NAMASTE 2.0 CREATIVE CHALLENGE

The most important aspect of the Namaste Movement is the energy we create from the direct experience of participating in the creative challenge. As we pass through each phase, all who endeavour to accept the challenge will experience many different virtues, thereby increasing one’s namaste quotient. The list of virtues is essentially the blueprint of the quintessential namaste peep, a motivator to challenge and elevate one’s namaste game to the next level.

CREATIVE CHALLENGE

Phase One
Deciding one is up for the challenge ticks boxes from the list of virtues (i.e. commitment, enthusiasm, imagination) right from the get-go and initiates the increase to one’s personal namaste quotient.

Phase Two
Use one’s intellect to create something that could sell for $50 (minimum). As one continues to tick boxes from the list of virtues (authenticity, creativity, confidence), it’s this manifested positive energy that is paramount.

Phase Three
Donate the money. The original concept had the Namaste Movement collect the funds and distribute them to youth organizations (i.e. sports, music, arts, academics.) The goal … 1,000,000 namaste peeps generating a cool 50 mil. With a need to be super transparent, I decided that the Namaste organization shouldn’t have anything to do with the money generated from the challenge. Instead, each participant can donate the funds to a charity of their choosing—with a bias toward organizations that foster youth development. It’s not about the money; the main goal is the energy we create, living in line with the wheel of life, and continuing to raise our Namaste game.

Phase Four
Share the challenge (photo and short description) with the Namaste Movement community. The donation amount will be added to the collective total for the inaugural Namaste 2.0 Creative Challenge 2024. Tick off some boxes!

With all the positive energy created as one walks through the first four phases, one may be excused if this is the end of their creative challenge journey. At this point, one is well on their way to Namaste 2.0 stardom, but missing the following three steps would be missing the ultimate goal of the movement … connection through creativity with actual physical connection. Not some ‘comment’ or ‘like’ on social media; real human connection.

Phase Five
Once the logo and colours are determined from the Logo Challenge, we’ll produce merchandise so members can go to namastemovement.ca/swag, purchase an item from the namaste collection, and proudly display or wear your purchase in public.

SIDE NOTE #1 TO THE NAMASTE MOVEMENT COMMUNITY
When you’re outside and come across someone sporting the Namaste Movement colours (logo, community mantra), yell, FIST-BUMP; introduce yourselves, exchange names and pleasantries; have fun with the super simple concept of connecting.

Phase Six
You’re out in public, sporting Namaste Movement swag, and you hear two simple words. FIST-BUMP. You just completed Phase Six and are aligned with a fellow movement member, creating incredible energy and ticking off boxes!!!! TAKE A SELFIE!

Fabricated by your creativity and willingness to participate in a fun venture, an instant friendship will be formed; go for coffee!!

Phase Seven
Reflect on your Challenge, specifically the people you came into contact with on your creative journey. What does your virtue word count look like? Upload the selfie!!

The FIST-BUMP display total will increase by one.

SIDE NOTE #2 TO THE NAMASTE MOVEMENT COMMUNITY
Earth Day is now also officially Namaste Movement Day. To increase the chances of getting fist-bumped, proudly display the community logo/colours throughout the day. A wise person once said, “If you look for it, you’ll find it.”

FUNTIMES #1
Who will be the first member of the community to get fist-bumped?
FUNTIMES #2
Who will be the first couple to marry after getting fist-bumped?
FUNTIMES #3
Get tee shirts made up, i.e. I got FIST-BUMPED in Toronto.
FUNTIMES #4
How many days until the first FIST-BUMP?

The following is a Creative Challenge hypothetical that is the embodiment of the movement, where learning, teaching, being a peer and creating all come into play. Not all challenges will incorporate the entire wheel of life, nor do they need to; as long as there is creativity and connection, the prime directive of this community is achieved.

Season: Early Spring
Location : Muskokas, Canada
Namaste Challenge: Build and paint five bird feeders

Enthusiastic twin siblings Madeline and Marcus (12) went on YouTube to learn all there is to know about building and painting bird feeders; their priority is to make each one unique. They approached their parents, talked about the movement and their challenge and asked for assistance. Delighted by the twins’ enthusiasm and creative spirit, with a materials list in hand, Mom and Dad packed the twins in the SUV and headed to the hardware store for supplies.

Long story short, imagine the life lessons with everything that transpired with the twins and their parents as they went from the design phase to utilizing the different tools to build each feeder. Expand the mind further to imagine the excellent energetic atmosphere as they bonded with the conception of ‘Bird Feeder Painting and Pizza Night.’

