30 Day Challenges

#1 Write a I-Like-This-About-You note/text/email each day for someone (Easy)
#2 Talk to one stranger each day (Hard)
#3 Take one picture each day (Hard)
#4 Re-evaluate one long-held belief each day(Intermediate)
#5 Take a 30 minute walk each day (Easy)
#6 Take a moment each day to practice self compassion and self-love (Hard)
#7 Try a new recipe each day (Intermediate)
#8 Refrain from alcohol and other drugs for 30 days in a row! (Depends)
#9 Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days (Hard)
#10 Learn how to draw a human face in 30 days(Intermediate)
#11 Watch a documentary each day (Easy)
#12 Read a chapter each day (Easy)
#13 Study a topic you’d like to master each day (Hard)
#14 Walk/Drive/Run a new route to work/school each day (Easy)
#15 Read a new article on HE each day (Easy)
#16 Media-fast for 30 days (Intermediate)
#17 Pick one bad habit you already have and ditch it for 30 days (Hard)
#18 Inspire yourself each day (Easy)
#19 Take a cold shower each day (Intermediate)#20 Think of an accomplishment you’d like to achieve for each year of the next 30 years, a year each day.(Hard)
#21 Practice a random skill everyday (Easy)
#22 Take the stairs every chance you get (Easy)
#23 Wake up early each day (Intermediate)#24 Keep a journal (Intermediate)
#25 Don’t lie for 30 days (Hard)
#26 Combine challenges (Easy)
#27 Doing something that scares you every day (Hard)
#28 Don’t complain for an entire day (Hard)
#29 Meditate each day (Intermediate)
#30 Practice (at least) one completely selfless act each day (Easy)

PMS or "Pietro Maximoff Syndrome" to be arrogant and high-handed

http://i.imgur.com/slRYZQB.jpg

This reminded me of my arrogant post last month where I pointed out that the IQ gap between myself and the average person is greater than the IQ gap between the average person and a mentally handicapped person.  Hopefully, I'm less of an ass about it because I recognize and acknowledge that everyone is smarter than me in many, many ways.

The end of Mike Rowe's TED talk really struck a chord with me. Here it is.

15:21It goes like this -- we've declared war on work, as a society, all of us. It's a civil war. It's a cold war, really. We didn't set out to do it and we didn't twist our mustache in some Machiavellian way, but we've done it. And we've waged this war on at least four fronts, certainly in Hollywood. The way we portray working people on TV -- it's laughable. If there's a plumber, he's 300 pounds and he's got a giant butt crack. Admit it. You see him all the time. That's what plumbers look like, right? We turn them into heroes, or we turn them into punch lines. That's what TV does. We try hard on "Dirty Jobs" not to do that, which is why I do the work and I don't cheat.

16:05But, we've waged this war on Madison Avenue. I mean, so many of the commercials that come out there -- in the way of a message, what's really being said? Your life would be better if you could work a little less, if you didn't have to work so hard, if you could get home a little earlier, if you could retire a little faster, if you could punch out a little sooner -- it's all in there, over and over, again and again.

16:26Washington? I can't even begin to talk about the deals and policies in place that affect the bottom line reality of the available jobs because I don't really know. I just know that that's a front in this war.

16:38And right here guys, Silicon Valley, I mean -- how many people have an iPhone on them right now?How many people have their Blackberries? We're plugged in; we're connected. I would never suggest for a second that something bad has come out of the tech revolution. Good grief, not to this crowd.(Laughter) But I would suggest that innovation without imitation is a complete waste of time. And nobody celebrates imitation the way "Dirty Jobs" guys know it has to be done. Your iPhone without those people making the same interface, the same circuitry, the same board, over and over? All of that? That's what makes it equally as possible as the genius that goes inside of it.

17:21So, we've got this new toolbox, you know. Our tools today don't look like shovels and picks. They look like the stuff we walk around with. And so the collective effect of all of that has been this marginalization of lots and lots of jobs. And I realized, probably too late in this game -- I hope not, because I don't know if I can do 200 more of these things -- but we're going to do as many as we can. And to me the most important thing to know and to really come face to face with, is that fact that I got it wrong about a lot of things, not just the testicles on my chin. I got a lot wrong.

