[JediNickD]

GONE TURBO

This is my second challenge in my return to NF.  I decided to take a break from NF while I sorted through the pandemic, teleworking, and virtual relationships.  It was a good plan, because each day presented new obstacles and challenges while navigating to best ways for finding time and space for fitness and karate training, adjusting to maintaining healthy meals at home, and staying productive at work and in my different self-development programs with the myriad of distractions.  Planning a 4 week challenge would have been impossible, because I would be course correcting daily.  I took my time and built new routines understanding that they may be temporary.   Over time, I developed my new normal with virtual and hybrid Toastmasters meetings, virtual gaming with friends, moved to a new gym, and working a hybrid schedule for work with some telework built in.  Some things have been able to return to normal such as karate training, DnD, visiting family and friends, and working on-site but with known risk.  The biggest change came in July when I launched my own website:  Journey2U.org .  I started a blog and coaching business to help others.  It is in it's infancy, but it is a project I have been dreaming of launching for a very long time.    Having it out there, I am living that part of the dream and building a new future for myself and others. 

 

With all these changes, it feels like I am not just in a new world, but like I am playing a whole new game.  I'm taking a page from the movie "Wreck-It Ralph".  I've Gone Turbo jumping games.  

 

So now, here we go with another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge.  As a Ranger, I tried to Do All The Things in World 1, my first extended stay at NF through 22 challenges where I learned how to develop and pursue health and fitness goals utilizing daily, weekly, and monthly routines.  I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a better focus for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in an Epic Boss Fight slaying some mighty big life goals. In World 3, I hopped over to the Assassins and continued to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and more.  Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form.  With chiropractic care healing my spine, reaching the high ranks at karate, blazing through the new Toastmasters education program called Pathways, and working to complete Novice rank at IJRS, World 4 was something new everyday.  I have moved over to the Monks to reach for more diversity in my workouts and culture as my physical and mental training focus has been more on my karate training.  As I actively took on more responsibility of coaching, mentoring, and teaching in all aspects of my life, I formed a different me on World 5.  Now, I have Gone Turbo into World 6.

 

Every day, I just keep on L-I-V-I-N: fighting the good fight, lighting it up, and leveling up my life! 

 

Challenge Lesson:  "Keep On Trying"  

 

I like themes so I'm going to continue with my karate dojo's creeds.  The next one is for our Orange belt rank.  The creed is below:

  Quote

I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed.  And the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying!

- Tom Hopkins

Failure is the road to success.  I've written about this many times and so have all sorts of professional writers, industry leaders, self-help advocates, etc.  We learn in moments of failure, we gain momentum in moments of success.  But how?  Well, sometimes we fail because we lack experience or necessary skill.  Through practice and preparation in a consequence-free environment, we can gain the experience and skill to succeed.  When showtime comes, we are ready to perform.  Other times, we may be successful in an overall capacity, but there is room to improve, or smaller areas where we failed to hit the mark.  This requires evaluation to see the areas to improve.  Self-evaluation may not be enough to catch all the errors.  A second or third set of eyes can give you new perspective.  Game-tape can be crucial for evaluating, because then we are not relying on memory or interpretation.  

 

Now, we understand how to achieve success learning from failure.  Let us better understand what this creed is saying about success and failure.  It starts off with "I am not judged..."  The fastest way to quitting on a learning enterprise is to compare yourself to others, because there is always going to be someone better to put yourself down.  It is demotivating.  Instead, we should always compare ourselves to our self from the previous day or week.   Focusing on our own progress is a great measure of success while building confidence and momentum.  Progress is also about failure, where you have understand where the starting place compared to the current place is to know when you have achieved a level of success.  My dojo takes the same approach, focusing on progress, consistency, and effort for considerations towards rank elevation.  Perfection is never required.  These considerations get tighter the higher one ranks, but the instructors and leaders of the dojo would never judge one person against another for rank.

 

The last three words, "Keep on trying!" ties the creed together.  This isn't the same try as Yoda refers to in "Do or do not... there is no try," or Mr. Miyagi's "Karate guess so" grape analogy.   This try is about persistence, because success, failure, and progress are all part of the process of never giving up.  Persistence to achieve your goal is a requirement to succeeding.  Without persistence, you give up when you meet failure.  Without persistence, you won't keep practicing to make progress. 

