Skip to content

Month: December 2025

“What’s New?”

Published on December 11, 2025

“…Same old.”

It’s a question and response I hear at least once a day.

And today while at the doctor’s office to get bloodwork done, I heard somebody say, “Same old…” at least seven times in a row.

…It was as if he was trying to think of something not same old to say, but kept coming up short.

In a weekly meeting with one of my associates, we usually have a similar exchange—and I’m usually the one that says “Same old.” He always gives me a pretty thorough life update when I give him the knee jerk, “…You?”

It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately.

…What do I want to add to my days that’ll give it that remarkable spark?

What do I want to plan into next week? Next month? Next year? …That’ll give my tomorrow self that noteworthy change from the daily norm?

…And not because there’s anything wrong with “same old”—if you love your “same old,” then no harm, no foul.

But because without the question… without the reflection and experimentation… without the inner work prompt… we might never lean outside of our comfort zone enough to uncover or realize something new that’s absolutely worth remarking about.

Learning Journals

Published on December 10, 2025

“At his house, George [Raveling] has these big red binders filled with notes. He calls them his ‘learning journals.’ They’re his version of a commonplace book—a collection of ideas, quotes, observations, and information gathered over time. The purpose is to record and organize these gems for later use in your life and work. It’s a habit he’s kept since 1972. To this day, he told me, ‘I go back and just read through them. I’ll just get one of the binders and I’ll sit down at the kitchen table and start reading through it. Sometimes I come across stuff that is more applicable today than it was when I wrote it in there.’”

Ryan Holiday

Known as the “Godfather” in college basketball, George Raveling became the first African American basketball coach in what’s now the Pac-12, had a Hall of Fame career, and played an instrumental role in bringing Michael Jordan over to Nike—who he coached in the ’84 Olympics and knew well for decades.

…And what I love about the above quote is that it’s a breadcrumb.

Successful people might claim to have “blueprints” that’ll lead you to a duplicatable success, but what I’ve found is that it’s less about perfect schematics and more about clues.

…And it’s up to us to solve the mystery in the way that’s specifically aligned with our background, circumstances, talents, aptitudes, and aspirations.

Going back and reading through collections of insightful ideas, quotes, observations, etc… is an excellent breadcrumb to consider. One that countless successful people have left behind. One that guides me every day—just instead of being in red binders, it’s all published online for all to see.

Right Now Has Nothing To Do With It

Published on December 9, 2025

What happens today is a lagging indicator of everything you did yesterday and before.

If you’re feeling exhausted, right now has nothing to do with it… it has everything to do with the previous day or week’s sleep, habits, and health routines.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, right now has nothing to do with it… it has everything to do with the previous day or week’s (or month’s or year’s) productivity, initiative, and proactive problem solving (or lack thereof).

If you’re feeling unfulfilled, right now has nothing to do with it… it has everything to do with the previous day or week’s or month’s or year’s purpose alignment, relationship building, and/or inner work.

Remember when you’re feeling off, like a wilting plant, it won’t always be an immediately fixable problem. Weeks of no sun or water isn’t fixed with one exposure or pouring.

But if you can commit to consistent sun exposure and keeping the soil moist, so to speak, eventually, the lagging indicator of your not so distant right now, can be energized, accomplished, and content.

…You just need to remember to take care of your tomorrow self, today.

“Let Us Play Is As Good As Let Us Pray”

Published on December 8, 2025

“Let us ask the gods not for possessions, but for things to do; happiness is in making things rather than in consuming them. In Utopia, said Thoreau, each would build his own home; and then song would come back to the heart of man, as it comes to the bird when it builds its nest. If we cannot build our homes, we can at least walk and throw and run; and we should never be so old as merely to watch games instead of playing them. Let us play is as good as Let us pray, and the results are more assured.”

Will Durant, Fallen Leaves

“…Happiness is in making things rather than in consuming them.”

Test this theory for yourself.

Upon reflection, do you find more joy in the content you created or in the content you consumed? Do you think you were happier when you were learning skills or when you were watching other people flex their skills? Are you more proud of the things you’ve built or the things you’ve purchased from others that they’ve built?

When I think about this blog, MoveMe Quotes, my martial arts career… It’s clear to me where I stand.

The Later, Larger Pain

Published on December 8, 2025

An employee of mine got the lead role in a local theater play—and today I got to see her perform.

When she first told me about this opportunity and how she got casted as the lead, it meant she was going to be much less available for work—because she was going to have to devote much more of her available time to preparing for the play.

As a boss, it’d be easy for me to get upset about this because of how it affected my ability to staff the school.

But, I was as supportive as I could be and looked for opportunities in her absence.

And after seeing her perform today, I’m so glad I did.

Seeing her perform was the most I’ve ever seen her express herself… it’s the most confident I’ve ever seen her… it’s the most alive I’ve ever seen her.

If both her and I were too zoomed in on the short term… she might not have gone through with the play. Maybe she would’ve chosen the short-term money from working her hours and/or maybe an overreaction from me would’ve made her choose differently or feel badly or at the very least not invite me to see her perform.

…And what a shame that would’ve been.

The long term focus, zoomed out perspective is almost always the way to go.

Because what it implies is a short term sacrifice for a later, larger gain.

…Much better than the long term sacrifice for the shorter, smaller gain.

Your Mind Likes To Think It Knows

Published on December 7, 2025

If you don’t spend enough time in the quiet of your mind… you won’t hear the whispers of your soul.

…And your soul is the only part of you that knows what’s really going to lead to fulfillment.

Your mind likes to think it knows what’s going to lead it there, but your mind is also heavy into comparisonism, social hierarchies, and other people’s opinions.

Your soul…? Couldn’t care less.

And once you get to that kind of space… how could you be lead astray?

Scatterbrained and Mismatched

Published on December 5, 2025

It seems to me like sitting and just being with one singular person or task or thought is becoming increasingly difficult for the modern person.

And it’s because we’re increasingly normalizing “multi-tasking,” distracted presence, and boundary-less access.

If we want to feel more fulfilled, we need to do better at filling our moments with undivided attention, energy, and effort. It’s the split attention, energy, and effort that always leaves us feeling unfulfilled, isn’t it?

Think about the days when you’re brushing your teeth while putting clothes on, checking emails at red lights, scrolling through socials while in work meetings, taking business calls while chauffeuring the kids, watching the restaurant TVs while eating out with family…

It’s all so scatterbrained and mismatched!

Of course we feel unfulfilled at the end of our days.

What we need to do is try to normalize the opposite:

  • Just brushing our teeth and nothing else.
  • Just getting dressed and nothing else.
  • Just driving our car and nothing else.
  • Just checking emails and nothing else.
  • Just having business meetings and nothing else.
  • Just chauffeuring the kids and nothing else.
  • Just eating dinner with the fam and nothing else.
  • Just having a conversation and nothing else.
  • Just making a phone call and nothing else.
  • Just making love and nothing else.
  • Just sending a text and nothing else.
  • Just exercising and nothing else.
  • Just reading and nothing else.
  • Just sitting in cue lines and nothing else.
  • Just walking and nothing else.
  • Just being and nothing else.

It’s unbelievable how simple it all is.

…And yet, it’s one of the hardest things for the modern person to do.