January 2010
31 posts
JANUARY 27th
MISSION: Dine for a day on food purchased from street vendors and make the meals balanced. Define “balance” in a way that fits you, but which at least marginally fits guidelines for good health.
SOURCE: Chris C.
ANALYSIS: This was a bit challenging. Here’s how it went down:
Breakfast: Corn muffin and O.J. from cart outside Radio City.
Lunch/Early Dinner (it was...
JANUARY 26th
MISSION: Machu Picchu Virtual Tour OR Eat Anticucho
SOURCE: Anonymous
ANALYSIS: For lunch yesterday I picked up some Anticucho with beans and rice, went back to the office and watched a virtual tour of Machu Picchu. Anticucho is a Peruvian dish. They are small pieces of grilled, skewered meat marinated in vinegar and spices. The most common type of meat used in the dish are beef...
JANUARY 25th
MISSION: St. Nick’s Pub. 773 St. Nicholas Ave. Go to Sugar Hill to hear some real uptown jazz… the experience is like no other.
SOURCE: Will C.
ANALYSIS: After work I took the D train up to 145th St. and walked a couple of blocks to St. Nick’s. At first glance it’s a simple neighborhood bar, but once inside the low ceiling, Christmas lights and friendly...
JANUARY 23rd
MISSION: Tell 12 women they are beautiful that you meet on the street and try to start a conversation.
SOURCE: Dan T.
ANALYSIS: This Mission was completed on my walk from one from one group of friends to another in the West Village. Most of my interactions began with a little eye contact and, “You are really beautiful.” If I got the “Thank you” or a smile...
JANUARY 22nd
MISSION: Read 3 Cups of Tea (book).
SOURCE: Lital
ANALYSIS: 3 Cups of Tea is the story of Greg Mortenson’s journey from a failed attempt to climb K2, to establishing schools in the most remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. I read during my lunch break - seemed like a really interesting and uplifting story.
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 21st
MISSION: Go out of your way to befriend a homeless person and take them out for a meal.
SOURCE: Amanda C.
ANALYSIS: After work I walked down 9th Ave toward Port Authority. At the corner of 41st a man was begging for money. I asked him if he had eaten yet and he told me that he hadn’t because the shelter that he normally goes to is no longer taking walk-ins. “Well...
JANUARY 20th
MISSION: Keep it simple. Do things your way (it could all be gone in an instant).
SOURCE: Darrel
ANALYSIS: Good advice. Kept this in mind as I communted to the office, worked all day, met someone for a drink and had a late dinner with my roommates. This is obviously somehting I’ll try to keep in my head everyday.
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 19th
MISSION: Bring five empty mission letters to Grand Central Terminal or Penn Station and have strangers fill them out.
SOURCE: Patrick C.
ANALYSIS: I was trying to get to Grand Central, but after seeing some family, I ended up very close to Penn Station, so I went there instead. I had a few people complete mission letters that I will open later this year: three people waiting for...
JANUARY 17th
MISSION: Drive over all the bridges that cross the east river.
SOURCE: Krishna A.
ANALYSIS: Drove into Manhattan over the Williamsburg Bridge, then turned around and crossed over the Manhattan Bridge. Turned right back around and crossed the Brooklyn Bridge back into the city and from there went to see some family in New Jersey. On the way back I crossed the Triboro (RFK) bridge...
JANUARY 16th
MISSION: Go to the Cloisters/Fort Tyron Park and find the steepest area from where you can see the city below you. Once there, think about all of the of the regret, anger and sad things in your life or in the world. When you’re ready, scream at the top of your lungs.
SOURCE: Mariana
ANALYSIS: After getting lost, I finally found Fort Tyron Park, climbed to the top, thought for...
JANUARY 15th
MISSION: Go to OTB (Off Track Betting) and put money on the worst horse and the best horse. Put a low amount of money on one and a lot on the other - your choice which. Take some friends along.
SOURCE: Anonymous
ANALYSIS: Max, Katie Jo and I went to OTB in Greenpoint, BK and put money on the #4 race at the Meadowlands. I put $5 on the 5-2 favorite, Majestic Jackpot and $20 on the...
JANUARY 12th:
MISSION: Be still, silent and empty. Clear your mind of all things and feel the weight of your own existence. If you lose focus, return to center and start again.
SOURCE: Rich M.
ANALYSIS: Eckhart Tolle (see January 11th’s mission) talks a lot in his book about keeping one’s mind clear. It’s something I’ve tried before and if only for a few moments, can...
JANUARY 11th
MISSION: Buy/begin to read the book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle.
SOURCE: Katrina O.
ANALYSIS: Driving across country, I listened to Tolle’s book, The Power of Now, so I was already interested in what he had to say. He offers a very unique perspective on mankind and life itself. I read the first couple chapters as I fell asleep.
...
JANUARY 9th
MISSION: Go to yogatothepeople.com, click YTTP New York, Schedule and attend a free (optional donation) 60 minute yoga class.
SOURCE: Matt B.
ANALYSIS: I thought this would be some basic stretching and breathing (never had done yog before), but there was definitely more to it than that. It was a bit challenging, and I felt great afterwards.
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 6TH
MISSION: Seek out at least five homeless people living in your city. Determine one need they have and assist them in fulfilling it. It may be simply talking to them or possibly giving them a piece of food. Use your imagination…
SOURCE: Aaron Y.
ANALYSIS:
#1 - Coban, a musician/magician on the corner of Broadway and 43rd. It was a freezing night so I bought him a hot...
JANUARY 3rd
MISSION: Write down 25 things you’re grateful for. Then sit in silent meditation for 20 minutes, contemplating these things.
SOURCE: Nancy S.
ANALYSIS: Creating the list was trickier than I thought it would be, as I was trying to be very specific (and touch on as many senses as I could). Sitting in meditation for 20 minutes was nice and relaxing. I was smiling as I sat and...
The Following Letter was distributed to friends...
DAILY MISSION PROJECT
Hello,
I am in danger of becoming really, really boring. While my past adventures have included professional soccer, community service in Guatemala, and traveling across four continents, I find my daily life in New York City, well… routine. I have been here since March of 2008 and though I have good friends and a good job, I find myself longing for the rush I used to feel...