Failure is inevitable.  It is what you do after that matters.  To be successful, we get back up, we learn from to failure, and most importantly, we keep on trying.  With persistence, progress is inevitable.  With persistence, success is only a matter of time.  I like the way Jason Nesmith from Galaxy Quest says it: "Never give up, never surrender."

 

 

My Main Quest and Mission:

My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. 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 end in Jedi training for every light cast a shadow somewhere.  Instead, it is a journey of self-discovery and compassion for others.

 

World 6 Level 3 Challenge:

FITNESS:

Cardio: Speed and Stamina - Run twice a week.  Include sprints and distance.  The goal is to get faster and build stamina, but I have to set a starting block to decide where the finish is.  Time to measure where I am for my 40 and 100 yard dash, 1 and 2 mile jogs.

STA +1, DEX +1
 

Walking: Fortify the Spine - 10+ min outside with good posture, daily.
CON +1
 

Exercise: HIIT Lifting and Bodyweight -  20+ min twice a week. 

STR +1, STA +1
 

Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - Daily exercises.  Focus on hips, hams, and splits.

DEX +1
 

Karate: Training and Practice - Two classes a week, practice for 20+ min twice a week.  
DEX +1, STR +1
 

DIET:

Lean Body - I need to lose some weight, which starts with what I eat.  5+ cups of fruits and veggies.  Cut down flour and corn based carbs at lunch and snack time.  Fill up on spring mix.  Time to start tracking the weight loss and body measurements again.  166.6 lbs yesterday.  
CON +1

 

LIFE:

Write for Journey2U.org website, Facebook, and blog every day.

WIS +1, CHA +1
 

Epic Quest - Complete something EPIC!  I want to be able to look back at my four week challenge and say, "that was the challenge I did X".  My challenges tend to be a lot of the same old.  I've given myself plenty to improve in small steps, but I also want to see big strides in the things I've been working on.  What box can I check?  What have I been procrastinating?  What am I focusing on?

WIS +2, CHA +2

[Manarelle]

I have never liked the "there is no try" bit, tbh. Any successful person knows there are LOTS of "try"s before finding the one that works. To each their own, but heck yes to keep on trying! 

Any thoughts on the EPIC quest? Outsider point of view, your entire life seems pretty epic right now. 

[WhiteGhost]

On 10/20/2021 at 1:05 AM, JediNickD said:

I'm taking a page from the movie "Wreck-It Ralph".  I've Gone Turbo jumping games.

Wait, a JediNickD challenge that isn't Star Wars based?  What is this world coming to???  

 

Following along

[JediNickD]

On 10/19/2021 at 7:36 PM, Manarelle said:

I have never liked the "there is no try" bit, tbh. Any successful person knows there are LOTS of "try"s before finding the one that works. To each their own, but heck yes to keep on trying! 

Any thoughts on the EPIC quest? Outsider point of view, your entire life seems pretty epic right now. 

 

"Do or do not... there is no try" is about commitment.  Luke's effort was lackluster.  He was not committed to embracing the Force as his ally.  He say's he is trying, but he was not trying his best.  It is a different concept.

 

For my Epic Quest, I have my Extra Life fundraiser event on Nov 5-7 with a 24-hour gaming event.  My goal is to raise $2000 this year, which is twice what I raised last year.  I'm off to a good start with $500+ raised already. 

After that, I have my 41st birthday and a few nephew birthdays, plus a trip to visit friends for Thanksgiving.

Ferris Bueller says, "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."  I say, don't stop looking around.  Keep life at an Epic level and everything slows down so you can enjoy the moments.

[JediNickD]

1 hour ago, WhiteGhost said:

Wait, a JediNickD challenge that isn't Star Wars based?  What is this world coming to???  

 

Following along

 

 

After 62 challenges, the odds were slim, but never tell me the odds.  I did still manage to quote Yoda in the lesson... 🤪   

[Kishi]

Looks good! Welcome back! Will keep my eyes here for epic stuff.

[JediNickD]

On Monday, I got my weight at 164.0 lbs which is 3 lbs lighter than 6-1 Challenge.  My house is getting over an illness (COVID negative thankfully) and it looks like it hit me today.  Feels like a head-cold and strep combo.  I might make a doctor's appointment for tomorrow.  

