Mini-challenge 3: Mission Impossible: EXCEL!

[Chanda]

 

Good morning fellow Druid,

Two weeks ago you set yourself a number of goals. Goals which will surely help you level up your life. Bright eyed and bushy tailed you started on your 6 week journey to achieve them. 

 

Do you know when most people start losing focus on their goals? It’s usually around 2 weeks! 

 

NF Rebellion HQ's wants to have the best and most successful agents in the field. Your mission Druid, should you decide to accept it, is to excel. You have a total of 8 days from the posting of this message to make sure you are excelling at the goals you set for yourself during this 6 week challenge!

As always, should you or any of your Guild be caught or killed, NF Rebellion HQ will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

This message will not self-destruct in five seconds. 

Good luck Druid.
 

Its time for the third Druid mini-challenge!!! 

The details:

• There will be 6 mini-challenges in total. Challenges so far: FIND, ON TIME and EXCEL
• Each mini-challenge starts when I post the mini-challenge topic (usually on a Sunday or Monday) and runs until the following Monday at 23:59 (your time zone). Technically it is possible that 2 mini-challenges run at the same time... if I post the next mission on a Sunday you can continue with the previous mission until the Monday and already start on the next mission. Confused? Don't worry... its not that complicated!  
• Participation in the mini-challenges is optional but encouraged. 
• Why participate? Its fun to play, what you do is generally something that is useful for you... and if that wasn't enough to motivate you, you can award yourself +1 attribute point if you complete at least 1 mission in all 6 mini-challenges (you can choose the attribute that gets the point). 
• Who can participate? Anyone. Druids and any members of other guilds can join any of the mini-challenges.
• What do you have to do? That will depend on the mission. You can complete as many missions as you like for the week the mini-challenge is running for.
• Log your completed missions here: COMPLETED MISSIONS
• Remember this is supposed to be fun... so don't stress, don't let it get you side-tracked from your own challenge and most importantly: HAVE FUN!!!!

This week the mission is to excel at your goals. Review your goals, examine how you are doing and how you can improve on it. You can count a mission completed for each extra thing you do towards making sure that you excel at achieving your goals for the 6 week challenge. Make this week your A+ week!

 

Tips for this week:

• Look at your daily routines and adjust them to make sure you have the time to work on your goals. For example: get up 30min earlier and get your workout in first thing in the morning. 
• If you are failing at a goal, focus on that goal. Why is it failing? Identify the cause then take steps to correct the situation. If necessary ask for help! 
• If you have a goal that is currently an A, take it up a notch and make it an A+!
• If you know something is coming up over the next 4 weeks that will knock you off course, plan for it. For example: If you have a long weekend away from home, figure out how you are going to exercise while traveling... or plan additional workouts now to make up for the days when you can’t. Or if you have a diet related goal and are going out for dinner at a restaurant, look up the menu ahead of time and decide what you are going to eat. 
• Give yourself permission to take the time to improve yourself. A better you will benefit your loved ones in the long run.
• Lacking motivation? Some ideas to get you motivated (you don’t have to do it all... just find something that you think will motivate you): Make a list of reasons why you are doing this. Make a list of items that describe what your fitness/health/life is like now... and next to each item write down what you want it to become. In some areas you might already be where you want to be. If so, use how good that feels to motivate you to improve in other areas. Write down or, if you are artistically inclined, draw what your ideal life looks like. Keep whatever you wrote/drew/listed somewhere where you can look at it to motivate you. 
• Figure out rewards for reaching certain goals or doing things you really struggle with. 

 

By the end of this week I want you all to be saying:

 

 

Each must in virtue strive for to excel; That man lives twice that lives the first life well. 

- Robert Herrick, 

[Unikarm]

I think this mission was made for me

two of my goals need, well to start. my elimination diet goal and my exercising goal.

i've bought gluten free bread and earth balance to help avoid gluten and dairy. one day i'll go paleo but for now just gluten free.

sigh...alright when i get up in the morning i'll drink y smoothie and then exercise. i believe my third week is play kinect games so at least that should be fun. then i have to go to work.

 

i also need to get up when i wake up and go to bed at a decent hour. i've been going to bed at 11 and i still have a tough time getting out of bed but i am getting up a few hours earlier because of work.

i'm don't drink smoothies everyday but i should they really help my stomach in the morning along with a probiotic.

today i had a Just monkeying around smoothie, delish

[minderly]

well, I guess if I want to meet this I should start my one goal that has been severely lacking...my thesis...

[Unikarm]

well, I guess if I want to meet this I should start my one goal that has been severely lacking...my thesis...

 

ya that's kinda important. gotta pass the college class. and don't cram it like a day before that's bad.

[Chanda]

I think this mission was made for me

two of my goals need, well to start. my elimination diet goal and my exercising goal.

i've bought gluten free bread and earth balance to help avoid gluten and dairy. one day i'll go paleo but for now just gluten free.

sigh...alright when i get up in the morning i'll drink y smoothie and then exercise. i believe my third week is play kinect games so at least that should be fun. then i have to go to work.

 

i also need to get up when i wake up and go to bed at a decent hour. i've been going to bed at 11 and i still have a tough time getting out of bed but i am getting up a few hours earlier because of work.

i'm don't drink smoothies everyday but i should they really help my stomach in the morning along with a probiotic.

today i had a Just monkeying around smoothie, delish

 

Awesome! Glad to give you that little push... I want to see you rock your elimination diet and exercising goals!

 

well, I guess if I want to meet this I should start my one goal that has been severely lacking...my thesis...

 

Oh yes, thats one you want to excel at!!! Get to it Mindy!

