Open Source Human Project

Alright already. There is a pattern and I am seeing that the key missing ingredient is what I've always been lacking in my life. Discipline. Short post today. I need to apply this before I can hope to go forward.

It would be easy for me to celebrate what I have achieved, though I make no excuses for my short-comings. It takes hard work to achieve goals when you set them high. That said, I am flipping the script today. Waking up earlier will make things easier. Getting to bed earlier will make waking up earlier easier. That is the key to balancing my schedule. Yesterday I engaged in an activity that I feel is very necessary and long overdue. Plugging my daily life into a calendar is a humbling practice. It is honest. It really demonstrates just how much 'free time' one has. In truth, when I added up all the time I need to spend on work, commute, and daily routine tasks, I was quite shocked how little time I actually have for anything beyond my daily commitments. It turns out, that I really only have two hours between working and parenting, and those two hours are gobbled up by the kids. This is a good thing. It is honest. The truth is a good thing. While I could be down and frustrated wi...

Another Day 2 and another chance to finish this challenge. Twenty-eight days. Four weeks. Here to there. Last night was good. I fit in a short but sweaty run, cold shower, then some Mandarin study. Shaking off the rust. Had a decent sleep. Woke up today feeling good about life. Time management is going to be the next thing to focus on. Having made the decision to push aside other activities, I will do well to maximize the available time. I really should return to calendar use. Lists are not nearly as effective as a calendar. Calendars are honest. They tell you just how much one can fit in a day.

I'm starting to become quite familiar with Day 1... How did this happen? How did I fall short yet again? I'm not really sure, but I think it is connected with a draw towards comfort when I feel emotionally depleted. I also have made a mistake in counting on motivation and inspiration as fuel. Jocko Willink said it best, "Don't count on motivation, count on discipline." I have been counting on being motivated to reach my goals. I need to amp up the discipline. So that said, I am going to do something counter-intuitive. I'm going to turn up the difficulty... not just a bit... I'm going to turn it up to 10.  No sugar. No alcohol. No wasted time. No compromises. No procrastination. Yes exercise. Yes healthy eating. Yes study. Yes work. Yes discipline. Simple.  Let's go.

Not really though. I'm actually quite excited to finally gain traction on my efforts. Today is the the fourth consecutive day which I have avoid sugar... and I wish I could say that I feel as great as I had hoped, but something has been holding me back. I have a deep love for the taste of beer, especially IPAs. Admittedly, I have leaned on beer a bit heavily in the last few nights. I can almost feel my body craving something to compensate for the absence of sweet rewards. That said, I will be cutting out alcohol for a while, at least the duration of this challenge. Interesting how cutting one thing out is now leading to another... we will see how this goes. Keeping it light. Keeping it easy. Still running. Still taking cold showers. Still loving life. Staying strong.

I fell off the wagon again. Would you believe it was the same temptation as last time? Freezies... One thing is different this time around. I'm not being as hard on myself. I recognize that I am experiencing difficulties with this challenge, but that is no reason to quit. In fact, I feel quick invigored each reset, as I feel this is a process.  On another note, I am pleased to have found a group of people in the neighborhood who play soccer routinely. Last night we kicked the ball around in the field for just over an hour. It was wonderful. I also ended up meeting some neighbors this way. Looking forward to making a regular event out of this. No lofty proclamations this morning. Simply an update and reaffirmation that I am moving forward.