 

I did the gym Monday morning with 20 min stretching, then 3 HIIT workouts 6 min core, 12 min lower body, 8 min core.  It was a good sweat.  I was planning upper body next, but will stick to push ups at home.  If I miss karate, then I'll do some bag work.  

[Kishi]

11 hours ago, JediNickD said:

Feels like a head-cold and strep combo.  I might make a doctor's appointment for tomorrow.  

 

Big yikes. 😬 Glad to  hear it isn't COVID, but it still sucks. If you're feeling bad enough to seek medical attention, it might not be a bad idea to pump the brakes for a while. Maybe focus more on kata and walks and recovery. If you wish to do that, a good rule of thumb is one day off for each day of symptoms from onset to recovery - so you get sick on day 1 and your symptoms break on day 5, then you take 5 days to recover afterward. Of course, you can kind of gently ramp back into your training, but watch your symptoms and don't be afraid to stop again if they take a turn.

 

Of course, it's your call and you do what you want.

[JediNickD]

Woke up congested, but felt like I just need to clear it out.  I went for a 2 mile run which was more Tabata, because I had to walk and hack out the phlegm.  It was gross, but needed.  I feel a lot better already.   

[JediNickD]

This week is flying by.  I weighed in at 163.0 lbs, which is fantastic.  This week is full of activity with a three straight days of Toastmasters meetings and getting Extra Life stuff squared away.  Maxed bench press at 140 lbs for 5 reps and leg press at 720 lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps.  In my stretching, I am working more hip rotation and flexibility as I am getting closer to the ground in my scissor splits.  Heel splits are still way off, but I am using the scissor as a transition to the heel to press it hard.   And I finished and published my next article for my blog:  https://www.journey2u.org/post/share-your-passion-and-be-a-nerd

 

Also, I finished two gameplay videos from my exploits in Counter Strike: Global Offensive.  I am certainly not a pro at CSGO, but I have fun playing.  I uploaded them to my YouTube channel linked in my signature.  Next on my agenda is a practice stream run on Twitch and Facebook Live.   

 

I'm building a schedule of games for my Extra Life Gaming marathon.  Here's what I got so far:

 

11/5  

5:30pm  Incentive and WHY video.  I'll talk about why I support Extra Life and why it is important to donate.  I'll attempt to eat jello and beans with chop sticks, as I made it over my $500 milestone already.  A makeover to look like Mimi from the Drew Carey Show is my next milestone at $1000.  

6-10pm  Don't Starve Together with a few friends.  

 

11/6

6am  Halo Reach Firefight or Overcooked 2 (friends choice) / Legend of Zelda Randomized until he arrives.

8am  Retro Games with my NES emulator

10am  Atari

12pm  Ultimate Chicken Horse  or Overcooked 2

2pm  Ultimate Chicken Horse  or Overcooked 2

4pm  Halo 3

8pm  Among Us

11pm  Rogue Heroes - Infinite Dungeon 

 

11/7

2am   Nearing wrap-up, but breaks during the day will extend my marathon beyond 2am... I play what keeps me awake.  It'll probably be CSGO, but I also have Alien: Isolation which I want to do late at night, but I also don't want to wake up my family screaming from a Xenomorph attack.

[Manarelle]

On 11/3/2021 at 3:28 PM, JediNickD said:

11/7

2am   Nearing wrap-up, but breaks during the day will extend my marathon beyond 2am... I play what keeps me awake.  It'll probably be CSGO, but I also have Alien: Isolation which I want to do late at night, but I also don't want to wake up my family screaming from a Xenomorph attack.

 

 Good call, that sounds like a real good way to turn the other inhabitants against you. Glad to hear you're feeling better - no one likes phlegm, but it is an unfortunate part of life. How'd the rest of the week turn out for you? 

[JediNickD]

The weekend was fantastic!  We raised over $2000 surpassing my goal.  We absolutely crushed last years efforts before I even played a game.  I filmed two of my incentive videos for eating Jello with chop sticks and the Mimi Make Over.   Those two I expected to hit, but my friends are entirely too generous.  I also have to eat Jello Jiggles with raisins using chop sticks and dye my hair Extra Life light blue (which will be around summer time most likely).    

