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While training on Dagobah, Yoda takes Luke to a cave... Luke: There's something not right here... I feel cold. Death. Yoda: [points to a cave opening beneath a large tree] That place... is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go. Luke: What's in there? Yoda: Only what you take with you. Luke enters the cave with his lightsaber as he is afraid that he may need to defend himself. He encounters Darth Vader. Igniting their lightsabers they duel. Luke ends the confrontation quickly by beheading Darth Vader. The mask on the head explodes revealing Luke's face under the helmet. There are several lessons inside the cave for Luke to learn. The most obvious is that his fear and anger will lead him directly to the same fate as his father, Anakin Skywalker, who fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader. Of course, Luke can only figure out the "fear and anger can lead to the dark side" part at the time. He'd later learn the other parts from Vader himself. Another lesson within the cave is that Luke showed courage to enter the cave, but hide behind a crutch (the lightsaber). Would Vader have appeared with lightsaber drawn if Luke entered without his lightsaber? We'll never know, but Luke was certainly fearful of the dark side when he entered with his lightsaber. He learned this lesson well following the concluding events of Empire Strike Back. In Return of the Jedi, Luke is clearly embracing his fears of losing the Rebellion and his life by confronting Darth Vader and the Emperor as their prisoner. There is a line in the novelization, "Fear is a great cloud. It makes the cold colder and the dark darker, but let it rise and it will dissolve." A third lesson is in what Yoda says, "Only what you take with you." We carry fear, anger, and hate around just as we would a lightsaber, but it is a lot more difficult to leave them behind. Courage, forgiveness, and knowledge are the ways to leave fear, anger, and hate in the past where they cannot effect the future. Identify fears and find the courage to conquer them. Quell anger with forgiveness. Elleviate hate by acquiring knowledge of the situation and circumstances. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. For this challenge, I plan to focus on stamina and cardio for my Fitness goals instead of aiming necessarily at lifting more weight and running faster. This is the beginning steps on my 5k training for the Run for Your Lives 5k I am doing in October. Also, it would be nice to lose 10 pounds, but that is a bonus. Level 10 Main Challenge Goals are below: FITNESS: Strength! +2 STR | +1 STA 300 Lunges200 Burpees300 Mountain Climbers100 Hand Stand Push Ups150 Pull Ups150 Chin Ups150 Hammer Pull Ups250 Dips100 Dive Bomber Push Ups1000 Push Ups1200 Crunches800 Bicycle Crunches500 Dual Leg Lifts500 Side Leg Lifts1200 Oblique Twists1200 Side Bends1200 Side Raises200 Rollout Wheels300 Reverse SitupsCardio! +2 DEX | +2 STASprinting Distance = 1000 m50m Dash = 5 reps200m Dash = 5 reps58.8m Medicine Ball Shuttle Run = 5 reps37.8m Shuttle Run = 5 repsJogging Distance = 25 miles3 mile Run = 3 reps2 mile Run = 5 reps1 mile Run = 3 repsRun Hills = 20 repsSports Training = 300 minutesDIETARY: Food! +2 CONTake a Multi-Vitamin daily (minimum 38 of 43 days for an A)Eat junk food 15 times or less. Chocolate and ice cream do NOT count. Cake, fries, chips, pancakes, syrup, candy, etc all DO count.Eat only meat, veggies, and fruit as a meal 15 times. Dips/dressing allowed but must be minimal.Cut down on sodium. Add salt from a shaker no more than 15 times. LIFE: Mind! +3 WIS | +3 CHAFamily and HomeHang out with my wife = 90 hoursHang out with my kids = 90 hoursHousehold Chores (dishes, laundry, etc) = 70 hoursWrite about it in my Challenge Thread or Epic QuestToastmastersComplete two Toastmasters Speeches (1 Advanced Communication Manual Lesson, 1 Successful Club Series)Officer Duty Hours = 750 minVolunteer for at least 3 different rolesVolunteer as Table Topics participant twiceBlog about meetings in my Epic Quest threadJedi TrainingComplete two IJRS Communication 101 Lessons with ExercisesComplete one IJRS Creed 101 Lesson with ExercisesRead Jedi-related Material = 500 minutes Side Challenge Goals are below: FITNESS: Strength!Barbell Deadlift = 100 repsBarbell Squat = 100 repsBarbell Incline Bench Press = 50 repsDecline Bench Press = 50 repsBarbell Bench Press = 100 repsBarbell Overhead Press = 100 repsBarbell Standing Curl = 100 repsDumbell Bench Press = 50 repsDumbell Fly = 50 repsDumbell Overhead Press = 50 repsDumbell Bicep Curl = 50 repsDumbell Inverted Row = 50 repsDumbell Side Raise = 50 repsKettlebell Forearm Curl = 50 repsKettlebell Reverse Forearm Curl = 50 repsDumbell Hammer Curl = 50 repsDumbell Hammer Extension = 50 repsDumbell Goblet Squat = 100 repsDumbell Lateral Squat = 50 repsDumbell Two-hand Tricep Extension = 50 repsLeg Press Sled = 1000 lbs 5 reps (970 lbs 5 reps)Leg Extension = 50 repsCardio!Hiking = 6 milesBiking = 8 milesRowing = 3 kmDIETARY: Food!Cut down on sugar. Record high sugar counts.Cut down on sodium. Record high sodium counts.LIFE: Mind!Continue Private Work Goal to improve productivityNerd Fitness CommunityUpdate my Challenge Thread = 12 timesUpdate my Battle Log = 43 timesWrite in my Epic Quest = 6 timesComment on a New Friend's Thread = 6 different threadsFollow and Comment on New Friend's Threads = 12 comments totalComment on my Accountabilibuddies Group Thread, Group Challenge Threads, and Old Friend's Threads = 12 timesGeoCachingFind 6 cachesHide 2 caches