Preface:
The path to getting well began for me a year ago today. A year ago today I assessed my body and mind, something I hadn't given appropriate levels of attention (ever) in my life. I found many flaws and strengths that day looking at myself. I made a list of the flaws... (I like lists)
Flaws:
Morbid Obesity
Cigarettes(pack a day/10 years)
Soda (104oz/day)
Cant run more than a quick few seconds sprint
My chest muscles are ridiculously weak
Bowel distress (guessing IBS)
I feel sickly ALL THE TIME!
I make shit money!
With all the friends I have, I feel alone.
Conclusion: I'm going to die soon, poor and alone. :-(
You see I am a hacker. Escaping reality for me means logging off. I live in technology. I breathe the baud. I sit for DAYS sometimes. I can't let something not work. It has to work. If it isn't working I coded it wrong. I can't leave my work sitting done wrong. So what to do? I really don't wanna die... I looked at my list and figured out there was a natural order to curing the calamity that was my body; Once I saw the list I bit my lip and "flipped a switch". I know it sounds weird but I had to ... have this weird moment... like when the hero of a story realizes there is no turning back... and the path forward is going to hurt. So here is the list reordered in the order I planned to attack it.
1. Inhaling smoke
1. Lack of good income
2. Consuming refined sugars
2. No endurance training
3. No strength training
a. Loneliness (hopefully solved along the way)
Okay... so now I knew what I needed to do. I had quit smoking a couple times before in my life and come back to it, so I figured there was more to it that just the addiction. After careful consideration I think I smoked for so long, not because I liked it... but because it was what I knew. I grew up around cigarettes. Everyone in my family smoked. Once I got to be an adult I smoked too. And it just stayed. I knew I couldn't just say "I quit" and have it really stop. So I gave myself a year to figure it out. My new years resolution was set. "I WILL BE A NON-SMOKER BY 2018!". I said it and I meant it. I have during the year slowly transitioned to vaporizing for my nicotine. I have not had a cigarette since late November. I started at a nicotine level of 18 in my vape juice and I'm down to 12. After I kill this bottle I will reduce it to 6, then a bottle of 0 nicotine. The idea being that I've broken the addiction down into segments. First I broke the addiction to the pile of additional chemicals added to cigarettes, the habit of pressing something against my mouth held by my forefinger and middle finger, and I have stopped taking in carcinogens. Now I am breaking the addiction to nicotine, and then last, the habit itself.
✓ Inhaling smoke
I was a developmental disabilities worker back in December 2016. I worked graveyard which means I went to a developmentally delayed clients house for 8 hours a night, and sat on my butt in case they woke up. I doubled up by doing hacky stuff while working to make a few extra bucks so more or less I was happy. One year later, I have quadrupled my income. I am now Chief Technology Officer of that same company. I wanted it, and I took it!
✓ Lack of good income
I had been on a date on Dec 17 2016, but aside from that I had been alone for 6.5 years. I had the best friends in the world... But I still felt alone. One year later I am engaged to be married in May. I have 3 step children, All of which have asked me to adopt them and become their real dad
I feel more loved and accepted than I ever have in my life.
✓ Loneliness
Whew... hell of a year there Cheatcode. Time for a break?
no... MOAR PROGRESS!!
The path to getting well began for me a year ago today. A year ago today I assessed my body and mind, something I hadn't given appropriate levels of attention (ever) in my life. I found many flaws and strengths that day looking at myself. I made a list of the flaws... (I like lists)
Flaws:
Morbid Obesity
Cigarettes(pack a day/10 years)
Soda (104oz/day)
Cant run more than a quick few seconds sprint
My chest muscles are ridiculously weak
Bowel distress (guessing IBS)
I feel sickly ALL THE TIME!
I make shit money!
With all the friends I have, I feel alone.
Conclusion: I'm going to die soon, poor and alone. :-(
You see I am a hacker. Escaping reality for me means logging off. I live in technology. I breathe the baud. I sit for DAYS sometimes. I can't let something not work. It has to work. If it isn't working I coded it wrong. I can't leave my work sitting done wrong. So what to do? I really don't wanna die... I looked at my list and figured out there was a natural order to curing the calamity that was my body; Once I saw the list I bit my lip and "flipped a switch". I know it sounds weird but I had to ... have this weird moment... like when the hero of a story realizes there is no turning back... and the path forward is going to hurt. So here is the list reordered in the order I planned to attack it.
1. Inhaling smoke
1. Lack of good income
2. Consuming refined sugars
2. No endurance training
3. No strength training
a. Loneliness (hopefully solved along the way)
Okay... so now I knew what I needed to do. I had quit smoking a couple times before in my life and come back to it, so I figured there was more to it that just the addiction. After careful consideration I think I smoked for so long, not because I liked it... but because it was what I knew. I grew up around cigarettes. Everyone in my family smoked. Once I got to be an adult I smoked too. And it just stayed. I knew I couldn't just say "I quit" and have it really stop. So I gave myself a year to figure it out. My new years resolution was set. "I WILL BE A NON-SMOKER BY 2018!". I said it and I meant it. I have during the year slowly transitioned to vaporizing for my nicotine. I have not had a cigarette since late November. I started at a nicotine level of 18 in my vape juice and I'm down to 12. After I kill this bottle I will reduce it to 6, then a bottle of 0 nicotine. The idea being that I've broken the addiction down into segments. First I broke the addiction to the pile of additional chemicals added to cigarettes, the habit of pressing something against my mouth held by my forefinger and middle finger, and I have stopped taking in carcinogens. Now I am breaking the addiction to nicotine, and then last, the habit itself.
✓ Inhaling smoke
I was a developmental disabilities worker back in December 2016. I worked graveyard which means I went to a developmentally delayed clients house for 8 hours a night, and sat on my butt in case they woke up. I doubled up by doing hacky stuff while working to make a few extra bucks so more or less I was happy. One year later, I have quadrupled my income. I am now Chief Technology Officer of that same company. I wanted it, and I took it!
✓ Lack of good income
I had been on a date on Dec 17 2016, but aside from that I had been alone for 6.5 years. I had the best friends in the world... But I still felt alone. One year later I am engaged to be married in May. I have 3 step children, All of which have asked me to adopt them and become their real dad
I feel more loved and accepted than I ever have in my life.✓ Loneliness
Whew... hell of a year there Cheatcode. Time for a break?
no... MOAR PROGRESS!!
