Consolidation, Reintroduction and Goals

Consolidation

I've been writing a blog as Darth Grampus for a while now, but not under the Google profile for him. That changes today. From now on I'll be writing and posting all Darth Grampus blogs here. If you'd like to read the earlier content, send me a message or leave a comment and I will send or post a link to all the earlier entries. 

I know everything I'm trying to do will be a bit easier if it's all consolidated under the same umbrella. There should also be better continuity and ease for any would-be readers who find their way here from my YouTube channel.

Shameless plug: DarthGrampus on YouTube

And if you're a new reader who found their way here by some other means, a very warm and hearty welcome to you! I empathize greatly with people who's feed suggested this to them, or who's search led them here! HA! We are not alone my friends! 

Reintroduction

I became a grandfather last year. Honestly, the experience affected me in ways I didn't expect and could not have anticipated. My grandson inspired me to do better, to be better, to share whatever wisdom I might have gained through my life thus far so that perhaps he could side-step some potholes his Grampus seemed to jump into with reckless abandon. 

This didn't happen all at once. At first, I was just blogging to write to him. I live across the world from him, his Dad (my son who I'm tremendously proud of) and his wonderful mother, and I know there isn't enough time in the world for me to share all the things I want to share with him. So I started writing letters to him in the form of blog posts. So long as the internet and this website exist, he would have access to my writings, ideas, thoughts, lessons learned, perspectives and all about whatever I wrote about. Even long after I'm gone. 

I started to think about my effort. Why do that? Why write so much to an infant who won't be able to read for at least a few more years? I noticed I was writing consistently, which I had not before despite the enjoyment I get from scribbling down my meandering thoughts. I noticed I touched on stuff I felt was important about life and living. I noticed I was sharing many of my own mistakes and what I learned from them.

My wife and I made a trip back to the US to meet my grandson, and for my wife to meet my family for the first time. It was my first trip back to the US in six and a half years and her first trip there ever. When I met my grandson face-to-face, something else clicked in me. It wasn't enough to share with him what I'd learned from all my trials and tribulations throughout my life. That was far from sufficient. I realized that, to show him the impact he had on me, I had to put action behind all the words I was saying. I needed to apply the lessons I was telling him I'd learned and create the best life I could for myself. 

He inspired me to do this, but words alone could never sufficiently demonstrate the strength of that inspiration. I couldn't just tell him how much I loved him or how much he inspired me. I wanted him to see the many ways he inspired an old man to change his life for the better. This, it seemed to me, would be a much more powerful and honest expression of all the things I'd written to him. I told him he was powerful beyond measure, even as an infant. I told him all about how he changed my life and the lives of his entire family just by taking his first breath. If he could watch that inspiration create transformation in me, he would have more reason to believe his Grampus wasn't just blowing smoke up his butt about how powerful he is, and has always been. 

Eight days ago, I started a YouTube channel for that purpose. I quickly realized how powerful YouTube could be as a source of accountability for doing the things I said I wanted to do, and have posted six videos over these last eight days. I still don't know exactly what path that will take as it develops, but it is keeping me accountable. 

Goals

I'll be 49 soon, and I'm fat and badly out of shape. I don't want to be fat anymore. I want to lose 55 pounds of fat and gain 13-15 pounds of muscle before my 50th birthday. To that end I've begun walking and joined the gym near my home just yesterday. I intend to walk 5km at least four times per week, to do stretching and body-weight exercises at least twice a week, and to lift weights at least three times per week. Ultimately this isn't so much about weight as it is body fat percentage. I've never been lower than 15% body fat, so I want to hit 12% body fat before my 50th birthday. Right now I'm... well, let's just say I'm quite a ways from that. I'm 1.74 meters tall and as of January 13th, I weighed 93.05kg. 

Far too much of that is blubber.  

I'm retired from the US Air Force and receive a pension, but there are things I want to do for myself, my wife, and for my sons and their families that will require more money than the pension provides. This year, I want to create $50,000 or more in additional income. My plan is to learn new skills and exploit them as successfully as I can to create that income. I don't want to work for anyone else, and intend to reach that $50k through multiple streams of income as opposed to some job or a single venture. Ideally, that income will come from YouTube, this blog, and from two or more ways I'm using the skills I learn for making money. 

I live in Thailand and while I speak Thai with good pronunciation, my vocabulary remains limited, as does my knowledge of proper grammar and sentence structure. So... I will study and learn Thai to become as fluent as I can over the next year. 

These are my primary goals for this year. My success with each of them will create synergies that positively impact my life, my wife's life and, hopefully, become an inspiration to those who matter most to me. With any luck, sharing these efforts and struggles will inspire others to do something similar for themselves. 

If you've read this far I really appreciate it. Thank you for your time and interest. Please leave me a comment! I'd love to know something about you, where you're from, what you're doing for yourself and, if you have any, whatever constructive criticism you could offer to help me improve this blog. I hope you'll come back and keep up with this journey both here and on YouTube. 

The Lord bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.