Mission 5 was to improve my grooming and style. The first part was to choose one task from a list and implement it. I’m doing several:

Grooming tasks

• Change hairstyle – Not done
• Get contacts – Done!
• Get a tan – Not done (see website paleisthenewtan.com)
• Get a manicure – Does this matter?
• Remove excess hair – Plucked and manscaped
• Whiten teeth – Not done
• Freshen breath – I’m ok in this area.
• Dermatology advice – Not done
• Accessorize – I’m shopping for a cool watch
• Join a gym – 3 times/week for past two years
• Eat healthier – Been doing this for years
• Make sure your clothes fit – In process

This part of the mission will probably never be completed. These tasks are part of a lifestyle. You could invest a full year in these things and it would pay off. For you guys out there following my missions, or doing them yourselves, I can’t stress enough how important this particular mission is. Sure, you can say “I don’t want to wear/go/do/buy something that isn’t me.” Try each and every one of the steps in the book just to try them. You can always abandon them later…but who knows what will stick or what will come of it? It’s about more than just clothing.

Also, exercise/going to the gym is an especially easy one to skip because it requires so much commitment. (It’s also so easy to find an excuse to skip on a any given day.) Do it anyway. Some things need to be done no matter what the context. I thought I was in shape because I wasn’t fat – not true. Now that I’ve been going to the gym several times per week for two years, plus playing a sport, I can see and feel a huge difference. It naturally became a “borderline obsession” just as Neil Strauss instructs in the book.

Make a Change

This part of the challenge has taken on a life of its own. I’ve already spent about $700 on new clothes from BlueFly.com. (I needed them anyway.) But there’s other stuff brewing that addresses this as well. Thus….

Mission grade: A

It’s a bit premature, but there are things in the works that allow me to pre-emptively give me this grade. I’m gonna do what it takes above and beyond my current primping. However, this stuff is going to take time. I’m moving on to the next mission while doing this in tandem.