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Rebel For Life! I wanted to stop collecting 'underpants' and dig my heels in on a challenge. The 'squirrel' kept telling me it was mid-challenge, and that i should collect more 'underpants.' A while ago, Steve's book, Level Up Your Life, was on sale, through audible/amazon. I decided it was some good, cheap 'underpants.' In good rebel fashion, i have been listening to the book while biking or jogging. (which is a vast improvement from my sedentary computer wrangling lifestyle.) I've been a bit discouraged about challenges becuse i struggle to feel supported. Steve's occasional references to the rules of the rebellion highlighted in my mind rebel for life. It sunk in how real this can be. As I've been reading the book, he keeps talking about envisioning your level 50 character. I was struggling to figure out how to wear those underpants because most of his examples did not relate to me. I'm afraid of heights, i have no intent to jump out of a airplane. and feel like that's ridiculous. I was failing to connect with what he was trying to say. As i was working out and listening, i was trying to identify what things i got excited for, but nothing was even close to quest worthy. In chapter 6 or 7 today, as he was outlining the 10 or so categories that quests should come from, i started to realize there were some things in life worth looking forward to. this challenge is about the 'reset.' For those of you who are familiar with tom Clancy's writing, you'll recognize the character reference. In symbolic homage, about all i know about jack ryan is that he shows up in each of tom's books. The academic quests of this challenge will be reading or listening to a tom Clancy novel. pulling from druids or monks, will be discovery of what my inner yearnings want my character to become. The ranger of this challenge, will be developing an idea and anti-pattern for physical activity. my level 50 character will have aspects of my core values. Happy Father Mormon Ranger of the month Monk - up early Business - extra hour "at" work Fitness - physical activity during that hour, jogging, biking, body weight, or moov training. Fun - either impressive accomplishment in computer game, or develop networking within streaming. Nerd Fitness - Build out nerd fitness character and quests. Community - a group of people doing something

What's your fitness artifact, ie: the thing you're working so hard to achieve? Right now I'm working towards a 'hot bod' but I feel like I can do better. To me, 'hot bod' is really a side-effect of getting the artifact rather than *being* the artifact. I need something more specific and crazy for my artifact, like a scaling a very physically intense wall or cycling a difficult path (not sure of any examples, if you know of any feel free to post them). So in all, still deciding on mine. How about you?

I am curious about how many people used “level up your life” section of surrounding yourself with people that are better then you and firing people that are holding you back? Have you removed people from your life that made you unhappy? Sacrificed relationships that have gone its course? Friendships that is no longer apart from your life? The past several months I have removed people from my life that I believe should have been for a long time. I still have a friend that needs to be removed however due to my situation of working with them at my job; it is postponed until either he or I leave. I have started to look into newer friends from that communities to create my group and it is one of those things that is hard due to location, interests , etc.

As a technomage, Beerzerker himself rarely understood on the planets he visits. His armor appears to be smoother than steel and generates its own light in the conditions. Able to summon illumination, even fire at times, and the ability to boost his strength has granted him legendary status in some worlds. He has battled ruffians before, and they made the mistake of assuming his clear faceplate was a point of weakness. The easy distraction proved their undoing. Beerzerker faces some new challenges. He has heard rumor of the Bandersnatch. An evil creature no one has been able to fully describe to him. Everyone he encounters has given different descriptions. In fact, it doesn't even seem like one creature at all. Maybe the Bandersnatch possesses some of the lost tech the leader of the technomages told him about. There was a mirage pack that disappeared from the mothership eons ago. No one has been able to replicate its abilities, because its maker worked on her own and didn't create plans for her devices. She believed part of creation was experimentation, and you don't get that following a diagram. The mirage pack gives its wearer the ability to create a fully interactive mirage surrounding themselves. 3-dimonsional, solid, and powered by the pack so it doesn't drain your armor. Since it's not fully an illusion, the mirage functions as a bulky set of armor protecting the wearer. It sounds like whoever has this pack has used it while wearing the guise of a rancor, a Balrog, and something Beerzerker doesn't recognize from the tales. But Beerzerker recognizes a weakness. In order to fully use the mirage pack, a warrior must possess strength in three areas: 1. Their work must bring them joy and allow for improvement of those around them. 2. The user must pursue improvement of their own body. 3. They must work to improve their relationships with others. In order to be worthy of facing and conquering this Bandersnatch, Beerzerker commits to the following: 1. Searching for and discovering a new job which allows more personal interaction and makes better use of my skills as a writer and ability to build rapport quickly. 2. Exercise at least 5 days per week. This includes Tae Kwon Do lessons on Monday and Wednesday, and can include mountain biking or other activities. But on the days there is no class, I will practice my forms to work toward the next test. 3. I will support my wife and kids as they pursue their interests, offering encouragement and help as I am able. I will also make an effort to do something special for each of them at least once per week. Recognizing work needs to be done, Beerzerker enters his meditation pose to allow the power cells in his armor to charge from the sunlight and from his own body. This is the thing his encouragers don't understand. While his armor can do amazing things, it must be powered by energy from within or around Beerzerker. The power from the sun allows short bursts of strength, even flight, but anything that lasts must be drawn from within his own body and mind.