 

We played Valheim instead of Rogue Heroes, because I had different players stick with me late at night.

 

I played Alien Isolation for the Mimi Make Over, which had a lot of video exposition.  I was hoping to jump right in Survival Mode, but it made me play the Campaign mode first.  It didn't make the best footage.  Oh well.  Next time I play, I moved the story far enough along that some interesting stuff might happen.  The story is railroaded, so you can't do tasks out of order, which means exploring is only going to get you off course, but some of the tasks force you to explore.  The game feels like it would be open world for you to explore the ship and avoid death, but I guess to make the Xenomorphs scarier, they railroad everything to use cut scenes for the scary stuff.  It is a bit annoying.  I hope I can unlock the Survival Mode soon.

 

For retro games, we played a few two player Nintendo games.  We beat Contra with just under 120 lives, which is pretty bad, but first time playing in a very long time.  Glad the Konami code is there to give us a chance.  We failed miserably at Battletoads and RC-ProAm II.  We passed the controller around for Zelda and Mario.  The Atari was pretty lame and I won't be doing again.  The games are just awful with some of the graphics not working or the game just being boring.  We found two interesting games: Moon Patrol and Haunted House.  Neither were fun enough to play again, but I feel I would play again just to beat them and see the final screens.  

 

I think Among Us and Don't Starve Together were the real hits.  We had so much fun murdering each other or watching other things murder each other.  Party games like these allow you to build a community which is what you need to fundraise for a cause like Children's Hospitals.  I'm going to stick to those types of games and really stretch the hours to exhaustion where my friends are having to keep me going.

What I want to do next year is organize a game with other Extra Lifers to show my friends that there are other streamers doing this thing and to grow my community/audience.  A coop game like Don't Starve Together would be good to give us time to chat and a fun game to help each other in.  

[JediNickD]

Weight is down to 162.6 lbs, but my lower back has been giving me issues since taking a fall in karate class last week.  We were doing take downs and I got hip tossed hitting the padded floor hard.  I needed minute when it happened to make sure I wasn't concussed.  I was limber at the time, so I didn't feel any trauma in my back, but the muscles were certainly injured.  The recovery has been slow, but I'm feeling better.  I need to get my hot tub cleaned so that I can expedite the recovery.   I have spar class tomorrow.  I hope I can participate fully.

[WhiteGhost]

On 11/10/2021 at 3:58 AM, JediNickD said:

We beat Contra with just under 120 lives, which is pretty bad

I don't know, that sounds about right to me

[JediNickD]

On 11/13/2021 at 3:29 AM, WhiteGhost said:

I don't know, that sounds about right to me

 

When I was 12, I beat it with just 3 lives.  I remember being on my last life fighting the final boss, jumping those spider-alien things and shooting the alien-heart in rhythm with my heart racing.  It takes so much memorization and flawless movement.  Looking back I realize I probably played too many video games when I could have developed more useful skills for later in life, but the experience of playing video games with my brothers and friends built friendships and  social skills and suffering through failure to accomplish something extremely difficult built character I needed to succeed at anything.  I'm not sure I would change that for something like wood carving or drawing, or more likely excessive sports training since that was really becoming my thing at that age.  

 

I try to remember this when my kids are playing video games, because my parents always looked down on video games.  Are they playing challenging games pushing limits?  Are they relaxing with some friends or family?  For the most part, they play relaxing creative games with social aspects, like Minecraft, Zoo Tycoon, Goat Simulator, Roblox to name a few.  I notice when they take some time for themselves, they will play challenging games on their tablets like puzzle games or race-against-the-clock type games.  It is a good experience for them.  Instead of looking down on my kids habits, we have conversations about screen time, perspective, relevancy, and moderation.  This way, they learn and understand lessons at a young age that I learned as an adult.  

[WhiteGhost]

19 hours ago, JediNickD said:

I beat it with just 3 lives

That is pretty dang impressive.  The only game I ever got that good at was Super Street Fighter II.  

 

19 hours ago, JediNickD said:

It is a good experience for them.

