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In A New Hope, Obi-wan Kenobi encounters and battles Darth Vader in lightsaber combat. Amid the battle, they trade some banter, the most important being the line from Obi-wan: "You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine." Of course, if you have seen the movies you know what Obi-wan is refering to. Obi-wan becomes a Force-ghost to help and train Luke Skywalker in ways he could not in his physical form. Darth Vader has no idea how influential a dead Jedi Master could be, so he strikes Obi-wan down, which happens to be the begining of the end for Darth Vader and his master, the Emperor. Turning the focus away from the fictional world to see how this statement could apply to real life, I could think of one area in particular that it relates to: learning through failure and defeat. In victory, you may feel successful and accomplish the extrordinary, but you will learn very little from success. There is much to learn from defeat. In failure, you must find the strength and courage to get back up and do it again. My main quest with attribute points is below: FITNESS: Build STA +2 and DEX +1 by Running, Hiking, Biking, Rowing, or Training (HIIT) for 20 minutes or more, three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). For side quests, I increased my Running miles to 25 to train for a 5k on May 24th and increased my biking goal to 12 miles.FITNESS: Build STR +1 and DEX +1 by completing 400 minutes of Sports Training* in 10 sessions and meeting at least 90 % of my fitness side quest goals. Fitness side quests are geared more towards body weight and cardio.DIET: Build CON +2 by eating "Healthy Meals"** 20 times or more, eating Snack Food 12 times or less, drinking 300 fl oz of Dr Pepper or less, taking care of my skin and lips by applying moisturizer 80 times or more (twice daily), brushing (twice daily) and flossing (once daily) 120 times or more.LIFE: Build WIS +4 and CHA +4 by completing six Toastmaster Speeches from the Competent Communicator manual (2nd run), participating in Table Topics twice and Meeting Roles twice, and completing six lessons from the IJRS Personal 101 and Spirituality 101 Manuals in Jedi Training.* - Training or playing Basketball, Soccer, Rugby, Football, Hockey, Swimming, or Racquet Ball ** - "Healthy Meals" means no grease, minimal fat and calories, mostly veggies, meat, and fruit, while avoiding starches. Breakfast is not included in count. SIDE QUEST CHALLENGE GOALS FITNESSBarbellsDeadlift = 195 lbs, 60 repsBack Squat = 215 lbs, 60 repsBench Press = 200 lbs, 60 repsStanding Curl = 75 lbs, 60 repsDumbellsGoblet Squat = 90 lbs, 60 repsBodyweight ExercisesLeg Press = 1200 lbs, 60 repsBurpee = lbs, 120 repsMount Climbers = lbs, 300 repsPull Up = lbs, 60 repsChin Up = lbs, 60 repsHammer Pull Up = lbs, 60 repsDip = lbs, 120 repsDive Bomber = 0 lbs, 100 repsPush Up = 0 lbs, 400 repsAbdominal ExercisesCrunch = 0 lbs, 800 repsBicycle Crunch = 0 lbs, 800 repsRollout Wheel = 0 lbs, 300 repsCardioSports Training = 400 min, 10 DIETDietSkin and Lip Care = 40 qty Dr Pepper = 300 fl ozHealthy Meals = 20 qty Snack Food = 12 qty Brush & Floss = 120 qty LIFEFamilyNF CommunityChallenge Thread = 6 qtyBattle Log = 40 qtyEpic Quest = 6 qtyToastmastersManual Lessons = 6 qtyOfficer Duties = 600 minMentoring / Coach = 300 minMeeting Roles = 2 qtyTable Topics = 2 qtyJediIJRS Spirituality 101 = 6 qtyJedi Reading = 500 minGeocaching

In Episode IV: A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi is training Luke Skywalker in the fundamentals of the Force and Jedi. Aboard the Millenium Falcon, during a lightsaber training exercise, Luke is able to use the Force to deflect laser bolts while blinded. Han Solo is unimpressed calling it luck. Kenobi responds, "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck." His experience is that of a Jedi Master, listening to the "Will of the Force" and being able to predict or anticipate future events. Using instinct, intuition, observation, and knowledge, one can predict and anticipate future events like a Jedi. Maybe not deflecting blaster bolts, but predicting the motives or actions of another person can be fairly helpful in many situations. I don't rely on luck unless I'm playing a friendly game. It is better to create your own luck by understanding the circumstances and generating favorable odds through use of instinct, intuition, observation, and knowledge. My main quest with attribute points is below: FITNESS: Build STA +2 and DEX +1 by Running, Hiking, Biking, Rowing, or Training (HIIT) for 20 minutes or more, three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).FITNESS: Build STR +2 and DEX +1 by completing 400 minutes of Sports Training* in 10 sessions and meeting at least 85 % of my fitness side quest goals.DIET: Build CON +3 by eating "Healthy Meals"** 20 times or more, drinking 300 fl oz of Dr Pepper or less, taking care of my skin and lips by applying moisturizer 80 times or more (twice daily), brushing my teeth 80 times or more (twice daily), and flossing 40 times or more (once daily).LIFE: Build WIS +3 and CHA +3 by completing one Toastmaster Speech for the Spring Contest Season (practice on 2/25 and contest on 3/8), completing two Successful Club or Better Speaker Series Speeches to earn my Advance Communicator Silver in Toastmasters, and completing three lessons from the IJRS Personal 101 and Spirituality 101 Manuals in Jedi Training.