: C 1 vegetable helping: D 0 vegetable helpings: F ...because "below averavge", "average", and "above average" just wasn't doing it. This goal should be easy because I am lazy and don't like to cook, so raw veggies should be my go-to snack, right? (Added in late Nov) 3.3: Drink less alcohol. Graded in a pass/fail manner, with two FAILs permitted per week because weekends. And holidays. As an added bonus, I'll do some kind of intro quest ongoing quest before the challenge begins as the challenge proceeds: clean my freaking room, and maybe even decorate it to my liking. Maybe if I make it MY space, I'll be able to meditate and/or work better in there. Some (most) of the clutter needs to go. Maybe with a clear room, I'll have a clearer mind? Another mini-goal was to get a user pic. DONE, on Nov 18. And no, it isn't me in the pic ;P LES' DO THIS!