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.

I have been working through my goal list for the last several days. I have most everything squared away that I want to do for the next 100 days. I have one thing left to finish out: my creative project list.

I have a list as long as my arm of things that I want to do. Some ideas are better than others, but it is a list full of cool stuff. There are podcasts to host, books to write, songs to be sung, etc. but what makes it on the list for the first part of this year?

1. I am working on training material for public speaking. I will share more here as it develops, but I have an outline together. I am excited about this one.

2. I want to do voiceover work. I have been told for a lot of years that I have a great voice, and it is time to put that to the test.

3. I have ideas for a couple of different podcasts. I have some planning to do for these, but will record my first one soon.

I have a ton of other ideas as well. I am eager to see where 2023 can go with a little focused attention.