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Since I first joined NF my goal has been to have a Strong Mind and Body. So for this challenge I'm going to work on my mind/mind palace. I'm going to work on positive habits also toy around with using the mind palace/mind mapping technique to help me memorize the dewey decimal system for work. Strict Tracking: I'm getting too loose with my food tracking. I am using a pretty easy system so there really isn't any reason to get lazy. I know that if I can make tracking a habit I'll be better off in the long run. Exercise 3x a week: Anything goes, I'm just establishing the habit. Medicine/Supplements: Take them EVERYDAY and at the same time of the day. Stop biting my nails: Taking care of my hands and also playing around with nail polish will put a positive spin on this. Floor sitting: When I come home from work I need to spend 15 minutes sitting on the floor and stretching before I lounge on the couch. Mind Palace: Use the mind mapping technique to picture where the children's non-fiction books are located in the library.

This is January 8th 2018, I have not yet thought about my "Good resolutions" for the year. I just came back from 2 weeks of vacations during which I did nothing but what I wanted, search for serenity and truth and introspected while trying to identify what I want from life. I know 2 things: - Currently my life is NOT what I want my life to be - It will NOT magically change by itself, I need to plan / think / act in order to get what I want My vacations were good to identify what I want from life (hint: less work, more TIME, the one thing no one can buy), so now I need to plan HOW to get there. In 2018 I will likely have to or want to: - Change jobs - Change countries - Find more people who share my values and my sense of humor - Have time for ME - Do what is good for ME This is a tall order and I thus need time to see how I will get there. So I will take January to plan how to do that without sacrificing good habits. As a "side", I also want to get back on track with nutrition after 2 weeks of just "eat whatever you want, see or are offered". I have not dared weighting myself yet, but I am pretty sure I gained weight. So this first challenge of 2018 will be spent closing down unfinished business and planning for the rest of the year. These are 4 key questions and 1 norm question I should answer: - (Norm question) What mix of nutritional restriction and exertion do I want to have in my life? * What will be my weight/health goal? * How much do I want to restrict food, versus make smart nutritional choices? * How much exercise do I want to do on a regular basis and what is the place of strength training in there? Should I try PT? - What kind of job do I want? * What responsibilities, level of management? * What type of future do I want to have beyond this job? * What do I like to do at work? - Where should I live? * What country/city will enable me to be happy and have time for me, while not making me uncomfortable? (also offers a job which meets the conditions above) * How do I manage to be close to my family, independent and safe? * Where can I entertain myself, meet people (see next point!) and learn in the same place? - How do I meet new people (despite being afraid of meeting new people and having a terrible track record a meeting new people)? (Note: New people is considered as a large group, but I would also like to meet people who specifically share the same values as I do and also have some common ideas regarding humor or having fun, aka people who read but also enjoy music and imaginary worlds) * What activities should I try and do to meet new people ? * What places should I try to go to meet new people? * What should I do to ensure I continue meeting people once I met them for the first time? - How do I make sure I make myself happy beyond work? (aka happy things) * What makes me really happy? (Hint: Binge watching reruns does not qualify, Discovering a new season of GoT may) * How do I set time aside to do these things? * In an ideal world, how do I share these things and times with people? - How do I make sure I do the right thing for me? (aka reasonable things) * What are the right things? (Especially in terms of nutrition and exercise, but also in keeping or not people in my life) * How do I make sure to do them 80% of the time without making myself miserable? (How do I make them work with the happy things?) * How do I ensure I do not feel bad, feel guilty or worse ashamed if I am not doing these things? I will try to think about these things and test some ideas out this month and throughout the year, to see what works and what does not, and come up with a plan. Weekly goals: - By Jan 14: Establish norms for nutrition and exercise. Focus on 1 key question and identify answers - By Jan 21: Test answers for 1 key question and identify answers for a second KQ. Identify people who can help with answers (e.g., professionals such as headhunters and coaches, friends, family members) - By Jan 28: Test answers for 2 key questions and identify answers for a third KQ. Start discussing potential answers with key people to see what they think - By Feb 4: Test answers for 3 key questions and start finding answers for a fourth one. Start writing down what it means and how it is shaping up to be. After Feb 4, there will be unanswered questions. Live with it. Life cannot be planned .