This is a good perspective and one that I try to keep as well.  I have also seen some other good things come from video games.  My son likes to play F1 and from the game he has developed an interest in the engineering that goes into the car design and often supplements his game time with videos about aerodynamics or the tire chemical compounds that differentiate between the various types of tire.  Yesterday he found a video from an actual F1 design engineer that he was referencing to optimize his car build in game  

[JediNickD]

Down to 161 lbs and starting to feel lighter.  Earlier this week, my back was finally feeling good again.  Spar class last week was rough, and I thought I might have injured my hip, but it turned out fine.  I'm a little tired of sucking at spar and my body is ready to go full throttle, which means I can start pushing my cardio and physical activity time.  I need to get out and run as I've been holding off due to my back.  Thanksgiving break is a good opportunity as I'll be home with everyone else sleeping in.  In December, I plan to attend more spar classes and push my lifting to challenge power.  I've fell back on some bad habits in spar, so more practice will train them out while challenging my fitness.  Lifting for power will enhance quickness and strength, which will also aid my spar skills.  

[JediNickD]

163.2 lbs yesterday morning.  It felt like I might have put on a few pounds, but it looks like I made it through T-Break ok.  Portion control and keeping active were the keys to stay on track.  Gotta get back to the normal grind though.

 

Today is Giving Tuesday, so I'm watching my social media for causes my friends support.  Give a little here and a little there to show my love and support.  I met my goal, but I might try a stream tonight to reach out for a few more dollars towards Extra Life.  I have a Friendsgiving with my top donor this weekend.  I owe her a live stream with me eating something of her choice with chop sticks, but I think I might bring the dish and do it live for her as a surprise.

 

 

[JediNickD]

World 6 Level 3 Challenge GRADES:

FITNESS:

Cardio: Speed and Stamina - Run twice a week.  Include sprints and distance.  The goal is to get faster and build stamina, but I have to set a starting block to decide where the finish is.  Time to measure where I am for my 40 and 100 yard dash, 1 and 2 mile jogs.

STA +1, DEX +1  C = I ran, but I didn't do the measurements.  Next time?  It's getting cold so I'll probably be running on a treadmill.  
 

Walking: Fortify the Spine - 10+ min outside with good posture, daily.
CON +1   A = I walked a ton moving inside for some.  I did stairs.  Going to keep this one going in the cold months.
 

Exercise: HIIT Lifting and Bodyweight -  20+ min twice a week. 

STR +1, STA +1  A = I hit the core, upper, and lower.  
 

Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - Daily exercises.  Focus on hips, hams, and splits.

DEX +1   A = My hamstrings are doing well.  My splits are progressing towards the floor.  My hip flexor is a mess.  Gotta find the right exercises for me to get it better.  
 

Karate: Training and Practice - Two classes a week, practice for 20+ min twice a week.  
DEX +1, STR +1   A = Going to crank to 11 next challenge.  I need more time on the mat to get where I need to be for my cardinals, pressure point knock outs, and bone breaks.  I want to get more spar time to get better in the ring too.
 

DIET:

Lean Body - I need to lose some weight, which starts with what I eat.  5+ cups of fruits and veggies.  Cut down flour and corn based carbs at lunch and snack time.  Fill up on spring mix.  Time to start tracking the weight loss and body measurements again.  166.6 lbs yesterday.  
CON +1   A = I didn't track stuff, because I really don't want to spend time cataloging stuff in a spreadsheet.  It is valuable for looking back and finding what is useful, but I'd rather spend more time writing.  
 

LIFE:

Write for Journey2U.org website, Facebook, and blog every day.

WIS +1, CHA +1   A = I wrote a bunch of draft material, but hardly published anything.  I need to cool this down between holidays.  
 

Epic Quest - Complete something EPIC!  I want to be able to look back at my four week challenge and say, "that was the challenge I did X".  My challenges tend to be a lot of the same old.  I've given myself plenty to improve in small steps, but I also want to see big strides in the things I've been working on.  What box can I check?  What have I been procrastinating?  What am I focusing on?

WIS +2, CHA +2   A = I crushed Extra Life.  I had a great birthday.  Thanksgiving was one of the best times.  What else could make it more Epic?

[Manarelle]

5 hours ago, JediNickD said:

A = I crushed Extra Life.  I had a great birthday.  Thanksgiving was one of the best times.  What else could make it more Epic?

 

Heck yeah! Glad you had a good challenge, and found epic things to do. Also good to hear your back is doing better; that can take forever to heal up.