self-improvement

So I get paid this Friday, as happens every other week. Most of the paycheck (well, it's actually a direct deposit) will go to monthly expenses: two phones (land line and cell), internet, electricity, paying back one brother, etc.

But with the rest of the money, I'll be buying some GRE prep resources, and will begin studying for the test. Two weeks from now, I'll use what little discretionary income I have to register for my first test. I'll study some more... and then it'll be go time.

As for the Atkins Diet, my second "official" weigh-in happens this coming Monday morning. The true test: will I have broken the 290 barrier and reentered the 280s? If so, it'll be a moral victory more than anything; I see no difference at all in how I look, and honestly don't expect to see much difference until I've dropped a good 40-60 pounds. (Remember: the starting weight was 296 pounds. That's 21.14 stone for you Brits, and 134.5 kg for everyone else.)

The plan after induction (a keto-strip test again revealed a slight color change) is to introduce exercise into the mix. I have a program already written out; it's been sitting in my hard drive for over a year, waiting to be used. It covers the fundamentals: strength (including core strength, which is a big thing these days), flexibility, balance, and cardiovascular fitness. It also includes a meditative component. I look forward to a return to greater alertness and mental acuity.

Along with trying to improve my situation by finding better work and building a better body, I'm looking to start my speaking gig. I had thought about delaying this until after I had had my first planning session for the walk, but since that session won't be happening (not a single RSVP), I think I need to move forward in other ways. So I'll be accelerating my PowerPoint schedule and crafting my GBM presentation sooner than I had originally planned. Within the next month or so, I expect to be on the road, speaking about GBM, and raising my own money for the walk (not to mention supplementing my income!).

All in all, life is looking up. I see choices before me that weren't visible even a few months ago. While I'm not at a point where I feel exuberant enough to say that everything's going to be OK, I do feel I've taken the reins of my life again.

That's a start.


_