Challenge Me

There is a really cool pattern I'm starting to notice with people of my generation (I don't know what we call ourselves--Gen Y-ers? Millennials?): we are really getting into what I will call Self-Discovery Challenges.

A couple of months ago, I started to think about it because I read No Impact Man and saw the documentary.  In it, the author decides to get as close as possible to having no environmental impact for a full year.  He does it gradually--starting with cutting out waste, getting his wife to shop thrift only, composting, biking everywhere, getting his daughter into cloth diapers, only shopping at the farmers market, etc--and eventually for the last couple months ends up as extreme as possible with no electricity.  It's a thought-provoking read, and at the end he puts up the challenge to his readers: go No Impact for X amount of time, and just see what you glean from it. 

I find books, blogs, and concepts like these fascinating--they are like candy to me.   They are also becoming really prevalent, and seem to appeal to my generation more than most.  (I really only say that because I know my mom and dad have no interest whatsoever in this form of writing, so I really have no idea if it's generational or not.  Just a hunch.) 

A few years ago, I read a book called Not Buying It, where a couple decides to not buy anything new for a full year (except necessaries like food and toilet paper).  One of my favorite books of all time is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, where she and her family decide to only eat what they could grow and buy within 100 miles for a full year.  Then there are the stories and web communities of people who pledge to get out of debt or lose X pounds or go vegan or whatever.  A good friend of mine is doing the "6 Items or Less" challenge, where she only wears six items of clothing for full month.

I love to read about these challenges.  I love seeing the good and the bad--the moments where the author hits a roadblock, shows that he is only human, questions what on earth he was thinking--and then the comes out the other end stronger and with a better sense of who he is and how he views the world.  Maybe it's a little dramatized, but it hits the spot for me.   

But, here's the kicker.  I have never actually done a challenge--top to bottom.  I read about them like a fifteen year-old boy reads porn (okay...maybe I read Jane Austen like a fifteen year-old boy reads porn, but it's a close second), and I've never taken the plunge on any of them. 

Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed in myself.  I'm one part chicken-shit, one part Doubting Thomas.  I scared to be judged as a lunatic.  And, though I enjoy these books, I've never read something that spoke so purely to me it was like a biblical revelation.  I can always disagree with something.  So, I'll take a piece here or there, change a little bit of my lifestyle, and then be on my way.

I feel like I'm really missing out.

I wish there was some more concrete challenge I could take up in my year of discovery--something where I could find a community of people doing the same things and discussing the same problems.  Something with strict rules that shock me into a drastically new behavior.  Something that would get me so far out of my comfort zone that I could have meaningful revelations.  Something that gave me that feeling of accomplishment at the end.  (And, honestly, it would probably be best for me if it had something to do with a job or career, but I won't be too picky.)

So, it got me wondering....are there any challenges out there that can help me with my personal self-discovery?  If not, could I start one?  Or, is what I'm doing enough?

I feel like it's not enough. 

Is this diary-blog enough?

Hmmph.