NEXT PHASE … sell them at the local supermarket. The twins capitalized on a beautiful spring day, where everyone has that ‘spring is in the air’ mentality. Madeline and Marcus set up a small table for the feeders, five decorative bags with bird feed and a laptop. The laptop served two purposes. First, get the place rocking a bit; everyone loves good music. Second, have a program to display the logistics of the namaste challenge on the screen, basically just creating attention with the hoopla. All the fuss creates good exposure for the movement; the more members, the more challenges. The more challenges, the more opportunity there is for a FIST-BUMP.

CHALLENGE BREAKDOWN

Take a moment to reflect on everything that occurred, from conceptualizing the plan and building five unique feeders to proudly accomplishing the Namaste creative challenge. Think of all the participants, from the family of four to the hardware guy, to the paint lady and all the connections made at the grocery store with all that aforementioned hoopla; and not just the connections from the people who bought the feeders, all the passerby that stopped to see WTF was going on. Reflect on some of the virtues that presented themselves during the endeavour … which ones were being taught, which ones were being learned.

SIDE NOTE #3 TO THE NAMASTE MOVEMENT COMMUNITY
Kindness is king regarding virtues; generosity with one’s time is a very close second. Accepting the challenge will put each Namaste participant’s generosity and virtue to the test. Some challenges, like the hypothetical, also require materials, so generosity with one’s money is inevitable.

FUNTIMES #5
Three Hypothetical Questions and Answers.

How much money did Maddie and Marcus make from the five birdfeeders?
Their venture netted them a cool one hundred dollars. They practiced bartering skills with their parents, which paid off with some impressed buyers.

Where did Maddie and Marcus donate the money?
Their imagination and ingenuity got the best of them; they donated it to themselves, of which they gave half to Mom and Dad for supplies. They wanted to be the first participants in the namaste community to pull off such shenanigans.

What did Maddie and Marcus do with their share of the money?
Looking forward to Earth Day, they both went to namastemovement.ca/swag and bought a terrific tee. And no, they can’t yell FIST-BUMP to one another, but the twins definitely wanted to pull off another first. The web address is part of the hypothetical, first things first ... the Logo Challenge. From there, we create the swag, and then we can make the web address to buy the merchandise a reality. This is the movement taking baby steps.

With all the positive energy created with this endeavour, adhering to the embodiment of the wheel of life … this hypothetical knocks it out of the park.
The list of virtues that materialized because of the twins’ creative genius is impressive; that, my friends, is one path to Namaste 2.0 stardom.

A NON-HYPOTHETICAL NAMASTE 2.0 CREATIVE CHALLENGE

For my inaugural Creative Challenge, I will do something I've wanted to do for a while now but haven't had the inspiration. I will set up shop on a busy sidewalk on Yonge St. here in Toronto and perform my first acoustic jam session. Together with a ball cap for spare change and a NAMASTE 2.0 CREATIVE CHALLENGE banner, I'll busk the afternoon away. For now, that's all you need to know about my challenge, but there is a bit of a side hustle in that I'll be getting something more out of my jam session than coins collected in a Blue Jay cap. When I write a content piece for the section called 'MUSIC FOR LIFE,' I will explain my hustle—for now, I hope you're intrigued.

As the twins from the hypothetical stole my idea of being the first to donate the money from a Creative Challenge to oneself, now I am faced with the reality that I need to choose a recipient for the funds generated. I considered my creative challenge and came up with this thought process.

I'll raise the minimum challenge requirement of $50, even if my busking in the afternoon extends into the late evening, and this is what I'll do with the funds. I'll match each dollar with ones out of my pocket and then go to FaceBook Marketplace to buy a used musical instrument. Then, I will donate it to Long and McQuade Musical Instruments, who put on a yearly instrument drive for underprivileged youth.

I don't need to create another list of virtues but believe me, with the number of people I come into contact with in my pursuits, I may be on my way to Namaste 2.0 stardom. I will divulge a little teaser about my 'side hustle' ... it's directly in line with the Mental Health component of the Namaste Movement.

A SUGGESTED NAMASTE 2.0 CREATIVE CHALLENGE

It's a good thing this initiative is one of creativity. With the meagre amount asked of us to generate with the challenge, we certainly need to be creative in how best to allocate the funds for it to be a worthwhile endeavour. Here's a simple way to donate more significantly to a cause ... a group challenge.

The hockey Moms at the local hockey rink put on an arts/crafts and bakery weekend coinciding with their annual hosted tournament. They donate all the funds to the organization, creating that fantastic community vibe; so vital in every neighbourhood. The virtue count is massive for this hypothetical, and as important are the friends made along the way, not to mention the life lessons instilled in the organization's youth. Generosity with one's time plays a major role in this challenge, earning the whole group a free pass to NAMASTE 2.0 stardom.

The 'suggested challenge' would be fantastic for the office group challenge ... as it would be for the yoga group challenge, the extended family challenge—just sayin'.