The time has come to throw the Harkonnen dogs off Arrakis, along with their pompous Corrino masters! The indigenous Fremen, ancestors of the wandering Zensunni, shall see to this reality, employing the newly learned Weirding Way to not only match, but to overcome the Empire's very best. Long live the fighters of Muad'Dib! For those not familiar, the Weirding Way refers to the fighting style learned by the Fremen in the sci-fi novel Dune by Frank Herbert. I have recently begun reading Dune once again. It has perhaps been about 7-8 years since I last picked the book up. Each time I read it, I realize something I had missed before. Seems it is always worth revisiting. And this time I plan to finally venture into the rest of the Dune series. The challenge itself is not terribly different from the last one. I am simply going with a Dune theme to give it more flavor. And it's just plain fun! The Weirding Way seems an appropriate name for my training, as it is a culmination of mental and physical training that results in extreme ability. My results probably won't be quite so extreme (such as moving so fast it appears as teleportation), but it's the same idea. It means extreme mental focus, and extreme control over all the muscles in one's body (the Bene Gesserit could supposedly move the very last joint in their toe precisely, without moving anything else). Such ability can only come from discipline and consistent effort. ***UPDATE AS OF 09/19/2015 - I will be posting a reboot of my goals in a new post within a day or two. Rehashing the same stuff from the last two challenges isn't working. It's uninspiring. I think I had the right idea, but I need something new and interesting to spice things up (hehe, spice...the spice must flow ). Also, I need to make it as simple as possible. Simple is good. It creates less anxiety, and enables me to better roll with the punches life throws at me. More to come.*** Here's the breakdown of the goals: Goal 1: Daily Routine - These are the same daily practices I employed in the last challenge. +4 Wis, +1 Con Sleep - Get to bed no later than midnight, every night.Meditation - Every day, for at least 8 minutes or more.Priorities - Every day, make a list of priority tasks I intend to accomplish that day. Writing it makes it more relevant, and I am more likely to do it.Goal 2: Body Weight Exercises - This is the same exercise routine I employed in the last challenge. It is more or less designed to enhance my ability to train in parkour/ freerunning, as well as improve overall strength and muscle endurance. This routine is to be done 4 times per week, as before. +3 Str, +2 Dex Air squats - 3 sets of 15 reps.Pull-ups - 3 sets of 4 reps.Decline push-ups - 3 sets of 15 reps.Decline bridges - 3 sets of 15 reps.Short stretching routine at the end of workout.Parkour training can be done as a substitute for this routine.As before, more reps or sets can be added, depending upon how my body is adapting. Currently, the above numbers are still challenging if I'm doing everything at a fairly rapid pace, circuit-style. Goal 3: Weekly Routine - This is the new stuff. Well, not really new. I was often doing this on the side, intermittently. Now it is to be a consistent, weekly effort. +2 Dex, +2 Wis, +1 Sta Parkour/Karate - 1x/week, dedicated training of parkour and/or karate skills. This can take place at home, but preferably in a park or anywhere else outdoors, where there are obstacles that can be utilized. Weather permitting of course. I will also often include my 4 year old in the training, as I often do. She enjoys seeing daddy jump around, as I enjoy coaching her through basic jumps, rolls, and other movements (she has been amazing me with her cat grab/hang lately). She is also going to start in a kids karate class as this challenge kicks off, which will very likely rekindle my own interest in karate. It's good for both of us, incentive to stay active for the rest of our lives.Yoga - 1x/week, attend a class at the YMCA. I've established a pretty good habit of meeting my sister at the Y on a weekly basis for this. It's been good for both of us to get out of the house, and as always, yoga does a world of good for my back. Solo Walk/Run - 1x/week, take a walk by myself, somewhere. Or a run, if I'm feeling it. Doesn't really matter where. At least cover one mile. I tend to go for several walks throughout the week as it is, with my daughter, but the point here is to get at least one walk in where it's just me and my own thoughts. A time to reflect, as well as move. Also always, these goals are simply bare minimums. I am always free to do more reps, more sets, longer practices, etc. I just want to make sure I am at least hitting the minimums consistently. Even if I don't feel like it that day. Even if it doesn't make me into a remarkable athlete. The point is to be a little bit better each day. Thanks for reading...and long live the fighters of Muad'Dib!

