Welcome to the Feel Good Challenge! I want to make your path to living the Feel Good Effect as easy as possible, so I’ve designed this challenge to help you take the momentum you’ve built and to start taking daily action. Like the entire Feel Good Effect approach, this challenge is not about perfection, all-or-nothing, or comparison. Instead, it’s about taking imperfect action, making it work in your life, and doing it more days than not.

For a downloadable Feel Good Challenge workbook, visit realfoodwholelife.com/fgebook.

The Challenge

Since having a game plan can be helpful when adopting a new approach, this challenge is designed to give you the exact steps to get started. If you want an autopilot version, this is it. Of course, there’s always room for flexibility, so if something about the plan doesn’t work, feel free to customize. Either way, to get big results, start with small steps. Change comes through commitment and consistency, and this challenge is your first move.

Before starting the Feel Good Challenge, set aside an hour and a half (all at once, or divided) to complete Steps 1 to 5.

Step 1. Take the Feel Good Effect Archetype Quiz

The quiz on this page typically takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete and will determine your Feel Good Effect Archetype. Keep in mind there are no right or wrong answers, so simply choose the answer that is most true for you right now.

Step 2. Find Your Feel Good Effect Archetype

After you’ve completed the quiz, use the Quiz Scoring Guide to determine your archetype: Dynamo, Seeker, or Cultivator. If your results are split evenly, read through the descriptions and then select the one that best describes you.

Step 3. Vision

Complete the Feel Good Vision exercise on this page. This typically takes 15 to 30 minutes.

Step 4. Goal Flip

Once you’ve completed the Vision exercise, use the Goal Flip exercise on this page to reverse engineer a result and set Mini-Milestones and Big Wins for the next 30 days. This exercise typically takes 15 to 30 minutes.

Step 5. Mindset Practice

Use your Feel Good Effect Archetype to determine your Mindset Practice for the next 30 days.

Dynamo: 5-Minute Morning (see this page)

Seeker: Third Way (see this page)

Cultivator: Three Grateful Things (see this page)

Step 6. Commitment and Consistency

Commit to consistency by setting aside 10 minutes each morning for 30 days for your Mindset Practice. If this timeframe or time of day doesn’t work, customize as needed.

Step 7. Thirty Days to Feel Good

For the next month, focus on your Feel Good Effect by using your Mindset Practice and Goal Flipping. Write down your thoughts to document your progress.

Build in Accountability

Team up with a friend, family member, or coworker to do the challenge together, increasing your accountability.

Beyond the Thirty Days

Once you’ve completed the challenge, set aside 20 to 30 minutes to reflect on your process and progress for the month. Repeat the challenge with the same Mindset Practice, or add a new practice. Keep going with your Goal Flip documentation, or select a different result as needed. Maintain your commitment to a consistent practice, adding and tweaking as you go.

The Feel Good Effect Archetype Quiz

How would your best friend describe your approach to life?
1. “Such an amazing friend, though sometimes gets defeated when not doing as well as other people.”
2. “So good at so many things, but sometimes a little discouraged when something isn’t exactly right from the start.”
3. “Always up for something new, often before mastering a previous attempt…maybe needs a little help finding a middle ground and sticking with it.”
What’s one of the best things about being you?
1. I really care about other people and value their opinions.
2. I’m usually pretty good at everything I do.
3. I’m usually up for trying something new and when I do,I go all-in.
You set a new workout goal but then get sick and miss a week of training. Feeling a bit discouraged, you tell yourself:
1. Well that obviously didn’t work. Maybe it’s a sign I need to try something different.
2. I can figure out everything else, so why can’t I figure this out?
3. Everybody else seems to be able to stick to their goals; why can’t I?
What’s exhausting about being you?
1. Sometimes I set unrealistic goals for myself, and I can be a bit of an overthinker, which can stand in the way of taking action.
2. I love committing to go all-in, but sometimes I burn myself out or fall off the wagon.
3. I sometimes get distracted by what everyone else is doing; and to be honest, that can make me feel like giving up.
You finally save enough money to buy a new car. What are your thoughts?
1. I’m already set on what I want. But if I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for, I keep looking, even if that means never actually making the purchase.
2. I’ve read all the customer reviews, plus I’ve considered what my friends are driving. I’m pretty sure if it works for them, it will work for me.
3. I’ve done all the research, pored over all the websites, and found as much info as possible on everything from safety and fuel efficiency to functionality and price…but when it comes to actually buying a car, it’s possible I’ll feel there still might be a better choice.

Quiz Scoring Guide

1.a. Cultivator

b. Dynamo

c. Seeker

2.a. Cultivator

b. Dynamo

c. Seeker

3.a. Seeker

b. Dynamo

c. Cultivator

4.a. Dynamo

b. Seeker

c. Cultivator

5.a. Seeker

b. Dynamo

c. Cultivator

The Feel Good Effect Archetypes

You’ve discovered your Feel Good Effect Archetype; now explore your primary Striving Mindset block.

Dynamo

You’re most likely a highly motivated achiever who thrives on ticking items off the to-do list and being in charge. You know how to get things done, and when you do something, you know how to do it right—whether it’s getting a scratch-made dinner on the table, taking a company public, or never missing a workout. Any project is completely safe in your hands, which is why you’ve got so many projects going on. You’ve got seriously high standards, so if you can’t do it 100 percent right, why do it at all? You might put a lot of pressure on yourself to meet those standards; and when that doesn’t happen, you sometimes beat yourself up. And with all you have going on, working out or eating healthfully can turn into just another item on the to-do list. This can be exhausting, especially when you’re busy taking care of everything and everyone else.

Seeker

As a Seeker you love a good trend, but to you they’re not trends. A new routine, workout, or way of eating reenergizes your life—and you throw yourself into it with wild abandon. Running? Sure…in spurts. But you’ve never figured out a way to make it stick. The ketogenic diet? You’ll go keto for a few months—and then forget about it. I mean, who wants to live without carbs, anyway? Crossfit was the perfect solution—before the responsibilities started piling up. Now getting to the gym seems impossible. And you may just have fitness equipment (plus a few memberships) gathering dust. You’re an open person—and you have no fear when it comes to trying new things. But sometimes newness has a way of capturing your attention, and before you know it you’re off to master the Next Best Thing. What about finding a middle ground and staying with it long term without burning yourself out? That might be just what you need right now.

Cultivator

You’re a super-conscientious person who cares a lot about others. Sometimes you can care so much, though, that you might struggle with feeling too much like a people pleaser. Then there’s that habit of looking outside yourself for answers, which can invite comparison and FOMO (fear of missing out). All that searching can leave you feeling ungrounded, without a core structure for your life. You may even compare yourself to a different version of you from the past, which halts forward progress and can leave you feeling miserable. But what worked for you ten (or even two) years ago might not work now. Sit with that for a sec. Finding what resonates for you right now—not the old you, or your best friend, or the peeps out there on social media—is going to be a big deal. The thing is, we all have inner wisdom; you just sometimes doubt yours. But think about it. Our bodies are often the first in line to tell us what we need. When you tune in and take a good, hard look, chances are you already know what needs to go, what can stay, and what actually brings you joy.