In the spirit of the book Level up your Life, this group is aimed at engineering our characters, stories, and epic quest lines. (And whatever other direction we might like to go.) This group was originally created by @SnowOwl! And for my first inspirational quote ever posted to the boards...

Let's create our characters and epic quests! Have you read, or are you reading, Level Up Your Life? Ready to start taking action and working through the book? This is the group for you!

Hello, Steve Kamb and Nerd Fitness staff. I recently finished reading Level Up Your Life and I love it. I've already started a very long epic quest. I live in Japan where many people like me are badly in need of self help. So why not let me translate it into Japanese for you? Thank you very much for your time. Sincerely, Jahan Zoltan Honma A.K.A. The Legendary Zoltan

Salutations my fellow travelers, I have found myself finally joining the NF community after years of wandering through my quest log distracted from the main quest. I've known of Nerd Fitness since 2012 when I thought the idea of forging fitness and gaming together and so I stumbled across Steve's site, Nerd Fitness. Overwhelmed by the chaos of life during that time my side questing began and today I approach the gates shouting, I'm ready! I didn't realize it at the time but the years ahead of me would prove to be my most challenging story line to date. Having worked tiresome jobs for disgruntled employers and having met other wonderful travelers, I struggled with the purpose of life. "This can't be what life is meant to be?", "My life isn't going to be lived within the walls of others adventures". And so my entire world fumbled from day to day attempting to sort out my purpose, my position in life, and who I am meant to serve. One thing was always certain, I was and will never live my life by the limited beliefs of others. With such a profound thought poking a prodding at my brain, I realized a few things over these past number of years, 1) my life isn't meant to be spent working for others being supressed and unable to unleash my full potential, 2) since graduating college (having attended four separate times) I do not place my trust in the educational system, rather in myself to forge academics and passion together. These revelations took many moons to realize, as obvious as they may be to others. Some parts of a quest are already in possession of some, where others need to grind out a little time to accumulate these items. One thing that was always consistent however was the gym. In fact I had intended to compete in a men's physique show in 2014, but the beginning of my educational journey began and so my time reduced drastically. Working out and nutrition remained consistent for a while heading into school, but quickly I found myself overwhelmed and worn out. By the end of my first semester I had almost quit the gym entirely and my nutrition was limited to a couple meals a day and garbage food as fuel. I work at a supplement store so my knowledge surrounding supplements in abouve average and as such I was able to manipulate supplements to help keep parts of my physique... for a time. This was just the beginning, a new year imminent to bestow it's will and lessons upon me. Had I remained a Monk and kept up with my meditation and nightly routines I may have better dealt with the coming months. Fourteen days following my 25th birthday I got news that my Mom wasn't doing well and that I had better go visit her. ADDITIONAL QUEST LOG DETAILS: My Mom was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) when I was five years old and during my entire life her MS progressed until 2009 when she had to be placed into a nursing home for proper care. March 7th, 2015 I visited my Mom for the last time. I stood there in denial telling myself today wasn't the day, it couldn't be. It crushed me to think my mom, the one who introduced me to stories, fantasy, imagination, creativity, life, was sipping at air. My entire life I had watched her work on a fantasy story, which had my Dad picking up books from the library every night for research purposes. She wrote pages of notes, but a day came where her quest line got harder, and her hands lost all feeling and movement. Her story, her writings locked away in a drawer. But she knew the power of perseverance and though she now had to be fed her meals, her story was not yet done being developed. She took to recording her story ideas on cassette tapes - and so she recorded. But, as time went on her mind slipped and her story remained locked away in her mind where she would reference her characters until she could no longer talk. This progression of her story is apart of my story and part of my driving force to have the focus I currently posses. A few months after she passed away I developed an athletic apparel company that focuses on empowering the wearer and those around. I have since added the development of a Podcast which I am titling The Legacy Leaders Podcast, which focuses on interviewing individuals travelling through their life and questioning what their legacy is, how and what they do to define their existence. The motto I developed was to empower your purpose and define your legacy. It became very clear to me after the passing of my Mom that time, right now, this moment we call the present, is but a fleeting moment in the grand scope of earths lifespan. With these limited moments what do we do to live a life worth having lived? What are we doing today to leave behind a legacy that stretches the span of time, whether it be globally or within your family? What empowers your to wake up every morning to hustle, to take on each day as the magic of the unknown reveals itself each passing moment? Nerf Fitness to me has always been the idea of combining the greatest parts of my life, stories, narrative, gaming lore, fitness, inspiration, empowerment, and purpose to my everyday! Thanks to Steve continuing his journey and recently publishing his book, the beauty of a random rare drop occurred in my life. As I browsed Chapters (one of my favourite stores) I walked past a shelf that was vibrant in colour, and my attention was drawn. There it was, a light beamed on this book Level Up Your Life, and so I picked up my loot, ran over to the nearest tavern to begin reading the lore of Steve Kamb and discover the hidden secrets and community that exists as we know, The Rebellion. I believe that when I first came across Nerd Fitness I wasn't leveled up enough to join the community, or wield it's magnificence. But now, I have grinded enough side quests to appreciate and join The Rebellion and provide my most authentic and passionate self to the many travellers found within. My name is Ben Smith, I hail from Ontario Canada and like all of you, I've wandered out far enough on my own to appreciate the importance of a community full of like-minded and passionate individuals. Continue providing the world with your most authentic and passionate self, we deserve to see what greatness exists within you and the legacy you lead. Thank you

