Traveling to no gi pans this past weekend was full of a wide variety of emotions. Namely, feelings of inequality, unworthiness, shunted aside, and like the sidekick. Traveling to Texas through numerous airports, my fiancé and I wearing similar outfits all bedecked and emblazoned with our gym and Jiu Jitsu logos and identical gym bags. […]
Read moreChoose Your Hard
Everything is hard, you just gotta be bigger than your excuses and greater than your fears. Sure, easier said than done, but when are we going to stop letting our mind limit us and dictate our destinies? Someone* recently told me that anxiety is an emotion, not a diagnosis or personality trait, and to use […]
Read moreAlways Forward
There is no one alive out there who is keeping a track record of our successes and our failures and detailing every step in our journeys. Even our most loathsome “enemy” isn’t tallying all that we do, from our greatest opponent and adversary to what may very well be just a bitter ex dating partner. […]
Read moreI Am Not Your Enemy
There are no gold medals to be won in our gym, our teammates are not our adversaries, there is no financial gain or televised viewing of any championship while we are in the gym training. These are practices meant to push us to prepare us for the arduous battles to come when we do decide […]
Read moreBut What If You Don’t
It’s easier to not try; to allow yourself to fail even at something you so desperately want rather than deal with the disappointment of trying really hard and coming up short regardless. We can be so consumed with the fear of failure that we give up before something even begins. We can have it set […]
Read moreComfort is a Slow Death. I Prefer Pain
I have come to the sudden realization that there is something deeply, innately, and psychologically wrong with me at the center of my core. When it comes to how I live my life and how I will reach success and my goals, If I don’t have to work for it, then I don’t want it; […]
Read moreMake the Fight Unfair
Whenever I’ve been fortunate enough to teach a seminar, or a private lesson, or even just a class, I always have the same advice every single time; make the fight as unfair as humanly possible. I do not mean to cheat, or use cheap tricks, or any sort of underhanded techniques. No, what I mean […]
Read moreDon’t Let Your Dreams Be Dreams
How much wasted time is spent dreaming about the possibilities of the future instead of waking up and living it? The time is going to pass regardless, shouldn’t it be spent pursuing our goals, no matter what our age or life circumstances? A whole entire brand new year is upon us, and a wise man […]
Read moreNobody Puts Gravy in the Corner
I think sometimes we all need to remind ourselves when we are the g*d damned star of any dish, the Grand Poobah of a feast, the focal point of the dinner table, and the climactic entree of the evening. Sometimes we all need a little nudging reminder that we must stop selling ourselves short and […]
Read moreShe is Incredible, But So Am I
Comparison is the thief of joy, an act of violence against oneself, and a distraction from our true purpose, so why can’t I stop doing it? This person is younger than me, better than me, prettier than me, more fit than me, has accomplished way more than me, the list goes on and on. Yet, […]
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