That bitter cold of February is behind us, having given way to a mild, damn-near Spring vibe here in Knoxville. I haven’t totally retired the jackets for the season just yet but the 50-65 degree days are cause for me to only wear a hoodie in the mornings because I like the look, not because I actually need them.

March marks the one-year mark from when my life got turned right-side-up and when COVID-19 threw a wrench in, quite literally, everything. Many people are still wanting to focus on the negatives of a rough-and-tumble year and the likelihood that this year will be the same, but I’m just going to keep on trucking with my monthly check-ins. I certainly hope you don’t mind.

Goals I’ve Kept Up With:

Produce 1 Video Per Week

This one has been FUN! I’m keeping up with my list and my weekly rhythm pretty successfully! This month I’ve covered How Many Calories you should eat, Cutting the Fat from your life and Why Boxing Works.

Read 12 Books by EOY

I didn’t complete my February book by the end of the month, but to be fair, the month was a bit shorter. But I’m almost finished. My goal is to finish a book and start another by the end of March. I’ll call it a win.

Pay off CC by Christmas + Consistently Hit All Budget Goals

Last month I slightly modified my CC goal to extend through the end of the year I’m making adequate progress toward that goal. I’m also unofficially combining these two goals because the budget is primarily in place to accomodate the paying off of existing debt and to build up my “stash.”

Hit 15% BF by end of Summer

I started a new program this week called Tabernacle that’s going to consist primarily of six days of strength training, all leading up to a new program I’m doing in the spring that involves the JTF Viking Army Running Club. I’m going to just continue eating how I have been and hope to continue seeing similar success. As of 2/28, I’m at 16.6% body fat! I’m well on my way!

Support and Promote More Small Businesses

This is primarily being done through some recent (and future) date nights. I recently supported a local U-Haul partner when renting a truck and had a great experience with the humble, hard-working owner of an auto-body paint shop in Oak Ridge. Katie and I also had an incredibly sexy date night at a recently opened speakeasy in downtown Knoxville called the Vault. Our eight-course meal consisted of Littleneck Clam Chowder, Stone Crab Caesar Salad, Seared Ahi Tuna, Roasted Root Vegetables, Confit Duck Croquette, Prime Short Rib, Blood Orange Sorbet and Flourless Chocolate Torte. Our meal was complete with an extra rose for my sexy date, some homemade truffles, live music and some damn-delicious Manhattans. Also, we were kinda smokin’:

• 

• 

• 

• 

Take More Photos

I’ve been taking the camera with me more places and snapping more photos as I go. Here’s a show and tell to prove it:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Ride More Motorcycle

Like I said earlier, Spring is definitely in the air here in East Tennessee and I couldn’t be happier. So far, since setting the goal I’ve been able to get out on the bike at least once a week (in between frequent rainy days, that is). I’m hyped about making a few modifications to the bike this year and riding it every day as the weather gets a little warmer.

Goals That Need Revision

Launch Meal Prep Service by EOY

This goal is on the verge of “let go” but I’m not ready to do that just yet. No, what started as a goal to open my own gym quickly turned into starting a meal-prep service due to the smaller startup costs. In the last month, I’ve learned more about what would be required to open such a business and at this time, I’m not entirely sold on the risk vs. reward. It’s still on the table and I’m still pursuing it but I’m considering shifting my focus back to my online training program and written content creation (more on that shortly). I’m changing this goal to Continue Developing Meal Prep Service Plan

Revise JTF Website by EO February

Just like the books, I was SO close to having this ready by the end of February but I couldn’t do it. The content is there, the design is ready, I just need to work with WIX on a premium plan that will allow me to sell things directly from the site. Currently having some logistical issues there but as soon as I get that figured out, I’m pulling that trigger. Changing this goal to EO March and I don’t feel even a little guilty about it.

Weekly Household Projects

Including this goal on the needs work list is a little misleading. Have I accomplished any of the household goals I wanted to accomplish? No, but I’ve also completed a lot of NEW projects that weren’t even on the list to begin with! Katie has helped me begin turning our house into a home, complete with a presentable living room, a well-stocked kitchen and a functioning guest room! We’ve both been working really hard this month and I’m very proud of the progress we’ve made so far, even if the gutters on the back of the house are still clogged hahahaha!

New Goals

Write More

Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been struggling a lot over the last few years with my professional identity. I’ve spent the last two years irritated and bitter about getting burned at work (again) and being thrown under the bus in a very cowardly manner by people I’m supposed to respect. I’ve thought long and hard about it all and it’s led me to two conclusions: 1) This is just premium-grade fuel to encourage me to be my own boss sooner rather than later and 2) I’m not just a glorified copy/paster — I’m still a professional writer and I’m damn good at it … so why am I not writing? That’s goofy! I have no plans to return to the world of horror or smut or pulp and I’m confident I can be a loud voice in the over-saturated fitness industry so I’m really going to lean into that. Look for more of that as soon as this JTF website relaunch is complete!

Prioritize Mobility

If I’m going to be lifting six days a week and starting a running club, I’m going to need to stay limber! Fortunately, I share this goal with Katie and we’re going to be working on this together. We started doing some yoga together today and on days we don’t do yoga together, I plan on including some of the basic flows I know into my daily routine and adding some evening foam rolling.

Goals I’m Letting Go

Buy a New Tool Every Pay Day

This was a noble goal but like it or not, we’re now, what, 9 weeks into the new year and I’ve yet to do anything about this one. Going to let it go and just purchase some new tools as they’re needed while we continue working on the house. Hey, this kind of thing happens and that’s okay!

---

And that’s it for this month. March, April and May are going to be big months for Katie and me and I couldn’t be more excited to take them on! You guys are beautiful, don’t let anyone tell you any different.