I'm reading Level Up Your Life and I've written some things down as I go: Quotes I like, my origin story, and some of my epic quests of awesomeness. I'd like to share with you my legendary quests and also my personal crises because who else am I going to share them with? And I'd like to hear your advice. My Legendary Quests 01. Play a packed concert at MAGfest 02. Make a walking simulator game with a mech 03. Release a wildly popular game music album (remix or original, it matters not) 04. Get ripped 05. Take one of those "sexy gamer" photo shoots with little clothing and lots of controllers to solidify my title as "Sexiest Otaku in All the Realm." 06. Play a major role in a TV show or movie with a medieval setting. 07. Quit my job! 08. Make an RPG. 09. Produce a wildly popular podcast. 10. Acquire my own studio space to have my game setup, music recording setup, and cameras for making any fun thing I want without worrying about being too loud. Truly, a person who accomplishes all of those things would be legendary, wouldn't they? Now of all the things on that list, I know exactly which one I want first. #7! I want to quit my job more than anything. My dream is to make things that are great, people consume them, and I get paid. The Patreon model is one approach. Making CDs and selling them myself is another. But of course, it's hard to get popular in those arenas. I normally wouldn't care that it's hard but then a guy whom I respect a lot suggested that I might be doing things for the wrong reasons. He suggests that if I'm ever doing something and expecting a monetary reward, it's not the thing I really want to be doing and thusly should not be doing. But if I really just do whatever I want and expect nothing in return, I would probably just play games all the time. I made a metal album that was a thing that I wanted to make but I also want to get paid for it. That's one of the sources of my doubts. But I REALLY want to quit my job. What do you guys think I should be doing with my free time? Thanks in advance for your help. Sincerely, The Zoltan

I have been having trouble with the Customize Your Batcave quest. It seems easy, but I have a small home and put into place most of the suggestions before I had even heard of Nerd Fitness. I am looking for suggestions that maybe out of the normal as I am working toward a full life level up. Maybe ways to help making cleaning easier and messes more difficult to make... does something like that even exist??? ANY ideas would be great - looking for that kick start. If there is a board that already talks about this (I can't seem to find one) I would love to hear about that as well! This is also the time where I wish I had gone to Hogwarts - although I would have probably never have mastered cleaning spells either... or be rich enough for a (well treated) house elf. Support S.P.E.W.!