18:02So, we're thinking -- by we, I mean me -- that the thing to do is to talk about a PR campaign for work,manual labor, skilled labor. Somebody needs to be out there talking about the forgotten benefits. I'm talking about grandfather stuff, the stuff a lot us probably grew up with but we've kind of -- you know, kind of lost a little.

18:30Barack wants to create two and a half million jobs. The infrastructure is a huge deal. This war on work, that I suppose exists, has casualties like any other war. The infrastructure's the first one; declining trade-school enrollments are the second one. Every single year: fewer electricians, fewer carpenters, fewer plumbers, fewer welders, fewer pipefitters, fewer steamfitters. The infrastructure jobs that everybody is talking about creating are those guys -- the ones that have been in decline, over and over.Meanwhile, we've got two trillion dollars -- at a minimum, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers -- that we need to expend to even make a dent in the infrastructure, which is currently rated at a D minus.

19:11So, if I were running for anything, and I'm not, I would simply say that the jobs we hope to make and the jobs we hope to create aren't going to stick unless they're jobs that people want. And I know the point of this conference is to celebrate things that are near and dear to us, but I also know that clean and dirty aren't opposites. They're two sides of the same coin, just like innovation and imitation, like risk and responsibility, like peripetia and anagnorisis, like that poor little lamb, who I hope isn't quivering anymore, and like my time that's gone.

19:47It's been great talking to you and get back to work, will you? (Applause)

A couple self assessment top 10 lists

10 Small Things I Wish I Did More
Bodyweight Exercise
Light Weight Training
Fast
Writing
Reading
Learning
Adventures Alone
Playing With Hunter
Adventures With Kiri
Adventures With Friends

10 Things I Waste Time On
Reddit
Facebook
Cleaning
Home Repairs
Sleeping
Watching TV With Hunter (in a way)
Watching Hunter Play in Parks (in a way)
Changing Diapers
Shopping
Coming Up With #10

10 Things I Am Content With
My Wife
My Son
My Bed
My Technology
My Clothing (but shoes need replacing soon)
My Wife's Cooking
My Income
My Job
My Writing Success
My Medication


10+1 Impossible Adventures (If time and money and skill and safety were no object)
Around the world as a bum
Spend a month in the Keys in a tent
Discover realities of Sweden
Stay in a Tokyo pod hotel and hit all the food stalls on a scooter
Go 5-star VIP in Moscow
Go 5-star VIP in Las Vegas
Full tourist trap Hawaii
Eat in Italy
Attend Art School For Drawing
Bring A Horrible Foreign Atrocity To Light For A Major Publication
Spend A Full Month Doing EVERYTHING in Orlando

A self-assessment

1.  I'm slowly taking on running more day-to-day operations of my company, trying to keep Hunter happy and healthy, trying to keep Kiri happy, reading philosophy, editing my novel, doing bodyweight exercises, writing projects with friends, finding time to have adventures with friends.  I weigh about 215 pounds.

2.  I want to move towards running most of the company when Hunter reaches school age, keeping Kiri happy, gaining an understanding on controlling my thoughts, writing another novel after Levi's in Africa, and having adventures with friends.  I want to be under 200 pounds with a flat belly and a tight jowl.

3.  My priorities put Kiri's and Hunter's happiness and comfort above my distractions from them.

4.  No.

5.  My purpose is to raise Hunter and keep Kiri happy.  The other stuff are my hobbies to keep me happy.



From a blog:

1. Identify where you are.

I started by listing all the specifics that were taking my resources. All of those good things—the projects, tasks and life happenings—that filled my days to overflowing. I had an “Oh, now I get it” moment as I realized all the directions I was sending my time and energy.

2. Discover where you really want to be.

I then dreamed about where I really wanted to be—drowning in the shallow end of good, or confidently swimming in the deep end of great? In order to get deep into great, I had to be honest about those projects, tasks and life seasons where I really wanted to focus. Which did I care about and want to pursue above the others?

3. Consider what’s holding you back.

Then, came the tough questions. What good things were drowning me? What was holding me back? What good things were getting in my way of doing something great, or doing anything at all?

4. Let go of good for better. 

Next, came the hard part of letting go. I had to confront my hang-ups to letting go of those good projects, tasks and happenings. I couldn’t let guilt control me anymore—if I wanted to swim in great, I needed to go through the challenging process of letting go of the excess good.

