## <center>This Week’s Accountability Report</center>
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<center>![EAB5EA89-A6E1-407E-A9A1-D1C9591529B7.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWuv5VR8SVUJuY62ZbUdktjaFMN37evCaLSfq3zpvaZBi/EAB5EA89-A6E1-407E-A9A1-D1C9591529B7.jpeg)</center>
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### Exercise:
*Seven out of Seven days*
 
### Weight:
*75.5 kg*
 
## One of the best things I’ve done for myself this year is start using the time I spend driving in the car (and exercising) listening to interviews, podcasts, and books on tape.
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On a daily basis, I find that I generally have almost an hour of time to spend listening to and learning from people and programs that inspire me, encourage me, and teach me. One hour a day adds up to 365 hours a year, and 365 hours is equal to just over nine 40-hour weeks of work. That’s a whole lot of time spent learning and growing.
 
A lot of the material I’ve been drawn to has been connected with personal development, specifically the ideas of manifesting the life that you want by changing your paradigm, creating clearly defined desires, and by using affirmations. When I first started heading down this path, I was embarrassed by it. I didn’t want to tell anyone what I was doing or what I was listening to. In fact, I’m still a little embarrassed by it, but I’m slowly becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of admitting that, along with a lot of persistent daily work, I’m also embracing strategies that many people recommend using to increase your vibration and to attract the things that you desire into your life.
 
Are these personal-development/spiritual strategies working? I don’t know. But something definitely seems to be.
 
This past month, I made two changes to my typical routine. I began saying daily affirmations for about five minutes every morning *(I love my body. I’m strong. I’m lean. I’m healthy.)*, and I added a new breathing technique, square breathing, to my morning walks. The result, two kilograms of weight loss.
 
Honestly, I don’t understand it. For the longest time, I felt like I had pretty much plateaued, like I could continue to make progress toward my goals, but at a snail’s pace. Now, suddenly, I’m right on track to reach my weight loss goals by the exact date I had set for myself to reach them. It’s strange, but according to a lot of testimonials, it isn’t unusual at all.
 
Much of the common wisdom in the world of manifesting your desires says that you must do two things, clearly state what it is that you want to achieve or have, and clearly state when you want to accomplish it or have it by. Then, through faith, and many persistent action steps, the universe will provide for you what you have asked for (and sometimes in miraculous ways) on or near the date that you have chosen.  
 
It sounds crazy, I know, but I’m beginning to find myself believing in it more and more. Whether manifesting works through the Laws of the Universe, as many people say, or through pure individual focus and persistence, I can’t say. I tend to believe that the focus and persistence which manifesting techniques recommend are largely responsible for the outcomes that people get using them, but I’m also beginning to believe that there’s a little more to it all than just hard work.
 
<center>In the words of Einstein misapplied, *Spooky action at a distance.*</center>

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##### How about? Where does this week find you in your journey?