Although I’m not much of a blogger, I’m giving it a shot to track my journey—yes, the proverbial “thousand miles” and all that. This is the first of my MKE lessons, which I expect to take up the next six months of my life.

September 29, 2024

There was a touch of nervousness as we had just returned from vacation. I signed up for the course a couple of weeks ago and ordered the materials, but having only gotten home yesterday, it felt a bit rushed.

Of course, typical timing!

I powered through most of the videos on the site, ordered all the materials (still waiting on that elusive second book of The Greatest Salesman in the World—seriously, is everyone signing up at once?). After printing off the documents, I realized I need some dividers for the binders.

Organization is key, right?

The first meeting was well-presented, and it feels great to finally get started. One success: I managed to get everything in order and be up to speed by the time the presentation kicked off. However, I was initially worried I’d missed some steps, as navigating the website felt like deciphering a secret code. New system, acronyms galore—seriously, why do we need so many? I’m not a fan.

But once the presentation began, I followed along with the workbook easily enough. Everything aligned well, and I felt like I was finally on track.

We wrapped up at 4:30 PM. They weren’t kidding about the two-plus hours, but it flew by since they covered a lot of ground. We couldn’t see who else was on the call, but judging by the questions during the Q&A, I’m guessing this isn’t the most tech-savvy group out there.

Now for some accountability—I’m posting my objectives for this course.

Here’s where I’m starting:

• To be happier. Mainly to overcome the financial disaster of my 2015 bankruptcy that has hung over me like a dark cloud.
• To improve my relationship with my wife and family. Not that things are terrible, but I know I’m not entirely happy with life, and I’m sure my wife feels it too.
• To work on my mental and physical wellbeing. Gotta keep the engine running.
• To improve my financial wellbeing. It’s time to shift gears.

September 30, 2024

I’m looking forward to diving into my DMP (Definite Major Purpose—yes, another acronym) and reorganizing my binders with the new downloads. There’s another meeting today to help with that. I won’t bore anyone with the details, but I’m thankful they set it up because it made everything simple.

I received some feedback, though: apparently, I need to include more details in my DMP. It was a bit vague, which makes sense—writing about your goals in the past tense, as if you’ve already achieved them, is a weird exercise. I’m not great at make-believe. My grandfather was from Missouri, so maybe the whole “show me” attitude runs in the family.

October 1, 2024

I’ve reviewed and rewritten my DMP (again, acronyms). It will probably change daily until I resubmit it after Sunday’s meeting. I can’t help but wonder: what would ChatGPT write for its DMP? Best not to ask questions you don’t want answers to, right?

October 2, 2024

Alright, so I’m not as organized as I thought. Just realized there are several daily tasks that I haven’t managed to work into my routine:

1. Read my DMP daily.
2. Read the first scroll three times a day—morning, noon, and before bed.
3. Read The Master Key, Part One, every day.
4. Sit still for 15-30 minutes after reading The Master Key—no moving allowed. (Well, your mind can wander, but your body? Nope. It’s an exercise in self-control.)

Honestly, this is all starting to make sense. We’re creating new habits to replace old, unproductive ones. At this point, I’m willing to try anything—what I’ve been doing clearly wasn’t cutting it.

None of us know how much time we’ve got left, so I’ll sign off this post by saying I’m committed to putting 100% into this program. I’ll squeeze every drop out of it while I’m here. And remember, “If the girls don’t find you handsome, they better find you handy.” — Red Green

Until next week!