* - Training or playing Basketball, Soccer, Rugby, Football, Hockey, Swimming, or Racquet Ball ** - "Healthy Meals" means no grease, minimal fat and calories, mostly veggies, meat, and fruit, while avoiding starches. Breakfast is not included in count. SIDE CHALLENGE GOALS FITNESSBarbellsDeadlift = 190 lbs, 60 repsBack Squat = 210 lbs, 60 repsBench Press = 195 lbs, 60 repsOverhead Press = 100 lbs, 60 repsStanding Curl = 70 lbs, 30 repsDumbellsBench Press = 50 lbs, 60 repsFly = 50 lbs, 60 repsRow = 55 lbs, 60 repsSide Raise = 35 lbs, 60 repsHammer Curl = lbs, 30 repsHammer Ext = lbs, 30 repsGoblet Squat = 85 lbs, 60 repsTricep Ext = 70 lbs, 60 repsBodyweight ExercisesLeg Press = 1150 lbs, 60 repsLeg Ext = 160 lbs, 30 repsBurpee = lbs, 100 repsMount Climbers = lbs, 200 repsHS PU = lbs, 60 repsPull Up = lbs, 60 repsChin Up = lbs, 60 repsHammer Pull Up = lbs, 60 repsDip = lbs, 100 repsDive Bomber = 0 lbs, 60 repsPush Up = 0 lbs, 300 repsAbdominal ExercisesCrunch = 0 lbs, 800 repsBicycle Crunch = 0 lbs, 800 repsLeg Lift = 0 lbs, 200 repsSide Leg Lift = 0 lbs, 300 repsOblique Twist = 0 lbs, 600 repsSide Bend = 0 lbs, 600 repsSide Raise = 0 lbs, 400 repsRollout Wheel = 0 lbs, 300 repsCardioHIIT = min, 5 repsSports Training = 300 min, 6 DIETDietSkin and Lip Care = 40 qty Dr Pepper = 300 fl ozHealthy Meals = 20 qty Floss = 40 qty Brush Teeth = 80 qty LIFEFamilyNF CommunityChallenge Thread = 6 qtyBattle Log = 40 qtyEpic Quest = 3 qtyToastmastersManual Lessons = 1 qtyOfficer Duties = 600 minModule Series = 2 qtyMeeting Roles = 4 qtyTable Topics = 4 qtyJediIJRS Personal 101 = 1 qtyIJRS Spirituality 101 = 2 qtyJedi Reading = 500 minGeocaching

I wasn't going to do a challenge, I'm fairly new here and still feeling my way around, trying to see if I feel at home. Then I read through a few challenge threads and realized that there are some goals I should be working toward, and why not see if this is an effective format and an effective strategy for staying on target. Soooo, here goes! Main Quest I love autumn, really, I do, but historically, this is a difficult time for me. I tend to close myself off - I stop communicating well with others, I am more likely to get depressed, and I more likely to get injured. Autumn is when I transition from fun outdoor summer workouts with my husband to hitting the gym, so I lose that hour spent with him doing something fun and transition to workouts that I don't love as much (although I do still enjoy them - I love to workout!). This year, I want to Avoid the Demons of Autumn and stay more positive and healthy, maintain the strength gains I made this summer, and improve (not just maintain) my communications with coworkers, friends, and spouse. Goal 1: I will make a positive, personal daily contact. This may be a phone call instead of sending an email, a personal visit to an employee, or opening a new conversation with my spouse. Scoring: 6 contacts/week = 4 5 contacts/week = 3 4 contacts/week = 2 fewer than 4 = 0 Goal 2: I will do the things that I know keep my mental state positive and that ward off depression and avoidant behavior - no wheat - no alcohol - limit added sugar - run, hike, or do other "sanity maintenance cardio" at least 3 times a week Scoring: Deduct a point any time I have wheat or alcohol (these substances are terrible for me!) Add point each day I do cardio/run/hike (bonus points available for long hikes or long runs) Deduct a point anytime I have a sugary treat Goal 3: I've made some wonderful strength gains this summer with both body weight and barbell workouts. As I transition to more indoor workouts, I will maintain those gains - pullups/pushups/T2B at least 2 times/week - bonus points for OHP and squats - lunges and KB swings at least once a week (winter hiking season is coming as is telemark season!!!) Scoring: 4 points any week I do the 2 days of p/p/t and a day of lunges/KB Add a point for PR on counts of pullups, pushups or T2B Add a point for OHP or squats Add a point for new PR on OHP or squats Side Quest: Grand Canyon Double Crossing on 10/4: 50 miles, 11,000 feet of elevation gain, and my goal is to complete the trek in 20 hours or less: 3:00 AM - 10:00 PM (ish) - this will mess with my workout schedule a little the week before, and definitely the week after, and I will eat wheat for the easily available calories needed (pizza, cheddar bunnies, and mac & cheese to carb load the evening before we start). I am waiving the no wheat rule only for 10/4-10/6. If I meet the goal of 20 hours or less, I will award myself bonus points (max of 15).