Lunar New Year Resolutions

January came, but I was not in the mood for the new year. I managed to give my wife a big ol' smooch at midnight, but that was about as far as tradition went. I didn't want to come up with resolutions. I'd just successfully done a whole year of 100 pushups per day. And the whole Christmas season left us with more than enough cleanup.

So, 2016 started off with stress, and no clear improvement plan. Just survive another year.

Then February came. Let's go ahead and call it February 8th, so that it lines up with the Lunar New Year. Suddenly, I felt the need to improve. This is one reason I read books. Books have the ability to tell us things from another perspective without watering them down or exaggerating, as social media tends to do. And I'm not sure what happened exactly, but in February, I suddenly felt that I needed to keep working on me.

So. Here's what I've got for 2016:

Diet to lose weight

I can't just say "Eat healthy", because that wouldn't be completely true. It might turn out to be healthier than normal, but my diet is definitely more about "Let's lose weight!" than "Let's get healthy!"
And here are three reasons why.

1. I want to look good.

I used to teach my class how to draw me. They always forgot the muscles...

I know I've got weight here and there that isn't helping. And no doubt, I'm a big dude. But how awesome would it be if I had a tight-fitting shirt, and instead of "Well, good morning belly!" my thoughts were, "Well, hey there MUSCULOS!"

2. I want to have more energy.

Gotta keep up with this kid. He wakes up ready to roll!

Quite simply, the more I weigh, the more I have to lug around. Muscles are fine, because they're doing the lugging. And when it comes to being a Dadmaster, I could sure use all the energy I can!

3. I want to be able to feast without feeling bad.

I want to eat a huge burger like younger Woody,
but not be tubby like younger Woody.

Sometimes, my brother-out-law comes down from Fort Collins, and decides to put his legit chef skillz to work. And when he does, and I spend a day drinking wine and eating a huge Philly cheesesteak, I don't want to feel bad about that.

So, what am I doing? Pretty much, when it's just me and the boy, I eat only super lean proteins, vegetable carbohydrates, and little to no fats. It's Phase 1 from State of Slim, if you're so curious. All about boosting metabolism and losing weight. But, when Jessi comes home, I eat normally. Mac n' cheese, fajitas, go out 'cause we're lazy, all good. Just don't go crazy on purpose. (Dinner tonight is BUTTER AND ICE CREAM!!!) It usually turns out that I've had 750 calories by the time she gets home, and I tack on another 750 through dinner and my evening snacks.

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Write a book. Any book.

I've been coming up with legitimate stories since middle school. What I need to do is make them well. But, before that, what I need to do is MAKE THEM. I've always had trouble actually getting my nose to the grindstone and just cranking them out. Plus, I hate editing. Buuuuuuuuuuut, if anyone wants to volunteer to read my story so far and let me know how badly I've done, I'd love the help!

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Become a better person.

I feel like a great person. But that self-satisfaction is often what keeps us from improving ourselves. To get biblical, "To whom much is given, much is required." To get Uncle Ben-ical, "With great power comes great responsibility." To get paraphrasey, "You think you're great! Wonderful! That means you can do more!"

So, I devise to keep a little item in my pocket every day, to remind me of a certain aspect I want to exercise.

My items hanging out in some tropical place on my mouspad!

• Gear: self-improving
• Boring. I make lists, inspect my routine, and check that I'm making progress.
• Dinosaur: creative and adventurous
• Here, I try to make food, gifts, anything, and don't hesitate to head out the door.
• Soldier: honest and grateful
• This one is hard, but gratitude usually takes off the sting of "I'm just being honest!"
• Woody car: a person I'd like to be
• All the times I've been proud of myself? I want to make more times like that.
• Batman: friendly and proactive
• Get out and talk to people! Don't laze away, pick up a broom or a pen and paper!

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Make it to 2017.

Nothing new here. For anyone. Make sure groceries get bought, walls stay upright, friends stay friends, bill stay paid, babies stay healthy, gears keep turning. One day at a time.

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P.S.
(I realize all these blog posts have been about me. I promise, next one will be a DanPar one. It's gonna be awesome.)

P.P.S.
;  y b ghb fhopf hylg jj c bg jkgv,
-DanPar

Such a sweet and happy guy!