Ok, so I'm not literally joining a cult. The title is simply a historical reference to the Roman deity Disciplina, worshiped by Roman soldiers as the personification of discipline through frugality, sternness, and faithfulness. Wikipedia has a brief entry on the topic here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciplina The purpose of this quest is to go back to the absolute basics and establish a solid, disciplined daily routine from which I can progress. This is primarily going to focus on habits versus fitness routines, though fitness will still play somewhat of a role. A lot of what I will be doing is possibly more suited to other Nerd Fitness guilds, such as Adventurer or Druid. However, I have decided I am Assassin to the core, and with the Assassins I shall remain. Nothing is true; everything is permitted. Here is how it will all break down. Goal 1: Sleep - Get to bed by 11:00 PM at the latest between 11:00 PM and 12:00 AM every night. I'm not going to get too excited by the occasional slip, especially when it's a situation where I am burning the midnight oil for a very good reason, such as catching up on stuff from work, which I do on occasion. However, such a thing should never become regular habit. The bad habit I am putting to rest here is staying up late, sacrificing good sleep (therefore sacrificing readiness to tackle the next day) for trivial matters such as video games, surfing the internet, or watching TV. The goal is discipline through respecting myself and the obligations I choose to fulfill the next day by being well rested and alert. +3 to Con, +1 to Sta Goal 2: Priorities - Every day, make a list of priority tasks I wish to accomplish. I already do this at work. This goal is specifically to create a comparable daily list at home. By doing this I intend to be more mindful about how I spend my time and energy on any given day, therefore accomplishing things that bring me true fulfillment. +3 to Cha Goal 3: Meditation - Every day, meditate at least once, for seven minutes or more. Simple as that. Take the time to do it, and feel better about everything in general. +4 Wis Goal 4: Arm Strength - This is the only workout oriented goal of the quest. I simply wish to continue the gains I have made in the last six months in terms of upper body strength. Four times per week, I will do a minimum of 3 sets of 3 pull-ups. This is about my max ability right now. At week four of the challenge, I will increase to 3 sets of 4 pull-ups, minimum (or at least attempt to do so). I will of course increase beyond this as ability allows, but this is not required for the goal to be a success. In addition, I will do a basic body weight exercise routine four times per week. This will consist of air squats, decline push-ups, and decline bridges. +4 to Str And there we have it. I will still be working an additional body weight exercises, parkour, and yoga. However, I simply want to focus on what's most important to me right now for this challenge. Right now what I need most is a return to a steady routine. Once I do that, the rest will fall into place with significantly less strain. ***Changes made to Goal 1 and Goal 4 on 07/26/2015.***

Ok, so, even though we're between challenges, I want to keep up what I did for my first challenge, and I want to start working toward the changes I want to make for the next one. So, in keeping with my first challenge - walk 3/week, belly dance 2/week, meditate 5/week. New changes (to be updated as they develop): healthier eating - track intake 3/week, and other things to be specified; TV watching limited to 2 hrs/weekday (weekends are freebies)... 4/6 - Did my walk. Also made "healthy" eating choices - had to go for fast food for two meals, but skipped the fries both times.