5. Live simply with purpose where you are.

Finally, it was time to pursue my new focus on purpose and with appreciation. What would I do today to implement my new simple, intentional, contented focus?

Day 1 —Select a book at random in the room.  Find a novel or short story, copy down the last sentence and use this line as the first line of your new story.  

(Good thing I bought William Gibson's zero history at the Dollar Tree yesterday because the only other book I own is House of Leaves and I don't want the last line spoiled for that.)

She wakes beside Garreth's slow breathing, in their darkened room, the sheets against her skin.

The light, still and far away, coming between the Venetian blinds of their room whispers of civilization, peeking into their nest on the rustic grounds of their summer getaway.  The LEDs in the clock glow dimly, the only proof that electricity flows to their bungalow.  Salt air comes manages to come through the filters of the air conditioner and the not-unpleasant smell of the sea comes with it.  She knows that this smell is actually the smell of death, a steady decay of crustaceans from the night fisherman, but she doesn't care.  Her concern is her bliss and how Garreth's skin reacts to her hot breath in this humid climate, tensing slightly with each exhale and relaxing on its reprieve.

She looks at Garreth and smiles.  Garreth is perfect in her eyes and she slinks backwards out of bed, keeping her eyes on her lover.  She feels the sheets move over her back as her feet touch the floor and she pours herself out of bed, letting Garreth's arm move across her in an conscious and uncontrolled caress she steals from Garreth's fingertips.  When Garreth's hand is on her neck, she pushes her neck down into the mattress and pulls back so slowly, impossibly slowly, trying not to wake or disturb her lover, until finally Garreth's hand transitions without pause or interruption to the satin sheets with the rest of Garreth's body.

(At this point my wife licked me and I was unable to continue writing)

Kiri chose a random letter, then number to give me this challenge.
Writing Prompt 30 Day Challenge

Day 1 —Select a book at random in the room.  Find a novel or short story, copy down the last sentence and use this line as the first line of your new story.

Day 2 —Tell about a character who lost something important to him/her.

Day 3 —Write about the worst time you’ve ever put your foot in your mouth.

Day 4 —Write a story/excerpt to include the line, “Sorry, we can’t insure you for a journey like that.”

Day 5 —Pick a letter of the alphabet.  Now imagine two aisles of your local supermarket.  List everything found in those two aisles that begin with that letter of the alphabet.

Day 6 —Write about a person who would buy all of those items in Day 5.

Day 7 —What sets you apart from the crowd?

Day 8 —Tell your life story from someone else’s point of view.

Day 9 —What was your favorite childhood toy?

Day 10 —What do you want to be remembered for?

Day 11 —What was your first childhood pet?  Describe it in detail.

Day 12 —What is your favorite day of the week?

Day 13 —Write about a random picture you would find in an envelope of finished prints at Costco.

Day 14 —Elvis still gets 100 Valentines each year.  Tell about one of the people who sent one.

Day 15 — Create a character who is falsely accused of a crime.

Day 16 —If we assume ghosts are real, what type of ghost would you like to see?

Day 17 — Write a short scenario set in the kitchen of a fast-food restaurant.

Day 18 —Take a reader behind the wheel with the worst driver you’ve ever known.

Day 19 —Write a list of 25 (or just 5!) things you want to do in your life.

Day 20 —If you could go on only one more vacation in your lifetime, where would you go and why?

Day 21 —Find a job ad in the paper.  Write about your life if you had that job.

Day 22 —You wake up with a key gripped tightly in your hand.  How did you get this key?  What does it lock or unlock?

Day 23 —Pretend you’re a cartoon character.  What type of a character would you be?  What would a day in your life be like?

Day 24 —Write about the longest amount of time you’ve ever gone without sleeping.

Day 25 —Write a story about ‘What the Neighbors Saw.’

Day 26 —Write about your worst habit.

Day 27 —Make up a near-death experience (unless you have a real one).

Day 28 —You read about yourself in your brother/sister, girlfriend/boyfriend’s diary.  What did you read?

Day 29 —You are at a cemetery reading gravestones.  Write about one of the people you find.

Day 30 —Write a short entry that ends with the line, “The silver dust of moonlight settled coldly on the night.”