← Back to Blog
Challenge IdeasDecember 25, 20256 min read

50 Misogi Challenge Ideas for Every Type of Person

Not sure what your year-defining challenge should be? Here are 50 Misogi ideas across fitness, creativity, learning, adventure, and personal growth.

misogichallenge-ideasgoal-settinginspiration

So you've decided to do a Misogi—one bold, year-defining challenge that will make this year unforgettable.

There's just one problem: you have no idea what it should be.

You know it should be meaningful. You know it should push you. But every time you try to pick something, you either go too safe ("read 20 books" isn't exactly year-defining) or too extreme ("swim the English Channel" when you can barely swim 100 meters).

This list is here to spark ideas. Not every one will resonate—that's the point. The right Misogi for you should make your stomach flutter with a mix of fear and excitement. Scroll through, notice what catches your attention, and use that as your starting point. (Once you've found some candidates, our guide on how to choose your Misogi will help you pick the right one.)

Physical Challenges

Endurance

  1. Run your first marathon — 26.2 miles is a legitimate achievement that requires months of dedicated training

  2. Complete an ultramarathon — For those who find marathons too mainstream. 50K, 50 miles, or 100 miles.

  3. Finish a full Ironman triathlon — 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run. The ultimate endurance test.

  4. Complete a half-Ironman — Still brutally difficult, but achievable with 6-9 months of training

  5. Bike across your state (or country) — Multi-day adventure that combines endurance with exploration

  6. Row a million meters — About 1,000 kilometers on a rowing machine over the year. Track it. Finish it.

  7. Complete a 100-mile bike ride (century) — A challenging single-day achievement that requires real preparation

Strength

  1. Achieve a 1,000-lb total — Combined squat, bench, and deadlift. A classic strength milestone.

  2. Do 100 unbroken pushups — Sounds simple until you try it. Most people can't do 50.

  3. Master the one-arm pullup — A skill that takes most people a full year of dedicated training

  4. Complete 10,000 kettlebell swings — Done across the year, this transforms your posterior chain

  5. Achieve a bodyweight overhead press — Pressing your own bodyweight overhead is a real strength marker

Daily Disciplines

  1. 365 days of cold plunges — Cold exposure every single day for a year. Mental and physical transformation.

  2. Do yoga every day for a year — Even just 15 minutes daily adds up to a profound physical change

  3. Walk 10,000 steps every single day — No exceptions. No "I'll make it up tomorrow." Every. Single. Day.

  4. Run every day for a year (run streak) — At least one mile, every day. Harder than it sounds when life happens.

  5. Do 100 pushups every day for a year — 36,500 pushups by December 31st

Creative Pursuits

Writing

  1. Write and complete a novel — First draft of at least 50,000 words. Finish the story.

  2. Write 365 blog posts — One post every day. Quantity leads to quality.

  3. Complete a poetry collection — 50-100 poems, edited and compiled into a cohesive collection

  4. Write for 2 hours every day — Process-focused goal that ensures massive output

  5. Start and maintain a newsletter — 52 editions, one per week, building an audience from scratch

Visual Arts

  1. Create 365 pieces of art — One drawing, painting, or digital piece every single day

  2. Fill 12 sketchbooks — One per month. Discipline over inspiration.

  3. Learn to paint and complete 50 paintings — Start from zero, finish with a portfolio

  4. Master photography and shoot 10,000 photos — Deliberate practice through volume

  5. Create a photo book documenting your year — Curate and design a physical book of your best work

Music

  1. Learn an instrument and perform publicly — Start from scratch, end on a stage (even an open mic counts)

  2. Write and record an album — 8-12 original songs, properly recorded

  3. Learn 52 songs — One new song per week on your instrument of choice

  4. Practice your instrument for 365 hours — One hour a day of deliberate practice

Learning & Growth

Languages

  1. Become conversationally fluent in a new language — 30-minute conversations with native speakers by year's end

  2. Read 10 books in a foreign language — Deep immersion through literature

  3. Complete a language course (all levels) — Duolingo, Pimsleur, or classroom—go from zero to certified

Reading

  1. Read 52 books — One book per week. Life-changing amounts of knowledge absorbed.

  2. Read 100 books — For the ambitious reader. About 2 per week.

  3. Read the complete works of one author — Deep dive into Shakespeare, Hemingway, or whoever draws you

  4. Read a book from every country — 195 books, massive perspective expansion

Skills

  1. Learn to code and build a real app — Start with zero experience, end with something deployed and usable

  2. Get a significant professional certification — CPA, PMP, AWS Solutions Architect—something that opens doors

  3. Master chess and achieve a specific rating — Reach 1500 ELO, or whatever level represents a genuine challenge for you

  4. Learn to cook 100 recipes from scratch — By year's end, you're genuinely skilled in the kitchen

Adventure & Exploration

  1. Visit every national park in your country — Logistics, travel, and experiencing natural beauty

  2. Hike all trails in a major trail system — Every trail in your state's biggest park, or complete a famous through-hike

  3. Climb a major peak — Kilimanjaro, Rainier, or Mont Blanc. Requires training and expedition planning.

  4. Camp 52 nights — One night per week outdoors, in all seasons

  5. Visit every state (or province) — Complete your country through travel

  6. Complete a through-hike — Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, or Camino de Santiago

Personal Growth & Lifestyle

  1. One full year without alcohol — Clarity, savings, health, and proving to yourself that you can

  2. Save $20,000 (or 50% of your income) — Requires discipline, sacrifice, and attention to spending

How to Use This List

Don't try to pick the "best" one. There's no objectively best Misogi—only the one that's right for you right now.

Here's a simple exercise:

  1. Star the ones that made you feel something — excitement, fear, curiosity, longing
  2. Cross out anything that feels like "should" — if you only want to do it because it sounds impressive, skip it
  3. From what's left, pick the one that scares you slightly more than the others — that edge of discomfort is where growth lives

Remember the criteria for a true Misogi:

  • It scares you a little, but excites you more — butterflies in your stomach when you imagine completing it
  • It's specific and measurable — you'll know unambiguously whether you succeeded
  • It takes most of the year — substantial enough to require sustained commitment
  • It's genuinely yours — not what would impress others, but what matters to you

The right Misogi isn't about what would look good on Instagram. It's about what would make you look at yourself differently on December 31st. If you're still struggling, that might be a sign you're overthinking it—check out why 92% of resolutions fail and why one bold commitment beats a scattered list.

Start Tracking Your Misogi

Once you've chosen your one thing, the work begins. The Misogi app is designed to help you:

  • Lock in your goal with a clear, measurable target
  • Track daily progress toward your year-defining challenge
  • Visualize your consistency on a 365-day grid
  • Stay accountable with others who are doing hard things

It's free, it's simple, and it might be the tool that helps you actually finish what you start.

Key Takeaways

  • The right Misogi should make you feel both scared and excited
  • Physical challenges, creative pursuits, learning goals, adventures, and lifestyle changes all work
  • Pick based on genuine desire, not what sounds impressive
  • One year, one goal, full commitment
  • The best Misogi is the one you'll actually complete