Quest #2- The Battle for Your Mind

While the first quest was mostly about the body, the second quest is about my mind.

So much thought and money is dedicated toward's bodily improvements, yet our livelihood and ability to connect to others relies more on our mental and personal characteristics. Think about it. What are the highest paid careers in the United States? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they are...

1. Orthodontists

2. Anesthesiologists

3. Obstetricians and gynecologists

4.Oral and maxillofacial surgeons

5.Surgeons

6. Physicians and surgeons, all other

7. Internists, general

8. Psychiatrists

9. Family and general practitioners

10. Chief executives

11.Dentists, all other specialists

12. Pediatricians, general

13.Nurse anesthetists

14. Dentists, general

15. Computer and information systems managers

16. Architectural and engineering managers

17. Marketing managers

18. Petroleum engineers

19. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers

20. Prosthodontists

Of the twenty highest median salaries, 14, or 70% are in the medical field. the others require engineering and managerial capacity. Not exactly a job people get out of high school. People who work in these fields get ahead with their mental abilities and personalities.

How can I continue to develop my mental abilities?

Second Major Quest: Improve my Mental Capacity
How? Read books, learn a new language, play games.
Daily Deeds to Advance the Quest
-  Read 20 minutes every day from a novel
- practice reading, listening, speaking a new language
- play games that help connect me to others and practice mental strategies

Life is short.
This is a main factor for conducting these quests. But you can live the lives of others innumerable times by reading. Reading allows a person to explore the mind's ideas from those long gone, or too far away to connect to in conversation. Reading allows you to live through the eyes of others and keep your empathy for those living different lives. Reading every day keeps your vocabulary and reading ability well practiced, but also gives you something to talk about. What is the maxim about discussions? 

Simple minds discuss people.
Learned minds discuss events.
Brilliant minds discuss ideas.

Give your mind something interesting to talk about. Read.

Monolingual Death
Although I have a Spanish surname and half of my family hails from Mexico, I do not speak Spanish. This has been a curse that I have carried with me my whole life. From the moment of my first job interview I have been asked if I was fluent in Spanish. 

No.

I learned enough to explain. "Todo mi familia habla espanol pero my hermano y yo." But my father never taught it to me. I forgive him. He would work two to four jobs my whole life, and he had a Master's Degree! So, he was busy. We had great homes, vacations, and fun. What more could I ask for? Just to learn Spanish. 

I am going to spend 20 minutes every day reading articles in Spanish, practicing using an app called duolingo (that is free) and track my progress. Today I am 17% fluent in Spanish. 



Play games.

Well, well, well. This one deserves it's own page, doesn't it? Let's just say I own several games. Dozens, A hundred? Maybe. And, I love to play. I love to compete, and love to win. But playing is better than winning. This is my go-to hobby, past time, and passion. Playing games is an opportunity to explore new ways of doing things with little or no penalty. 

And, I am not alone in this. We live in the Golden Age of Board Games, where they are not only becoming better and more interesting, but attracting new people to play. Games are the intersection of thinking and socializing. I want to play a little bit each day. This has been the toughest thing to work into the schedule so far, but I am confident I will be able to find creative ways to have it all. 

Tomorrow: The final quest...

1/2 9 more XP. . 
















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