[Chanda]

So this is how I am going to excel this week:

 

1. Calorie intake: Preparing for the business trip next week: I will bring my calorie average down as much as possible (but staying above the limit for sedentary lifestyle) so that I save some calories for the big meals I know I will have next week while wining and dinning my customers. Of course, if I don't need to use the saved calories next week... even better!

2. Less sweets: I plan to save at least 1000 calories from sweets by substituting my evening snack with other options. Thus I will have 1000 calories of sweets available for easter. Of course, if I don't need to use the saved sweet allowance over easter... even better!

3. Less coffees: Also saving coffees for the meetings to be held next week. I will need them. Of course, if I don't need to drink extra coffees next week... even better!

4. I will make a plan for things I can do while traveling next week (work on memory exercises, meditation, BBWWO in hotel, read, etc).

5. Do 3 run workouts 

6. Do 3 yoga workouts

7. Do 3 strength workouts

8. Do more of my routines than usually so that my average doesnt go down because of the days when I can't do them!

9. Bring my water intake average to above 1.2liters

10. Get ahead on meditation sessions (average time up to >10min)

11. Get ahead on memory games (by +4)

12. Close 2 of the tasks from the "harvest" list.

 

All this is to get additional stuff done this week in preparation for next week's business trip, then easter and the visit from a good friend. I will of course do my best to keep up with the goals during these disrupting events... and if I can, that means the extra work from this week is not lost and I will totally EXCEL at this challenge.

[Malva]

Oh that is good stuff, Chandra. I did not even think about preparing for easter - thanks for sharing your plans.

[Malva]

To excel for me this week - stick to the plan! Work the plan. Revisit each goal - why did I make it, where do I want it to take me in 6 weeks.

 

A big one for me right about now is DON'T GET DISTRACTED - as the challenge initially stated

 

Two weeks ago you set yourself a number of goals. Goals which will surely help you level up your life. Bright eyed and bushy tailed you started on your 6 week journey to achieve them. 

 

Do you know when most people start losing focus on their goals? It’s usually around 2 weeks! 

 

I have already felt the urge to change goals, pick up side goals, increase goals, complicate things - I am not gonna do it! I am gonna stick with the plan.

 

Excel = work the plan.

[minderly]

For the first week, I have not excelled in my goals. I am drafting emails to profs...but I don't think that's enough. I've gotten tons of sleep and little gym time due to being ill. However, I have stayed away from sweets (aka excel at one goal...though I really don't want to). I really wanted to use sickness as an excuse for eating bad. I have excelled at work as well...instead of calling in, I came in because I HAD to get some data out for a paper. I plan to take the final step in excelling in my life goal tomorrow!

[ScurvySpider]

Good mini-challenge, well timed, and appreciated.

[Chanda]

Oh that is good stuff, Chandra. I did not even think about preparing for easter - thanks for sharing your plans.

 

Thanks. So far I am doing relatively well too... I wont get it all done, but will be in a solid position going into next week. Timing for this challenge was perfect for me!

 

To excel for me this week - stick to the plan! Work the plan. Revisit each goal - why did I make it, where do I want it to take me in 6 weeks.

 

A big one for me right about now is DON'T GET DISTRACTED - as the challenge initially stated

 

Two weeks ago you set yourself a number of goals. Goals which will surely help you level up your life. Bright eyed and bushy tailed you started on your 6 week journey to achieve them. 

 

Do you know when most people start losing focus on their goals? It’s usually around 2 weeks! 

 

I have already felt the urge to change goals, pick up side goals, increase goals, complicate things - I am not gonna do it! I am gonna stick with the plan.

 

Excel = work the plan.

 

This sounds like a great idea. While I am all for keeping things flexible and changing things as I go, I know only too well how easy it is to sabotage ourselves by changing the plan before it has a chance to start working for us. 

 

For the first week, I have not excelled in my goals. I am drafting emails to profs...but I don't think that's enough. I've gotten tons of sleep and little gym time due to being ill. However, I have stayed away from sweets (aka excel at one goal...though I really don't want to). I really wanted to use sickness as an excuse for eating bad. I have excelled at work as well...instead of calling in, I came in because I HAD to get some data out for a paper. I plan to take the final step in excelling in my life goal tomorrow!

 

Well done on staying away from sweets.

 

So did you excel at your life goal???

 

Good mini-challenge, well timed, and appreciated.

 

Yes, timing was perfect on this one... hope it helps all those participating!

[DaniRiekwel]

This was great timing for me too. I've been so crazy busy that I've been neglecting my yoga and updating my nerdfitness. At least I've been sticking to some things... And that feels amazing.

Gem, I like what you said about sticking to your original goals. I felt the same! But I'm sticking with it!

[Malva]

Just going back over my notebook for the week - I have not felt much like I excelled, but much to my surprise I find that I did indeed stick to the plan. Ha. What do you know. 

 

And I had a lot of unexpected stuff going on this week - you know, life happened. Like I decided it was time to start harvesting veggies and delivering to my CSA customers - an event that I totally had not taken into consideration when I started the challenge. And my mother in law came for an unexpected visit - a welcome visit but a little spur of the moment (her: Hi I was thinking of coming to visit -me: Oh great! When? her: How about tomorrow? me: Yay! { as I go for the vacuum cleaner } LOL)

 

But I kept on making my little notes and doing my yoga and I even got in a bit of time working on my book editing project... and I went to a birthday party today and had cake (confession: and chips. they were good. funyuns.) but my other days and meals today were good. stayed up late only one night watching a family movie. my numbers for this week are good.

 

I guess I did indeed work the plan. I wrote 'excel' at the corner of the my notebook page each day to remind me... and I think it kept me going.

[Chanda]

I guess I did indeed work the plan. I wrote 'excel' at the corner of the my notebook page each day to remind me... and I think it kept me going.

 

What a great idea! I might have to do this!