Learn new skills
But the hero can't just rely on the same old tricks to get him through his quest - he'll need to pick up a few new skills along the way. Daniel-san learned karate, Luke learned to use the force, I will learn 8 new skills, one to help me in each other part of the quest.
Test of strength
Physical prowess is one of the things that heroes definitely have over mere mortals. Superman - faster than a speeding train. Flash - faster than a speeding train. Achillies - faster than whatever sped before trains in Ancient Greece. Now, with the best will in the world, I can't expect to reach heroic physicality in the space of a year. I don't have a body like a Greek god, I have a body like a Greek kebab shop owner. I'm not setting out to change this, I'm just going to try to be a little bit fitter than I am, and have my clothes fit a little better. So, my goal, challenging for me, laughable for some, is to run 12 km in 12 minutes per km by the 12/12/2012.

Tests of will
Physical strength is not enough however. A hero's will must be resolute. That's the other thing separates them from mere mortals - the grit and determination to see their quest through.
New year's resolutions are notorious not sticking. Its a rare breed of person who makes their resolution for the year last even to the end of January. A classic example of lack of willpower. Surely a hero could do better.
There are a few classic new years resolutions. Keep a diary, go to the gym, give up chocolate and so on. Rather than trying to keep one of these resolutions for twelve months, I'm going to try to keep twelve resolutions for one month each. Hopefully I'll determine which one is the most difficult, and will be able to offer advice to resolutionists next year over which one they have the best chance of succeeding at.

Tests of luck
Of course, heroes don't just get by on their strength, their skills, their will, their wits, their friends and their character. They need a little bit of luck as well. So I'm gonna need some too.
But how to make a challenge out of luck? Fortune, the fickle creature that she is, cannot be relied upon - if you KNOW that your luck is gonna come good, then you probably ought to call it something else (cheating perhaps). And its not like you can work hard to make it happen, that's called something else too. But heroes often exhibit uncommonly good luck. In fact, they pretty much ALWAYS get lucky. Surely this can't just be some massive statistical anomoly.
As we know from the old proverb, fortune favours the brave. And we also know that you can't win if you don't play. And if I'm honest, I don't take that many chances, so maybe I'm not giving Fortune the chance she needs to get a look in. That's the challenge then. To let luck take a bigger part in my life. My test of luck: make 12 bets.

Treasure obtained
An engagement ring and a promise of love everlasting are the reward if I complete this quest. See earlier post strange girl for details.

Return home
After all the trials are completed, after the damsels are de-stressed, after the dragons are slain and the treasure is taken, its time to go home. Often, this isn't as simple as it sounds. My return home will mark the end of this quest, and the deadline on my visa means that I will have to return.

Quest recorded
Its not a heroic story unless the story is told. Quests get recorded. Ideally there's some sort of scribe or poet or bard sidekick to tell the story. Ideally, the story gets told or sung before its written down, bound, published and sold. Ideally the epic tale gets passed down from generation to generation, told as bedtime stories for children, is praised by scholars for its clever allegories and by ethicists for its moral lessons, and becomes so iconic that its references become catchphrases or cliches. But times are tight, and this hero's budget doesn't stretch to stone tablets or a faithful Watson to record the tale. So I'll be doing my own recording of this quest, on this blog. Two challenges here: the first is quantity/regularity 12 posts a month, 1000 word average. The second: honesty. Heroic deeds are told with an eye on dramatic effect, that's fine, my deeds will be too. But this is a real-life challenge that's supposed to be real-life difficult. If I'm failing something, you'll know about it.
That's it then. Let Quest Australia commence!