Yes, I’m aware that it ain’t gonna be easy…

…but for the first time in a VERY long time I am optimistic that I will actually get fit, healthy and dance again!  What’s that?  Do I hear the teeming masses asking “But why do feel this way Tony?”  I thought I did…  😀

Brace yourself, you’re about to enter Tony’s brain….  where you’ll see a chain of thought that will mystify and amaze you!

But first because I’m in SUCH a good mood, I’m going to give you the “short version”  — I’m going to tell you the ROOT SOURCE of all this awesome positiveness:

The diabetes medications I’ve been taking for a little over two weeks now are working.

Which means I’m not as hungry all the time.

Which means I’m loosing weight.

Which means I’m feeling better, both physically and psychologically.

I’m moving more.  I have more energy.  This morning, I saw a number on my scale that I’ve NOT seen in a long time… [drumroll please]  … 310 lbs!  Yay me!

One of the most frustrating things over the past couple years has been working to get fitter and healthier and NOT seeing any friggin results!

Who knew that there was this underlying obstacle called “diabetes” which had to be dealt with first BEFORE my hard work would produce?  Well, now I know. Now the meds are doing their job. Now I’m working at getting fit. And best of all… …Now I am seeing results.  Life is good.

About that tour of my brain….  heh he he heh

I updated my Event Calendar / Schedule

You can clicky click on SCHEDULE any time up in the menu at the top of my blog from any page in my blog.  Or if you are really not into scrolling you can click this awesome link I put here just because I like you:  SCHEDULE / CALENDAR

I have spent most of today updating my calendar, looking at the events listed on the IAGLCWDC website, the UCWDC site, the ACDA site, and the World  OutGames site, evaluating them, looking at the dates and considering costs, timing, etc.

Toss in a few side trips to AmTrack, to Southwest Airlines, Eurorail and American Airlines, well you kinda get the picture of what I’ve been doing since I got up: day dreaming about competing in dance again!

Well, not really day dreaming, exactly.

Let’s be generous and call it “long range planning” and “goal setting” and “motivational imagery.”

I love that last one… “motivational imagery.”   Sounds cool don’t it?

Goal Setting

When setting goals you need two kinds:  Short-term and Long-range.  Figure out what goes on each end and don’t worry about the stuff in the middle; it will work itself out when it becomes “short term.”

My Short Term Goals

July 2015

1. Get a stable schedule/routine in place so that I sleep basically the same time each day, eat at the same times, and take my diabetes medications at the same time. — This is at my doctor’s orders.  She says that it is VERY important that I do this.  She says that it will help the medications work better which will make me feel better which will give me more energy which will make me want to move more… and so on and so on…
   ..
2. Move more: — use my Time Out program five out of seven days every week for the rest of the month.Basically what this program on my Mac does is black out my screen and start playing upbeat music on a set schedule.  I have it set to go off for a 60 second “mini-break every 30 minutes and for a five minute break once every hour.During this time I get up from my computer and I “do stuff” around the house.  Things like load the dishwasher, sort laundry, take laundry to/from the laundry room, dust, vaccum, go through this HUGE pile of boxes that I moved out of my storage unit to my apartment and which I’m going through and either selling, giving away, or deciding that yes, I really do want to keep it.

   The point is that by doing this I am exercising.  Those five minute breaks spread out all day long add up to about 30-60 minutes of exercising per day.  Yes, I am embarrassed to admit that I’m so out of shape that this kind of stuff counts as exercise, but there you have it.

   I achieve two things by “exercising” in this way: I do stuff around the house which really does need to be done; and I get myself physically prepared for next month’s goal.

August 2015

• Continue the “stable” “regular” sleep/eat/take meds schedule
• GET BACK IN THE STUDIO!  I’m going to start dancing again.  Three times a week at first.  Not sure yet how long each session will be but I’ll start with some easy line dances just to get used to moving again.  Then I’ll do some of my favorite “fun” “social” line dances.  The idea is that by the end of the month, I’ll be prepared for September’s goal

September 2015

• Continue the “stable” “regular” sleep/eat/take meds schedule
• START PRACTICING COMPETITION LINE DANCES — September is the “six month mark” before I compete for the first time in Feb 2016.  Six months before a competition really is the “kick off” date where I have to be in the studio practicing those dances on a regular basis.

“Real World” Long Range Goals.

Is it starting to make sense why I was doing my calendar?  I needed to set all those “long range” goals a.k.a. Dance events in order to figure out the time frame for my short-term goals.

Competitions have always been a good motivator for me.  They have this built in “dead-line / schedule” aspect to them.  The deadline is REAL.

I do not do well with “arbitrary” deadlines.  For me, unless the deadline is a real deadline it is worthless.

For example: If I’m meeting friends for dinner and it doesn’t really matter when we get to the restaurant?  I’ll be late.  Never ever say to me “whenever it is good for you” because that is exactly what you’ll get.

If I’m meeting friends for dinner before a show where the movie or play starts exactly at 8pm and we HAVE  to have an hour and a half for dinner beforehand to eat.  I’ll be on time. (well no more than 5 minutes late).

