Ducal Crown Challenge Sigma Phi Epsilon wi theta Alumni & Volunteer Corporation



Download 16.27 Kb.
Date02.06.2018
Size16.27 Kb.
#52803
Ducal Crown Challenge

Sigma Phi Epsilon WI - Theta Alumni & Volunteer Corporation


Introduction


As undergraduates in Sigma Phi Epsilon, we are taught to continuously develop ourselves throughout our time in college. However, once we graduate, we get caught up in jobs, family, and life and more often than not, forget that tenant once so ingrained in us.

The Ducal Crown Challenge is a component of the Balanced Man Program designed for alumni and volunteers to give them a vehicle to constantly develop themselves and work towards a more fulfilling life.


Overview


Unlike the undergraduate component, the Ducal Crown Challenge isn't part of a linear progression; you won't progress through the challenges in a particular order. Rather, you will pick which challenge you wish to take on.

As a whole, the Ducal Crown Challenge is broken down into the three Balanced Man ideals of Sound Mind, Sound Body, and Sound Spirit. Each ideal has a number of challenges that focus on a specific area or theme of the whole. As a participant, you will end up picking one or more of these challenges as a result of setting a vision to follow.

The challenges are built to be very granular. This allows everyone to be able to participate in the program: regardless of how busy someone is, there is always at least one hour that is wasted in some shape or form. For those that want a bigger challenge, however, multiple challenges may be taken on at once. For those that take on a challenge in each of the Balanced Man ideals, a special designation of Ducal Crown Challenge Completer will be awarded after completion of the challenge.

The layout of the challenge is simple, yet deeply introspective. It starts with personal reflection, creating a vision of an improved life from that, developing goals from the vision, and finally working at accomplishing those goals. Throughout the course of the challenge, time will be spent reflecting on progress made, what obstacles lay in the way, and how to overcome them. Finally at the end of the challenge, a summary recapping the experience will be turned in to the Balanced Man Steward or Ducal Crown Challenge coordinator.


Creating a Vision


The first task in the DCC is to create a vision for the end of the challenge. Creating this should combine both reflection on life today as well as what life could be like in a year. Explore not only how things in your life could be better or what negativities could be removed, but also what things could be added to enhance life.

There isn’t a wrong answer to what your vision is, however it will become the basis for the rest of the steps in the challenge. Take time to write down your vision using as many sensory adjectives as possible. Once complete, review it and then answer the following question: Which aspects of this vision do I want to actively work on in the next year? You don’t need to fulfill every aspect of your vision the first time around, you can always come back to it later on and work on more things. With the aspects selected, you are now ready to choose a challenge (or challenges) to participate in.


Choosing a Challenge


For each aspect that you chose to work on, match that up with one of the Balance Man Ideals, Sound Mind, Sound Body, or Sound Spirit, and one of the specific challenges under it. Don't be afraid to broaden the definitions of the challenges to meet your vision, but if your vision truly doesn't fit into any of the challenges, talk to the BMP Steward or DCC Coordinator to see how to classify your vision.

Here are descriptions of each ideal and the challenges underneath each:


Sound Mind


Sound Mind will involve things that focus on learning and open thinking. Examples may be learning a foreign language, exploring new cultures, or working to create something new.

Academic Challenge


This challenge revolves around learning and creating.

Career Challenge


This focus of this challenge is improving one's place in the workforce or venturing off to start a new endeavor.

Culture Challenge


Experiencing and learning about other cultures is the goal of this challenge.

Sound Body


Sound Body involves physical fitness as well as overall health. Examples could include running a marathon, but also smaller goals, such as heating healthier and being more active.

Healthy Lifestyle Challenge


This challenge involves making lifestyle changes to promote a long lasting, healthy life.

Physical Fitness Challenge


The goal of this challenge is to accomplish feats of human fitness from a 5k to the Iron Man.

Sound Spirit


Sound Spirit can be thought of in a couple different ways; it could be an inner peace that comes from religious activity or meditation, volunteering for the community or the Fraternity, spending more time with family, or strengthening relationships.

Inner Peace Challenge


This challenge pertains to finding inner peace through a variety of means, whether religious, emotional, or mental.

Volunteer Challenge


The purpose of this challenge is to give back to the community by volunteering time and talents to others in need.

Brotherhood Challenge


Building brotherhood by service to the Fraternity is the goal of this challenge.

Family Challenge


Reconnecting with family or improving the lives of the ones we love is the focus of this challenge.

Setting Goals


Now that you have a vision and a challenge it applies to, the next step is to set intermittent goals on how to achieve it. For each aspect of your vision you've committed to achieve, think of what it will take to get there in small steps. These don't have to be goals in the traditional sense of the word; perhaps it's identifying something that is inhibiting you from actualizing your vision, and the goal is to cut down or remove that from your life. On the flip side, perhaps it is starting to do something or doing something more often that will help you get to your goal. Of course, it can also be a true, traditional goal that identifies a milestone in your journey. Set dates and actionable steps to achieve it on time.

There are two things to keep in mind. The first is that the vision is relative; along the way, you may find that the best way to get there is to do something completely different. Don't be afraid to abandon your goals in favor of something that will help more. The second point is to not necessarily think in absolutes; if you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle and one of your goals is to keep your daily caloric intake below a certain threshold, don't despair if you go out to a nice dinner and end up indulging a little too much. Every journey has some setbacks. Just pick back up the next day knowing that as long as you're pushing to go forward, you haven't failed.


Taking on the Challenge


Now that you have goals to get you to your vision, the next step is to actually do them. This step actually has two parts to it. The first part is to literally do the steps you've laid out to do. The other part is some form of sharing or reflection.

This second part serves a couple of purposes. First, it provides a way to track that you are actually working towards your vision throughout the year. Second, and probably more importantly, it gives you time to reflect to see how far you've come. The method of how to reflect and share is up to you. With the internet there are now countless ways to document things. Here are a few ways that you can share your progress:



  • If you are working on the Physical Fitness Challenge, keep a log of running times or lifting weight and reps. Then post these numbers to Facebook or Twitter after each workout.

  • If you are learning a musical instrument, record yourself playing and play it back. Then listen to it and take notes on where you can improve for next time.

  • If you are trying to live a better family life, take photos of things you do together and create a photo album.

  • Start a blog and post regular updates on your progress.

  • If you are working on creating a piece of art, find a group of artists that you can join to get feedback from.

  • Find other Ducal Crown members and have a regular conference call, dinner out, or chat session about progress.

Finishing the Challenge


After a year of working on your goals, take some time to reflect on the whole year. Did you realize your vision? How far did you come from where you were a year ago? Write a brief summary of what the year was like listing challenges and successes. Turn this in to the BMP Steward or DCC Coordinator as the culmination of the challenge.

Successful completion of the challenge isn't necessarily completing your original vision. While you may not have achieved it, you may still have come a long way, and that improvement is what is important. The development doesn't have to stop just because the challenge did.

Download 16.27 Kb.

Share with your friends:



The database is protected by copyright ©ininet.org 2024
send message
    Main page
next step is
traditional sense