Journalled on Monday, 17 July 2023 | Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro: 24 degrees, warm, sunny, and slightly overcast.

So, half the month has already passed, and everything has been paid for: rent, gas, electricity, etc., and other things like a new coat to go to England and Nalva’s glasses, and there is still a reserve.

This reserve is to finish the treatment of my teeth, which is my priority now. Only paying one rent nowadays saves a lot of money.

Now, I have money to put my life together and build a new one for the future. We always need to build something better and never stop building. A synonym for “to build could also be to improve” to build” could also be “to improve”.

We cannot stop trying to improve ourselves and our lives while testing our capacity to become a better person, which is a true form of improvement.

Many times in life, we must walk in the dark, not knowing where we are going or where it will lead us; this is also another way we are improving ourselves. It only depends on us, and we are the only ones who can lead ourselves from the inside out.

What we need and must believe is all inside of us. It is just a question of looking within ourselves to see what we need to change and do.

Our mind has phenomenal power, and it is just necessary to be sincere with ourselves, understand ourselves, and adapt, change, and mould ourselves into what we would like to be from now on and in the future. It is only we that matters. Blaming others is for losers, excuses are for losers, and not taking the initiative is also for losers. You choose; the buck stops with you.

My routine was a little different today than usual, but extremely rewarding. I usually get up early, rush out to exercise, and then rush back to shower before starting the first class.

I had a class arranged for 7 a.m. and the next one only at 11 a.m., a big gap between classes that is uncommon for me. Instead of exercising in the park, I went to the baker’s, journaled, etc., and without rushing.

I arrived ten minutes before the 7 o’clock class, gave the class until a quarter to eight, changed my clothes and went to the park a little later than normal to exercise. The other change from my usual routine was that, instead of using the TRX straps first or skipping for 15 minutes before the straps, this time I did a solid hour of skipping before the straps; this is the first time I have ever done a solid hour of skipping.

It was a test to see how I would do and whether there would be any significant results. After skipping, I did a few exercises with the straps, but the main exercise for the day was skipping.

For the rest of the day and the next couple of days, I felt the effects. I saw that I had burnt a significant amount of fat, I felt leaner, and my arm and leg muscles were much harder. It felt good.

Even when exercising, we must test ourselves and our limits and broaden our boundaries. The final result was impressive; I changed my routine and pushed myself further. I will do this more often, more intense exercise inside a more intense life.