I was in some pretty awesome habit patterns last year. For 100 days between September 12 and December 21, I had it going on and I made a lot of progress towards my goals.

Then comes Christmas. I admit, I’d did better over the Christmas holiday than ever before. Sure, I ate what I wanted and I enjoyed myself. However, I didn’t go completely crazy, which I have done in years past.

However, getting back to accomplishing my daily tasks has not been as easy as I would have liked. You give yourself an inch and you end up giving a mile. Getting back in the groove has been hard.

Today is day 3. I was able to cross my tasks off the list. That part was good. I ate more than I should have, that was the bad part. So, tomorrow I will knuckle back down and stay within calories.

I saw a video earlier that made me smile. In the video a man was out running in the cold rain. He admitted he didn’t want to be there. There were many other thing he would rather be doing. But, he told himself he was going to do it. He went running because he is a man of his word.

I am going to keep going on my 100 Day Strong journey because I am a man of my word. I said I was going to do it again and I will.

I watched a video by David Goggins. He is one of, if not the, fittest man on earth. He knows a thing or two about achieving. Here is a paraphrase of what he said:

Do something that sucks every day. Do it even if you don’t want to. It builds mental callouses and makes you tough.

He was referring to working out or learning or any other hard task that makes you improve. We have to do the hard things that don’t come easy. We have to embrace the things that suck.

That hit a chord with me. While working out every day is t necessarily hard, there are many days I don’t want to. I have to do it anyway.

There are many days I don’t want to mark the things off my list. I have to do them anyway. I told myself I would. Now, I have to keep my word.

Day 2 is in the books. On to day 3. #motivation #100DaysStrong #fitness #golas

I think it is time to call DO OVER! Yep. I am big enough to admit that I need to start again. Why you ask? Let me explain.

The next round of 100 Days Strong was supposed to start on January 1. I was doing good, but hit a snag. My wedding anniversary was on the 9th and we went out of town for a few days. I totally enjoyed the time away and didn’t follow the plan. So, I am calling a mulligan.

Today was Day 1 of Round 2 of my 100 Days Strong journey. It was a good day. I got back on track and worked through the list. That felt very good.

I don’t have a problem calling a mulligan. However, it is now time to buckle down and do it right. The goal is April 22, 2023. Let’s do this.

I gave a speech at my Toastmasters club today. The topic? Blogging. It was a fun time talking about why I enjoy putting down my thoughts in this form.

1. I have enjoyed documenting the journey I have been on. It helps me process and see things more clearly as I look back. I heard once that if you don’t write it down what is important, it is like it never happened. Sure you have your memories, but if you write them down they get clearer.

2. Blogging gives me a chance to work through ideas. I have found that as I write for the blog I am constantly working through how I want to say things. At times I rewrite sentences several times because it isn’t right yet. I have to get it right.

3. It is an opportunity to share with others. I like the community aspect of blogging. These words are out there for everyone to see. I am joining in the conversation.

Is it getting easier? No. Not really. Is it a worth pursuit. Yes.

I am getting back into the swing of things. Today is day 4 and I am on track. I have almost shed all the holiday weight I let slip back on (about 8 pounds). I am back in the groove and achieving my daily goals.

One of the daily goals I am already starting to enjoy is my new addition of expressing gratitude. I want to take a couple of minutes to unpack this because I think it important.

What is gratitude?

Gratitude – noun – the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. (Oxford Dictionary)

Why focus on being grateful? Great question. Here are a few reasons:

1. It is hard to be angry or bitter when you are focused on being grateful.

2. Your relationships are better when you are grateful.

3. Your mental well being is better when you are grateful.

4. Your mood improves with expressed gratitude.

The list could go on and on and on. Here is the point I want to impress upon you. We have so much to be thankful and grateful for. Things may not be perfect, but we still have so much to be thankful for.

I will comment more on this in the days to come. For now, it is exciting to be back on the right path and practicing some thing new.