Outcome for 12/30: “Win”
Record: 86-4
Streak: Won 22

Summary: My willpower has been potent lately, which is great. I basically obey my own commands, which, as we all know, is harder than it sounds. I spent much of the day in Washington with an old friend from St. John’s. It was awesome. I have to say that my opinion of Washington has been raised dramatically. We walked through some beautiful areas, ate some great food, and later we checked out this huge cathedral which was stunning. It was massive. I think it’s called the National Cathedral, but I’m not sure. So yeah, Washington seems like a winner after all.

Week in Review: I came back after break with great discipline. All of these holidays are nice, but they also throw things off schedule. Like tomorrow, I’m going up to Philly, so tomorrow and the next day are going to be non-working days, and I need to adjust everything around that. It’ll still be fun. Next week I want to continue my good discipline. Actually, much of this week was perfect and I can’t think of too much I’d like to improve on.

Year in Review: I’m doing this now because I won’t be near a computer tomorrow. Hmmm, where to start...Overall I’ve made tremendous progress this year, even though at times it seemed I wasn’t getting anywhere. To illustrate this, I’m going to describe where I was at the beginning and where I am now.
At the beginning of the year, I was in a shameful state. My will had lost all of its power, and I was basically dreaming up fantastic plans without being able to execute. My bank account was nearly empty, I was overweight, I was getting ready to start at the SPCA, which was the shittiest job I’ve ever had, my book still hadn’t really taken off, I didn’t have any viable long term plans, I lacked etiquette and self-awareness in many situations (I was basically a barbarian) and I had no phone, internet, or car.
Currently, I’ve improved in nearly every area: the biggest thing is that I’ve developed a realistic, yet effective system. I have complete confidence now that I can execute any of the plans that I dream up, which is liberating in a way. My bank account is comfortable, I’m nearly at ideal weight, I’ve lost well over 20 pounds, I have a decent and stable day job, I got some hours at an awesome green building firm, I’m 33% done a very presentable version of the book, I’m over half-way done with a writing program that I expect to pay huge dividends, I’ve formulated a viable plan-b, I’ve signed up for Spring classes to further that plan, I’ve found summer programs to further that plan, I’ve made a big initial push on my GRE prep, I learned conversational French, I’ve learned a ton of domestic skills and shed my barbarian style to an extent, I’ve read a lot, and I’ve hooked up all my practical stuff so that I can concentrate on work without worrying about those things as much.
I’m trying to remember the books I’ve read this year. Here are a few: The Dubliners, Nichomachean Ethics, Spinoza’s Ethics, huge chunks of the Tanakh, sections from the Talmud, Crime and Punishment, After the Empire, How to Read a Book, Leaves of Grass, Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, a few Roman authors in the same volume as the Aurelius whose names I can’t remember, a shit-load of Emerson essays, Nature, Walden, On Walking, Franklin’s Autobiography, several books inspectionally read (don’t know if that counts)…shit I don’t know, I don’t really remember. While I did read a decent amount, it wasn’t enough. Right away, without proceeding to general evaluation, I can say that I didn’t read enough. That’s going to be a huge goal of next year. I want to read more and read better. I’m going to apply the How to Read a Book method, and begin my three book cycle. The first book will be selected from a pool of modern works that I inspectionally read. The one that seems the most likely to increase my understanding will be read analytically. The second book will be a French book read to improve elementary reading ability. I’ll probably do the Harry Potter books. The third book will be a great book read analytically and will include a written response to my experience reading it. Then I’ll start over with a contemporary book.
General evaluation: I’m just really happy with what I did. Emotionally I feel like I grew a lot this year. I look back over my old posts and I see myself now as being much more stable and effective. That’s the key. I plan to do great things, so I need to develop a way to execute, which I have. The lack of reading might be my biggest area for improvement.
Looking forward:
French--I’ll finish my current 15-minute a day program in five weeks, at which point I’ll probably just start over with the beginner one and cycle back and forth between them. In my leisure time I will continue to watch French movies, speak French with Eva, and perhaps I will seek a conversation group next year. Of course, my three book cycle will include a French book, which will greatly improve my reading knowledge.
Writing--I’ll finish Artist’s Way in February, at which point I’m going back to an hour a day, six hours a week (Sunday off). It doesn’t sound like a lot, but I got a lot done within that time frame in October and November, so it should come quickly. Plus I expect my output to increase dramatically after the completion of AW. I realistically expect to be sending out manuscripts to publishers next winter.
Green building--first I’m taking the GRE and beginning my classes. In March I will apply to summer studios, and then in the fall I will apply to grad school, unless the book or Dan and Derek’s program become 7+ figure ventures, in which case it’s all Rittenhouse Square all the time.
Fitness/Health--I will reduce my weight until I reach a point where I think my body looks like it’s in good shape. I don’t know when that will be. Maybe around 165? I think that should be in the neighborhood. And once I hit that mark, then I’m going to start accumulating my gentleman’s wardrobe, which leads me to the next point.
Etiquette/Presentation--I want to purchase some etiquette texts and strive to become a gentleman. In terms of appearance, I’m going to stop dressing like a riff-raff and where nice clothing (made in Philadelphia).
Money--I don’t expect to come out of next year with a big surplus, mainly because there are big expenses on the horizon. Summer studio is 2500, plus GRE fees and application fees and tuition for classes, etc. BUT, I expect to be able to cover all my expenses as a result of careful management and budgeting. The one possible change to this would be if the program blows up and I have shares and I become a billionaire.
Where will I be at this time next year? Here’s a best-possible-scenario sketch, based on what I know right now. I will be chilling in my nicely decorated Center City apartment. I will already have a complete manuscript of my book and will be shopping it around to different agents. I will have already gotten into a grad program and will be working at a green building firm in Philly to build my skills. Eva and I will still be together and happy. I will be dressing, speaking, and acting like a gentleman. I will be fluent in French. I will have written several philosophical essays in response to my re-reading of the great books. I will generally have a broader understanding of the world. I will be fit and healthy.
I’m not going to make an emotionally charged declaration about how much ass I’m going to kick starting Sunday at midnight, because I have discovered that I do much better when I use a calm and methodical approach. So I will continue what I’m doing, continue striving to master myself, increase my understanding, accommodate changes, and report my progress here.
Good luck to everyone else, keep posting, and let’s be like Rocky Balboa!