Today the cement landed a blow. Tomorrow I counterpunch.

I thought I had a breakthrough last week. After a fierce battle with defeating thoughts like, “This is nuts… it’ll never work… who do you think you are… what do you know about that?” I finally felt like I’d crossed over some imaginary line.

Almost immediately, I noticed a deeper commitment to my DMP and the exercises—though I’ll admit I still struggle with spotting shapes and colors, lol. Even so, my desire to be fully compliant continues to grow.

My enjoyment of the Master Key (MK) readings grows too. I genuinely believe the daily MK passages are impacting me in profound ways.

I even felt a surprising eagerness when printing, cutting, and gluing my dream board, and again when getting creative with my recording. Since I get to choose how I feel about these things, I’ve decided to enjoy the process rather than dread it like confronting a beast in the dark with only a butter knife.

Yet while my commitment seems to be increasing almost exponentially, my external reality hasn’t changed much. Yes, I’m behaving differently—but the big things I’m waiting for still feel like they’re floating somewhere in the ether.

I also catch myself wanting the details about how everything will happen. This is when the readings pull me back to center. In 7:18 Haanel says, “Make the mental image, make it clear, distinct, perfect, hold it firmly; the ways and means will develop.” And again in 7:22, “Create ideals only, give no thought to external conditions.”

I see myself in the description that follows in 7:26:

This is a difficult problem for many; we are too anxious; we manifest anxiety, fear, distress; we want to do something; we want to help… Charles Haanel, Master Key System 7:26

But instead, we’re called to focus on the mental work. And honestly? Sometimes the mental work is really hard. My flesh would much rather do something—anything.

That’s why today hit me so hard. In the middle of the Mental Diet, I was suddenly assaulted with unrelenting negative thoughts, rolling in one after another like waves. The temptation to just sit and cry was strong.

But because of what I’ve learned from the Master Key Experience (MKE) and because I’m becoming a great student of these principles, I knew I could apply any of the Laws of the Mind to win the battle.

So I read my DMP movie trailer. I listened to my recording—twice.

I’d love to say everything is fantastic now, but the truth is I’m still slogging through the muck, still chipping away at all this cement. Honestly, it makes me angry sometimes.

But that anger fuels me to double down on the exercises, because I know I must break the cement.

My life depends on it.