Challenge #7: Identify My Biggest Weakness(es)

There are very few people on this earth who have any idea who I am. This is not because I am anti-social or don't have any friends, but rather, because I am an excellent faker. Over the past 25 years, I have basically perfected the art of "having my act together" (this is distinctly different than having my life in order). This made figuring out my weaknesses particularly difficult because is nearly impossible to discover one's weaknesses by oneself. After doing some research on my personality type, and having conversations with the few people who know me best, I was able to narrow my list of weaknesses down to 5.

5. Organization - I generally avoid structure and labeling, resulting in reduced productivity.

4. Follow Though - I much prefer starting an endeavor than finishing. I have plenty of unfinished plans and projects that I will never finish.

3. Planning - I prefer to live in the moment and keep my options open, resulting in a lifestyle that can often be frustrating for others trying to rely on me.

2. Focus - New ideas excite me to the point of being easily distracted away from my current task.

1. Pride - I care too much about what others think of me and often avoid sharing my thoughts, opinions, and ideas.

Talking about failures and weakness is not an enjoyable exercise. Holding up mirror to ones character and being honest about ones shortcomings however, is a valuable tool for developing oneself as a person.

Challenge 8: Have a meaningful conversation with another dude.

Dude out,

-C.R.

Challenge 6: Dieting. No. It isn't manly.

This week's challenge was just weird. I wanted to try some sort of strange diet/cleansing technique. I chose the General Motors Diet (aka The Cabbage Soup Diet) and in retrospect, I probably should have invested more time in researching diets. This was by far the strangest eating program I have ever attempted. My week went as follows:

Day 1: Any fruit you care to consume (except bananas). As I rarely buy much fruit, I hit this day hard. My consumption included: a pint of strawberries, 3 apples, 2 oranges, a pint of blueberries, and an entire cantaloupe.

Day 2: Any vegetable you care to consume, with 1 baked potato for breakfast. I had a lot of salad, 1/2 a bag of baby carrots, and even consumed a bell pepper like an apple.

Day 3: All fruits and veggies. No potatoes. I basically gorged on carrots, broccoli, and odd veggie soup.

Day 4: 8 Bananas, 3 large glasses of skim milk. As a huge dairy addict, this day was great! I also housed all 8 bananas.

Day 5: 10 oz. beef, 6 tomatoes. I like tomatoes. But scarfing down tomatoes by themselves is not a palate appeasing activity. Alternating between small bites of beef and big bites of tomato helped.

Day 6: Beef and vegetables. I pounded burger like it was some sort of cheap, fake, hormone enhanced substance. (oh....wait...).

Day 7: Brown rice and fruit juice. I was ready for real food, but I had to stick it out for one more day. Also, brown rice has the texture of those little rubber nuggets used to cushion turf athletic surfaces.

In the end, I lost around 7 pounds, but I'm almost certain it was entirely water weight. I think I would rather just eat normal portions of good healthy food. On the positive side, I think I know how Barbie feels when she goes on her pre-packaging weight loss program at Mattel. So while I successfully completed the challenge, I need to consider conducting more research before implementing my future endeavors.

Challenge 7: Identify my biggest weakness/failure.

Dude out,

-C.R.

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Challenge 5: Use Less and Useless

I have been wanting to complete this challenge for quite some time. The idea was spawned when I moved out of my parents house and thought "Sheesh, I'm only 24 - all this crap is MINE???!!" The inkling was distilled when I moved to Syracuse and realized, "I should get rid of some stuff." Last week I was vaulted into action following my encounter with Jim and decided to "Get rid of everything I don't use." The aim was neither entirely philanthropic or ascetic. I merely wanted to be honest about what I "need," eliminate clutter, and give my stuff to people who will use it.

Upon assessing my belongings, I realized two things. First, some of my stuff is only valuable to me; and second I horde junk. Thus, I began sorting my under-utilized possessions into two piles: "Donate" and "Dump." I threw out several pairs of battle-scarred shoes, a bunch of office supplies (who even uses wooden pencils anymore?), and a couple nasty old gym shirts. The donate pile however, expanded rapidly.

After an honest and thorough examination, I had accumulated a hefty quantity of "stuff." Some of the highlights include:

5 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of shoes, 3 belts, 2 walkie-talkies, 2 printers, 3 sweatshirts, over 20 shirts, a winter coat, ski pants, and a nice suit.

Although this challenge is not entirely complete (I have numerous belongings at my parents house pending evaluation), I did find the exercise worthwhile. Part of me wishes I had gotten rid of more things (I still have quite a few shirts), but on the whole I feel comfortable with the de-cluttering I have done.

Challenge #6: Try an odd system-cleanse/weight-loss diet. Just 'cause.

Dude out,

-C.R.