Forgive and Forget

I think Week 1 of challenges ended up well.

While I can't say I was 100 percent successful at not talking about others, I can say I was much better about it. It is strange how I had a hyper-awareness of the things going through my head and the words coming out of my mouth.

It is my hope to continue that censorship of my words and get to the point where I do not even think about things to say that could be hurtful.

But moving on.
This week's challenges, as dictated by the Challenge Masters, are as follows:

• Do not lie. At all. About anything. Even little white lies.
• Study for an hour every day for something that is not due the following day.
• Do not hold grudges/anger towards anyone or anything. Let go easily and forgive and forget quickly.

I have chosen to try to forgive and forget.

This week I will not dwell on petty frustrations or get angry when I feel slighted by someone. I will accept what happens to me and move on.

This will be a little harder for the Challenge Masters to monitor, so I hope they are on the lookout!

Keeping My Mouth Shut

Halfway through my first weekly challenge I have yet to slip up and make a snide remark about someone behind their back.

Try as they might to tempt me into conversations about what I think about so and so, I have done a good job not taking the bait of the Challenge Masters and even friends unaware of my situation.

Of course that's not to say it has been easy. I was fed several fascinating tidbits of gossip in the past few days where I would have normally chimed in, "I can totally see that about her! She was always so..." It is hard to not throw your two cents in, and not nearly as fun just to listen.

It is interesting to note how scared I was the first few days that I would totally forget and an offhand comment would just fly out of my mouth. Do I really have such little self control?

Even more interesting is that I started to censor the thoughts in my head. Little comments I made to myself about someone I passed in the gym, or saw at a bus stop. Does it count if I never voiced the comment, or if it was to myself, or about a complete stranger?

I think forcing myself to be aware of stupid, meaningless criticisms of people, even if just in my head, is helping me realize the pointlessness of them. It doesn't even make me feel better about myself.

Now I think something and immediately think, "Where did that come from?"

Maybe by the end of the week I will have positive, uplifting comments in my head about all the people I pass...and I'll be able to voice those.

Let the Games Begin!

Well the Challenge Masters have been quite excited about this little undertaking of mine, and have even enlisted the help of a few other friends in coming up with challenges for me. It seems my fear that they would not have enough challenges for nine weeks in completely unfounded.

Here are the three choices for Week 1:

• Do not spend any money for the week.
• Do not say rude things about anyone behind their back.
• Compliment every person you are engaged in conversation with.

I have chosen the second challenge, so for the next week I will attempt to not talk about anyone behind their back.

Now, I would just like to clarify that I do not consider myself a huge two-faced, trash-talking, mean-spirited gossip queen. I am pretty sure my friends do not either. However, I will not deny that there are times when something said would perhaps have been better left unsaid.

I think the hardest part about this challenge will be learning how to voice my frustrations or anger or dislike for someone either in a positive way, or not at all. Maybe holding my tongue will cause me to reevaluate what I was going to say, and why I was going to say it.

Will I feel left out if I don't rail on "that girl's outfit" when I am with my friends at lunch? How awkward will it be when the complaints from my classmates about our TA are met with silence from me? We shall see.

Who Doesn't Love a Good Challenge?

I have some interesting roomates. I consider all three of them some of my closest friends, and we tend to operate on a level all our own, oblivious to the norms of the outside world.



Without them, my days would have far fewer heated arguments over the banana-ripening abilities of plastic bags, not nearly as many late night stints at Wal-Mart searching for slip n' slide materials, and significantly less quotes from "She's The Man".



We tend to get bored/put off schoolwork easily, so to fill all that free time, developing games involving dares and pranks has become our forte.



When I was searching for ideas of what to write about in this blog, I asked if they would be willing to help me out and create challenges for me to attempt each week.



I decided instead of silly, useless activities we have dared each other in the past, like buying a guy at a bar a shot of water, I would try to do things that will challenge my character, make me a better person, improve my karma.



Starting this Sunday, I will pick one challenge out of the three that my roomates (aka the Challenge Masters, as they have dubbed themselves) offer and try to stick to it for a whole week.



Tune in here to read about all my successes, failures, frustrations and joys. I am 100% dedicated to these attempts, and it will be interesting to see what the three Challenge Masters come up with each week. I will write honestly about my experiences, but they will also be keeping tabs on me and are sure to let me know any slip ups I have.



After all, who doesn't love a good challenge?