Yeah, made some changes. No old man here by this day next year.

After turning 39 and having a hand full of hopes and dreams and the other of empty promises and unfulfilled desires, I have come to a conclusion that it is time to shit or get off the pot.

The past year has given me great happiness and great tragedy, both equally having positive and negative effects on me physically, mentally and emotionally. Some think that birthdays are just another day of the year. They are right, if they treat them as such. If you use your birthday as a time that you reflect on the past, find reason to correct thought processes as well as habits and results, you can get a great gift of knowledge... from yourself!

Some things that I have learned:

1. I like myself when I drink perhaps more than others do.

Yes, I have a big heart for the feelings and outcomes of others and abide by the NAP. But sometimes being under the influence of chemicals distorts the ability to get the message out in a way that is perceived by the audience the proper way. I have decided to go on a 6 month hiatus from alcohol and hit the gym again.

2. If I don't treat my body better during tough times, I won't have one to treat me to life.

I have a child who adores me, and as I was using the elliptical for the 45th minute, I strongly felt that my body wasn't reacting the way that it used to. I need to make some changes if I want to get to where I was so that I can seek out more journeys. If I have failing health, my interactions with her will be limited, making me a bad father by default. If I am an absentee father because of poor decisions with my health and I die early, I'm still an absentee father based on poor decisions, making me less than what she deserves.

3. Savor each new day as a challenge, and celebrate your victories with positive rewards.

Each day should have at a minimum one or two goals. If you aren't driven by these goals, they are nothing more than monotonous tasks, and should be put in a separate "mandatory" catagory. If they aren't mandatory, think of them as useless hobbies. Inspire yourself, step outside of yourself and embrace something new and fresh. Read about a different philosophy, read about someone you disagree with, or, as I did today, hug an old person twice! (It was a great feeling and I know it made her day :))

Feel free to share some knowledge you may have about overcoming, hitting peaks and getting out of valleys using personal timestamps and re-evaluation days, birthdays or not, down below.