Taking a friend the airport?  Or leaving myself for the airport to catch a plane?  I’m on time.  Not late, not even by a minute.  Meeting a friend for a movie and heading straight in.  I’ll be there within 5 minutes of when I say I’ll be there.

Those are real deadlines.  But if we’re going out to get a lite bite and then clubbin’ afterwards and we don’t have reservations, well be prepared for me to call you and have me say “I’m running late.”

Deadlines have to have a built-in time element for me to take them seriously.  The same is true of me regarding goals.

Arbitrarily setting a goal that does not have a REAL built in deadline just doesn’t work for me.  Saying “My goal is to loose a pound a week” does nothing.  Saying “I have to be ready to compete at the Big D Bash on Feb 19, 2016 which is in 225 days from now.  THAT’s real!

Thus the importance of selecting “Dance Events” as long range goals.  If I know I am going to be competing in a particular event then I generally am ready to compete in that event.  And I love to dance.  I miss dancing.

So, I was looking forward through the end of this year and into next year.

End of 2015…

Get fit.  Build up my dance business.  Build up my graphics design business.  (this is the “middle stuff” – it will work itself out)  Don’t ask how.  It’s a mystery!  Yes, I’m referencing a movie.  It’s a guy thing.  Watch this clip and mentally replace “theatre” with “dance” and you’ll get it.  🙂

…through end of 2016

Basically my “goal” is to get fit and dance again, especially to compete in dance.  But first…

To be able to afford to compete, I need to have a lot more money coming in than what I get from my pension.

Which means I need to be MUCH fitter and healthier so that I can work, at least part time.

Ideally, my “part time work” will be dance.

I plan on being able to start teaching dance enough hours a week so that I can combine that with my pension and Tah-dah!  I’ll be a self-employed dance instructor.

I’ll continue my graphics design business of course: TxCowboyDancer Designs.  And I’ll clean up my articles over at HubPages.

And I will finally get my line dance instruction site off the ground: LineDanceTutor.com  There is just a place holder there at the moment.  I’m working on it “off line” right now and it should be ready for folks to enjoy sometime this fall.

By the end of the 2016 dance season which runs through the end of the UCWDC World Championships (held in late Dec / early Jan each year), I plan on…

• …attending at least one event outside of the US in 2016 — Hopefully it will be the Calgary Dance Stampede.
• …learning French. — If anyone has an old copy of the French Rosetta Stone that they are no longer using which you’d be willing to give me, give me a shout using my contact form.
• …wining at least one age division in the UCWDC Male Advanced Line Dance category at Worlds
• …winning the UCWDC Male Diamond Showcase division — Winning both Classic and Showcase will graduate me into the Crown Division!  Woot!
• …winning the Advanced Male Line Dance division at the ACDA Nationals (which will graduate me into the Super Star division)
• …competing in and win the Advanced Line divisions at the North American OutGames and at the IAGLCWDC Annual
• …getting put onto staff at as many of the dance events I attend as possible.

2017 — Really dreaming now…

Everyone has a bucket list.

One of the things on my bucket list is to travel around Europe.  I envision myself with, a backpack of clothes, a toothbrush, my dance boots, a laptop, my cowboy hat (in its protective case) strapped to the back of my backpack, and a EuRail pass.

I want to spend at least two, hopefully three months in Europe.  I want to visit as many countries as I can and see as many sights as I can.

I have a number of friends who live in different countries around Europe so I am pretty sure that I could visit each of them for a few days and crash on their couches.   I picture myself attending two, three, or maybe even four of the UCWDC dance events and competing in them.

I picture myself, with my brand new “Crown Division” status being put onto staff of those events and being, by that time a full pro and teaching couples as well, being able to teach one or more workshops, both line and couples at those events.

I have to check the UCWDC rules but I am pretty sure I can be in both Crown and compete in Open Advanced Line in an attempt to graduate into Super Star.  Not that I really have a chance to win Open Advanced; those guys are AMAZINGLY good!  But it would be fun to challenge myself and see how I place.  And it would be fun!

I have had this image pop into my head of me contacting local dance clubs and scheduling “guest teaches” for a few bucks or a few meals and a couch!  There are a LOT of line dance clubs/groups in Europe!

And I see myself scheduling this so that I get to see at least one leg of the Tour de France.  Who knows part of my trip might even involve renting a bike and cycling through parts of Europe.

Wow! Wouldn’t that be cool?  I know of one cycling guy who lives in Stamford, England.  Maybe we could go on a ride together; that would be awesome.

Yes, I know, all this is way out in dream land.  Possible, yes, but from where I sit now, WAY out there as a goal.  But it is a very nice goal to envision.  And it is just within the realm of possibility.  Just….barely.  🙂

Who knows how it will turn out or even if it will happen at all.

But even if the Europe thing doesn’t work out, I could instead “do all the UCWDC dance events in Canada” instead.  That is definitely achievable!

See you on the dance floor! 

…and maybe someday on a train in Europe