"It’s not about me." - Tony Stark

At what point do you say, "This is it, I've had enough!"? Or better still. After you realize you've been drawing the same circles with your entire life, when do you stop blaming others and circumstance and start taking responsibility for what you can control; what you can change? My name is Aaron Nicholas Josserand-Austin, I am 45 years of age, and I am ripping the responsibility for the daily outcome of my life out of the hands of circumstance and victimization. I am taking back that power with my two sovereign hands. #30DAYSTOCAIRO is about my own personal movement to unequivocally take responsibility for the whole of my life. To explore the undiscovered potential of my mind, body and natural-born talents. To take the lead in my personal evolution as a man. As a Human.

For the month of April, I am challenging my own personal status quo. I have spent my entire life just like most of the people throughout my life

• waiting for my ship to come in;
• hoping for a better life without backing up my desires with definitive action;
• wishing for the inspiration to come to finally feel like committing to doing the work to create the physique, to master the sharpness of mind, to find that place of peaceful non-attachment to the drama in the world around me;
• thanking the Universe for those last-minute rescues, and continuing to drift into same patterns of living that put me right back where I am in need - of another rescue.

But Nature will not have its work made manifest by cowards.

"There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception." - Aldous Huxley

We are products of two things above all else; our environment, and more-so our perception of our environment. Like all life the patterns I have repeated throughout my own life, for better and for worse, were learned. And until recently I was ignorant of just how much influence and control we each have over our environment, and especially over our perceptions of our environment. Each of us is capable of forging for ourselves any reality to which we choose to commit.

"Self-observation brings man to the realization of the necessity of self-change. And in observing himself a man notices that self-observation itself brings about certain changes in his inner processes. He begins to understand that self-observation is an instrument of self-change, a means of awakening. Without self-knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave." - G. I. Gurdjieff

This is my manifesto. To meet my archenemy head-on and use the tools and put the knowledge I have acquired to the task of forging the lifestyle I know I am capable of creating. I will no longer wait for opportunity to fall into my lap. I will not go on squandering my potential, my sovereign power to choose, nor my skills and talents. From this moment I take my life, my identity and my personal evolution into my own hands, and burn the boats and bridges back to the old ways, my old lives, my old beliefs.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I have set up a website where I will blog my daily experiences, share the tools I'm using to manage and track my goals, post my personal schedule, meal plans, fitness plans, and answer questions. I've also set up a podcast site at https://www.blubrry.com/30daystocairo/ for those who'd rather listen than read.

If there is something in your life that you'd like to make a permanent part of your lifestyle or a habit you'd like to make or break, join me in the Facebook group for #30DAYSTOCAIRO at https://www.facebook.com/groups/30DAYSTOCAIRO/.

I also welcome you to stop by https://www.facebook.com/30DAYSTOCAIRO/ to give it a like and a share if you know of anyone else that might be interested in making some personal changes of their own.

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” – Napolean Hill

Is this a pitch? What's the catch?

None. I have no sponsors, no ads, no landing pages for capturing lead info, no fees for content access. Not one part of what I am doing is monetized in any way. This is intimately personal. My original commitment to myself was to privately journal about my experiences. But if making my personal journey public helps but one other person to find the will or the courage to make a meaningful and lasting change which improves the quality of their life, then that is just one more way I can give more than I take. To produce more than I consume.

"Gimme the prize!" - Freddie Mercury

And the only prize: the virtue of having completed the journey itself. Personal validation. A reason to believe in oneself just a little bit, or a lot more than before. A leveling up of life through determined, definitive action.

In the end, there may be just one man standing. A solo celebration. Or 10, maybe 10,000. Who knows? Regardless, I'm not a leader. And just as well, I'm not interested in starting a movement for anyone else but myself. I need this. I want to know just what more I am capable of. But above all, I want the men I am to become to remember the men I have been.

Cairo means "the Vanquisher", "the Conquering Star", "a virile, dynamic and resourceful man", "the Victorious". During my 30 day expedition I aim to conquer myself, to vanquish my demons and arrive at the beginning of a new life a more evolved version of myself. These 30 days will be a journey to best my personal status quo, and arrive more disciplined, more responsible, more accountable, more compassionate, and more capable in a new world. I am Cairo.

Whether you're interested in participating or just following along, save the date for this Sunday, April 1st, 2018. Much of the online portals are still being built and I may have to completed them as I go. But you can still subscribe for updates and drop me a line at https://30daystocairo.com.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in following or participating on their own level, share this post or link their name in the comments section below. Also, if you have any thoughts, comments, suggestions or corrections to my content, I welcome your feedback.

Thank you for reading. I'll see you on the other side!

Aaron N Josserand-Austin, #30DAYSTOCAIRO

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself." - Amelia Earhart