Hope's Epic Quest

[aishah hope]

I found Level Up Your Life at the library recently and it's been really making me want to get back into things...so...here goes!

 

My superhero origin story is pretty Jessica Jones, to be honest - I'm a survivor of trauma and trafficking and was orphaned as a teenager so I connect a lot with her backstory. Like her portrayal in the show (I'm not much of a comic book person!) I also struggle with opening up to people and not isolating myself, and with mental health stuff, especially around trauma and self-worth. But I also feel that what I've gone through puts me in a unique position to be able to help others and I am really passionate about that, so I want to overcome the obstacles I'm facing (fallout from financial abuse, loss of time to my abuser so feeling like I'm playing catch-up on life, the isolation and anxiety and so on) so that I can be of service to others. And I want to get stronger mentally and physically, lose weight, and learn how to have fun and enjoy life.

 

I'm still working on figuring out my goals and I'm sure they'll change over time, but these are the big goals I have for now. I'll be updating as they change and adding smaller goals in this thread. A lot of the things below feel really impossible and way off...but...the journey to Mordor (and back!) begins with a single step.

 

PHYSICAL/HEALTH

• Lose 130 pounds. I'm starting out at ~260 and am in it for the long haul.
• Cut down significantly on gluten and sugar - only eat them as a 'treat' a few times a week at most, for at least 6 months.
• Walk to Mordor and back!
• Complete all 12 weeks of the NF Academy.
• Successfully build a workout routine of strength training 3x/week and yoga/martial arts/dance/something else besides walking 3x/week, and maintain for 6 months.
• Kick some ass! I want to study krav maga. For starters, I'd like to get confident enough (and financially stable enough) to be physically and financially able to do regular classes (at least 1-2x/week) for 3 months.
• Get back to taking dance classes - again a physical and financial challenge that I'll need to work up to. My dream would be to study at the Millennium Dance Complex here in Dallas - regular classes (at least 1-2x/week) for 3 months.

 

MENTAL/SPIRITUAL

• Study Dutch - reach B2 level.
• Study Spanish - reach B2 level.
• Have a strong prayer life. For me this would look like praying five times a day every day and also doing additional prayers outside of that on a regular basis. 

 

WORK

• Publish a romance novel. 
• Finish freeCodeCamp curriculum (including non-profit projects).
• Finish p1xt's Web Development guide.
• Get a job doing web development or data science - ideally in the non-profit realm.
• Get a second bachelor's in Computer Science.
• Get an MSW. 

 

FUN

• Finish all 10 paths in my House (like a guild) on the game I play.
• Reach Knighthood on the game I play.
   

ADVENTURE

• Attend three big conferences I really have been wanting to go to - a financial and travel challenge! 
• Travel to Belgium and the Netherlands.
• Travel to Eastern Europe.
• Travel to Morocco.
• Travel to South America.
   

COURAGE

• Join Toastmasters and attend/participate for at least six months.
• Speak in front of 1000+ people.
• Develop two new deep friendships for at least six months.
   

FREEDOM

• Eliminate all my non-student debt.
• Eliminate all student loan debt. 
• Learn to drive and get a car.
• Get my TESOL certificate from ASU.

 

GRATITUDE

• Donate $10k to crowdfunding campaigns that I really care about.
• Volunteer weekly for CTL for a year.
• Volunteer at least once a month at church for a year.
   

LEGACY

• Publish a book on human trafficking.
   

MASTER QUESTS

• Gain permanent residence in another country (right now I am really leaning towards Belgium or the Netherlands). 
• Work for a major NGO or the United Nations. 
• Find my life partner. 

[aishah hope]

Challenges, levels, and XP:

 

Level 0 - 121xp - 1st Challenge (5/27-6/23/17)

 

Tracking the walk to Mordor:

 

TOTAL SO FAR: 263.77 MILES

194.23 miles left to reach Rivendell! (458)

 

5/28-6/3 - 

5/21-5/27 - 19

5/14-5/20 - 21.66

5/7-5/13 - 25.24

4/30-5/6 - 27.15

4/23-4/29 - 19.63

4/16-4/22 - 26.3

4/9-4/15 - 19.83

4/2-4/8 - 15.6

3/26-4/1 - 19.79

3/19-3/25 - 22.09

3/12-3/18 - 14.48

3/5-3/11 - 27.12

2/26-3/4 - 5.88

[Mazarine]

Whoa, your goals are SO inspiring. I will think of you as I try to really zero in on my goals. You are already a superhero and I am really excited to watch your newest arc unfold!

[aishah hope]

On 5/11/2017 at 5:00 AM, Estral said:

Whoa, your goals are SO inspiring. I will think of you as I try to really zero in on my goals. You are already a superhero and I am really excited to watch your newest arc unfold!

Thank you so much! Reading the book I was a bit afraid to write some of these down because they're hopes and dreams I've been carrying around for awhile that seem so big I don't know how I'd ever accomplish them. But...everyone's gotta start somewhere, right? I really appreciate your kind thoughts

[aishah hope]

There are some things I'm dying to start on but putting off til the end of the school year (in a couple of weeks) because it's just too hectic. However, I did start working on the "learn to drive" one - my friend talked me into signing up for a quick course to get my learner's permit, so I've been going through the lessons on my phone. And the walk to Mordor is going pretty well - almost halfway to Rivendell! And I started doing Duolingo's Dutch course again. And last but not least, I haven't been pushing the weight loss thing yet because I've been dealing with a lot of my stuff around emotional eating, BUT I'm really happy that I -have- been dealing with some of that because I feel like it's my biggest barrier to losing weight. So, baby steps

[Mr.Six]

Fantastic and inspiring Epic Quest.  Congratulations on the progress on your walk so far and jumping in to get your learner's permit.

[Alcinoe]

Hi 

I'm new and just reading your posts. I really hope you are progressing with your quests, they are truly inspiring. How is it going?