Another simple challenge for me, because straight forward seems to be the name of the game for these 4 week challenges. I realized this weekend I tend to view things in a manner of "I need to do at least X" to feel accomplished. More is good. But I have a set level of things I like to do in order to feel accomplished. So I figured, why not make a challenge of At Least Accomplishing things? If nothing else, it lets me do a small word pun. 1) At Least... One new veggie a week I'm pretty boring with my veggies. Typically some broccoli or cauliflower or asparagus for the green/fiberous veggie, and then a sweet potato or a squash for the more starchy one. I should branch out a bit more, especially since I do like cooking. So one new thing when I go to the grocery store each week. Veggie suggestions welcome. 2) At Least... One non-aikido workout a week Yea, this will likely be a lifting workout, and therefore is an extension of the last challenge. But I'm also a bit gimpy right now, so I figure demanding a lift session a week pigeon holds me a bit too much. This at least allows me to do some rucks, yoga, or BW work. This was going to be a work out at least 6 days a week challenge, but then I realized I don't want to go crazy. Er. Crazier. 3) At Least... One aikido post per week Okay, I kind of need to get this one approved first, but... I'm a co-admin on the dojo's Facebook page. One thing that page needs is some more lift, particularly emphasizing things that are more central to our dojo. A lot of the other dojo pages I follow post semi-regularly, and I want to try and do that to see if it helps improve the page and/or nets us new students. I need to talk to the senior instructors tonight about it, but assuming that they've liked my Facebook prowess in the past, then this should be all set. 4) At least... Finish reading two books So I have two self-help/philosophy books I'm in the middle of right now. One is Level Up Your Life. The other is Walking the Way. Both I have been enjoying greatly, but I'd like to finish reading them both by the end of the challenge. So this also is the first challenge I've had in a while where self-care is not explicitly a goal. People are more than welcome to run in and double check that I'm still doing that too. Yesterday was a bit rough, but I managed to survive, so small reminders to calm the fuck down are welcome. In the mean time, expect the same rambling thoughts and processes that normally pop up during my challenges.

