One Week In...

Well, 2020 has been pretty darn good to me so far.

I’ve lost seven pounds through some hard but enjoyable work. I’m walking every morning before work, rain or sub-zero temps notwithstanding, and have clocked 14 miles. I’ve also been battling the iron, and I do a daily two rounds of ten exercises that takes me about 30 minutes. Additionally, I’ve stayed away from my two El Guapos, pizza and beer, mostly avoided sugar, and have cut my carb intake 75 percent. This has translated into a seven pound weight loss.

Instead of listening to talk radio while commuting I’ve been listening to some super- hyper- motivational CDs. The result over the last eight days has been, no surprise, a more positive, optimistic, can-do tilt in my daily moods. I’ve been focusing on my work at work, which will help me financially and stress-wise, and focusing on my family at home. Was there something going on between the US and Iran recently?

Concerning work, I have a huge project I’m spearheading that goes live next Monday. If all goes well, based on past projects and remunerations thereof, I should expect a minimum bonus of $5,000. So it’s really, really nice to have my head in the game for this. I estimate right now that I am about 90 percent of the way toward a spotless implementation, though I realize that by just writing this I am opening myself up to be blindsided by the gods of Chaos.

I’m cruising along The Hobbit, my Tolkien-related Christmas gift from the girls, and enjoying it immensely. For those nerds in the know, I’m in the Mirkwood right now with Bilbo as he’s seeking a way to free his dwarven companions from Thranduil’s dungeons. The other book I’m reading is the surprisingly good Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. Readable, endearing, and filled with life lessons, I wish I read it when I was a teenager. If I was a high school teacher I’d put it on my mandatory reading list, though it might get me fired, it being unabashedly pro-capital and all.

Also working on Big Picture stuff, but that’s not figured out yet, so no more detail here and now. Suffice it to say that I have been re-evaluating lifelong goals and am looking forward to the future optimistically for the first time in a long, long time. Einstein is famous for saying something along the lines of how to solve problems we must elevate our thinking. I believe I am experiencing this first hand.

More later …