I've been reading Steve's new book, and figure it's time to level up my life. I've participated in challenges before, but I've let myself rebound so far that I feel it's time to reinvent myself from level 1. I've also been reading the Throne of Glass book series, by Sarah J. Mass. I've realized that as heroes and their journeys go, I really admire assassin characters, not for the bloodshed they cause, but for their dexterity, grace, proficiency, creativity, intelligence, awareness, and self-awareness, as well as the intense training, determination, and dedication it took for them to achieve those things. To that end, I, Lag a'mhuilin, set out on my hero's journey, an assassin in training. This is my story: DrCalcart lives a humble existence as a geeky web designer. Every work day he rolls out of bed and gets ready, arriving late by anyone's standards. He's lucky he has a boss who genuinely doesn't care about hours as long as the work is getting done. Doc spends work time in his fabric-walled, open-air office jumping between Facebook, Reddit, and actual work. He's lucky to be able to divide the work day around a two-mile walk with friends and participation in short fitness sessions three times a week. After work, DrCalcart spends wastes hours playing video games, cooking and eating (or going out to get) dinner, continuing to bounce between Facebook and Reddit, watching streaming media, and reading. He goes to sleep without a sense of fulfillment of purpose, having made no personal progress. It's a humble existence, but that's just it. Doc is tired of merely existing. He wants to really live, to thrive even. Enter the Wise Old Man [don't say that to his face!], the "ridiculously good-looking, clever, and modest mentor" [apprentices have to use the full title], Steve, King of the Non-Violent Assassins' Guild. Steve saw something in DrCalcart—a sparkle in the eye that bespoke courage and passion, maybe a glimmer of potential—and agreed to train him. "DrCalcart," he intoned on the first day of training, "your first lesson is this: there are those may seek to hinder or destroy you for who you are to become. To shield yourself and those you love you must choose a new name, take on a new identity, but choose wisely, for names have a heft and significance beyond their constituent characters. In the course of training, you will be torn down and rebuilt until your new name becomes you and you it.†“I—I think I understand, Master,†Doc stammered in reply. And he looked within himself, around his room, and online, and proclaimed that henceforth he would be known as Lag a’mhuilin. Upon hearing that, Steve promptly broke the fourth wall, looked to the camera, his aforementioned ridiculously good-looking face scrunched Gollum-esquely in utter disbelief, and rasped, “WHAT?!...†You see, His Cleverness knew that “Lag a’mhuilin†was Scottish Gaelic for “hollow by the mill,†and in fact the name origin of the single malt scotch, Lagavulin. “...WHAT?! I said ‘names have heft and significance,’ and you name yourself after a SCOTCH?!†“Not just any scotch,†Doc—Lag a’mhuilin protested, “It’s Ron Swanson’s favorite scotch! But really, if you must know, Lagavulin was my gateway scotch, years before Parks and Rec. It represents a moment when I was open to trying something new and shocked and delighted to find layers of complexity. It speaks of adventure and discovery, of an appreciation of history and craftspersonship, of risk and reward. It’s downright poetic if you ask me. What’s more, the word “hollow†itself has many layers. A hollow is a hole—a depression or concavity. It's defined by what it isn’t. Hollow is the absence of meaning, of being, of ego, a place of stillness, and emptiness. It's a state of limitless potential. The mill can be a metaphor for training, so I stand here before you, hollow by mill.†Steve had to concede. He continued, nonplussed: “Right. Well...um...each step of your training will build upon the last. Your first task is to know thyself. You will spend the first three months among the druids. I expect you to become one of them, to learn their ways. They must never suspect what you really are. You will meditate daily. Learn to be aware of your senses and of your surroundings. Teach yourself to be mindful and present in your interactions with others. Rein in stray thoughts…†1st Quest: Mindfulness (25 xp) Meditate for at least 15 minutes every dayWhen walking alone try to think only of what can be perceived by the sensesWhen interacting with others truly listen and respond instead of thinking forward to the next topicBe observant “…You also need to begin to hone your body. Work on strength, flexibility, balance, and dexterity…†2nd Quest: Conditioning (24 xp) Attend at least two yoga classes per week, one for flexibility, and one strenuous, challenging one.Perform at least two strength-training workouts per week. “…Finally, you must give your body the nourishment it needs to be healthy…†3rd Quest: Food (26 xp) 4 weeks of full paleo. I’ve done it before, and I can do it again.At the end of four weeks, honestly assess how I feel and how easy or difficult it is to maintain. “…Lag a’mhuilin, these areas of study represent the foundation of your assassin training. In order even to be considered for full membership in the Non-Violent Assassins’ Guild, you must demonstrate steadfast determination and discipline. Over time you may be rewarded with freedom and flexibility, but not until you have truly earned it. You will not miss a workout, find an excuse not to meditate, or cheat on your diet.†“Sure thing, Master Steve,†Lag replied. “I can do anything for four weeks! I do, however, have a few more tasks I’d like to accomplish in the first month if you don’t mind. They also follow the general theme of ‘know thyself.’†Side Quests (5xp each): Contemplate where I want to be in 5 years and what steps I would have to take to get there.Start a profile on the Level Up site. Add above steps as quests.Create a budget and follow itOpen a savings account and establish a recurring depositDetermine a personal project that will provide growth in my skill set and begin. “Good luck, Lag a’mhuilin,†His Modestness bade. “You have a long and rewarding journey ahead of you. Take your first steps with confidence and grace.â€

Hi there! No, I know that it normally is "One step at a time" but you will understand this not so brilliant pun.. This is my first try on a text like this and my first trys on thoughts like this. Normally I am the one to receive help, but I wanted to share this idea I had with you. So please look past my terrible writing and English skills, i am learning and living These are just thoughts, don't ruin your life because of some advice on the internet So now that I crashed your hopes, lets get started! Imagine taking a picture of your feet every day, to have a picture based diary, so you can remind yourself of the things that happend one day. But now, imagine your hole diary is consisting of pictures of your feet infront of the TV, in the kitchen and maybe in the shower - kind of lame, right? Looks comfortable, but boring! Days like these are necessary but not pretty interesting. Everyday is the same, you don't get things done and feel sore. But now imagine having a diary full of epic pictures, your feet in the snow, the sand, the mud, on top of a cliff, upside down while bungee jumping - your get the idea. Sounds pretty cool, right? Now that looks epic! Okay, in reality it is pretty unrealistic (and probably unhealthy) to have so extreme adventures everyday. But you understand the difference between these extremes. A lot of people (me included) think their life is missing something. That their life is not thrilling enough, that they are missing the adventures - in short they are missing awesomeness in their life.The problem is, that we wait for the perfect moment to happen or for someone coming into our life to 'wake us up' and guide us to the interesting life. The reality seems different, those times and people are most likely not there. You have to get up and take action Instead of climbing the next cliff (and probably falling down - stay safe!) I want you to think. You should start small - and work yourself up, day by day, adventure by adventure. If you are afraid now, by adventure I mean getting out of your comfort zone and doing something new, unknown and a bit scaring. On paper this sounds easy, and it can be easy in reality too! Start small. Maybe go and visit the small park near you. Or get up and explore the forest. You can take a different route to work today or explore your part of the city. Google sightseeings in your city and go there. Leave the big streets and 'get lost' while wandering. Enjoy the sunset while sitting on a bench. Take your old camera and shoot some pictures, no matter how bad they look. Try to cook something new. Try out a new sport. Just do something new, something interesting, something scary - something awesome! Do something you will be happy to remember. It does not have to be big. I think you get the idea I am not going to write to detailed about this process, Steve already did an amazing job with his guide to building habits ( http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/06/04/new-habits/ ). Now we have this awesome plan and are highly motivated. But what about next week? Or next month? This is where my idea takes action. Take a picture of your feet every time you do something interesting or something you find awesome - something on your way! Now upload it to facebook, twitter or instagram (or just save it on your pc if you want to have a private journey) and then write something about the activity! Maybe what you did, what scared you and most important what made you happy! Now you can come back and see what you already archieved and what you experienced! To motivate yourself, you need to do it as often as possible, maybe you don't want to break your chain of 10 days of beeing awesome so you just go out on the next day even if you don't want to at first and boom you experience the best adventure so far! Now you wonder "Why on earth should I take pictures of my shoes in the sunset when I could shoot the sunset itself??" - You are not wrong. Just do both! On the one hand, having the same motive in every picture makes it more recognizable. And at one point you can do a cool timelapse of your year and see the changing background You could take a selfie from the same angle too, but a lot of people (me!) don't like showing your face - but hey, do whatever pleases you most! To be honest, 100 pics of feet can be boring to people not interested in the story, but maybe they are interested in your story behind it! If you use Instagram, you can tag your pics with #onefootatatime (or is #onestepatatime better? Have to decide yet) and atleast I will check them out and be interested in your stories But lets be realistic. We are all humans, we have jobs, school, family and other things in our life that don't allow us to have hour long adventures every day. But don't get frustrated (especially in the beginning) and remember, you are doing this to have fun and to have a better life! Enjoy the way, don't do things you don't like to do! And on some days, the best we can to is to cuddle into a big pile of sheets and play Fallout for hours What are your plans for the future? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope you liked this post! Any addidionally ideas ( I can add them with credits to this post) or feedback? Do you want to join? Thanks for reading! ~Gurkour

It's been hard figuring out what it is I actually want to accomplish. I have so many ideas of what I may like to do sometime that actually settling down and writing down a list of things entitled "This I Shall Do" is pretty intimidating. Never mind breaking down the larger goals into smaller ones so that I can feel like I'm getting somewhere. Fitness Do a freaking pull-up! Do a muscle-up Do a 1/2 BW bench press Achieved May 30, 2013 Do a BW bench press Do a 1/2 BW squat Achieved June 2, 2013 Do a BW squat Do a 1/2 BW deadlift Achieved May 14, 2013 Do a BW deadlift Do a one-legged squat Take off my shirt in public and feel like I deserve to Life Accomplishments Earn my 2nd dan in hapkido Earn my 3rd dan in hapkido Earn my 4th dan in hapkido Open my own hapkido club Introduce my nephew to the martial art that I love Write a novel Publish my novel Meet Steve and shake his hand Present a seminar at JavaOne Travel Visit my mother's birthplace in Motherwell, Scotland Visit my wife's relatives in Holland Spend a month in Australia Climb Machu Picchu Visit South Korea