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Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

Water Filters

Published on April 5, 2023

My boss has a $4,500 water filter.

He swears by it. I haven’t done my due diligence to form an opinion on it… but, he has me convinced it’s worth the investment.

So, I’ve spent the last year waiting for a successful bid on eBay or some other happenstance situation to arise where I can get the water filter for… less than $4,500.

Now… on Monday this week, I decided to do some basic water filter research, ordered a $40 faucet filter, and had it installed by Wednesday.

I don’t know why it took me so long, but I’ve been drinking unfiltered tap water while waiting for a $4,500 filter… for well over a year.

*Face palm*

P.s. This post isn’t about water filters.

The Un-Lose-Able Day

Published on April 4, 2023

It’s good to keep a snapshot of the “un-lose-able” day at the forefront of your mind—as something to aim for; plan for; strive for.

Mine looks something like this:

  • Full night of sleep
  • Solid session of exercise
  • Creative challenges for my mind
  • Space to let settle the content of my mind
  • Life-giving foods
  • 16-20 Hour windows of no food
  • Less unintentional screen time
  • More deliberate, undistracted deep work time
  • Words read from books with fresh ideas
  • Words written from brain to explore ideas
  • Time spent in spaces that are free of toxicity
  • Time spent interacting with people who exude authenticity
  • A few moments spent in gratitude and awe
  • A few moments spent in comfort and pleasure

It’s not often I nail this list.

But, when I do…

How could the day possibly be lost?

Inner Work Prompt: What does your “Un-Lose-able” Day look like? What can you do today that’ll get you one step closer to that?

Body Armor

Published on April 3, 2023

As a martial arts instructor, it’s important I keep my body in good health so I can lead by example, demonstrate proper techniques, and perform when needed.

Building resiliency in my body so I’m able to do that, however, doesn’t mean I avoid anything and everything that might lead to injury—under the guise that if I never do anything hard, I’ll never get hurt, and if I never get hurt, I’ll be “resilient” and able to keep performing.

Building resiliency actually means I expose myself to all the challenges (in a smart, healthy way) so that my body can adapt and prepare for more of the same the next time.

Sheltering ourselves from things that are hard doesn’t make us more resilient—it only makes us more vulnerable to injury. Because eventually, as we avoid challenge, our bodies become frail, and frail bodies are the ones that are injury prone. Plus, it’s harder to recover an injured frail body because it’s weak all over—not just in the injured area.

The resilient person does hard things often; things that are uncomfortable and challenging; things that frequently push their body to its limits. And when they’re smart and deliberate about it—it leads to armor, not injury. Armor that allows them to lead by example, demonstrate high level techniques, and perform with their full life force when needed…

Because they’re strong all over.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

Insecurities

Published on April 2, 2023

Most of us allow our insecurities to taunt us and control our mind:

  • “I’m not skilled enough to handle bigger job opportunities—I’ll fail and let people down.”
  • “I’m not confident enough to speak in front of audiences—I’ll mess up and get laughed off stage.”
  • “I’m not good-looking enough to ask that person I like out—they’ll just reject me and I’ll embarrass myself.”

Those who can make the mental switch from being taunted by their insecurities to being guided by them, however, will unlock not only a more rewarding path forward to follow, but will simultaneously eliminate “bugs” from their system that were misguiding them all along.

What does being guided by insecurities look like?

  • “I’m noticing that I don’t feel skilled enough to handle bigger job opportunities—I should take more classes, courses, or get help through coaching…”
  • “I can feel the fear inside me rise as I imagine giving a speech—I should start practicing public speaking more, in small ways, so I can build my confidence up for the future…”
  • “Maybe my hesitation to ask the person I like out is a sign of my humility, care, and respect for them… which could very well be qualities that they end up liking very much…”

P.s. My guide, The Art of Forward (Direction > Speed), was written to help you take a closer, more complete look at doing precisely what’s discussed above: calibrate your inner compass. More info here.

60 to 0

Published on April 1, 2023

Just as a car that accelerates faster from 0 to 60 needs to be proportionally better at braking back down from 60 to 0…

So, too, do we need to be better at slowing ourselves down in proportion to the speed at which our world insists we increase our pace to.

Going fast(er) without the ability to come back down is as dangerous in humans as it is in cars.

Beginner Presence

Published on March 31, 2023

There is an intimate connection between learning something new and presence.

Lately, I’ve been finding myself entering deep, meditative-type states when doing tasks that are completely novel to my normal routine.

I’ve been learning new martial art styles, playing organized basketball, doing Baptiste yoga… and in each situation find that because I have to hyper focus on the minutiae, my mind empties of all other thoughts.

When I’m carefully coordinating strikes with blades in my hands, or trying to read the defense as I lead an offensive play on the court, or try and move my body in accordance with a class of perfectly in-sync seemingly preprogrammed yoga robots… it’s as though there isn’t enough computing room for anything else.

  • I can’t strike precisely AND think about business stats.
  • I can’t dribble or shoot accurately AND think about people problems.
  • I can’t yoga flow AND worry about upcoming events.

It’s when I’m in that fully immersed space, as a beginner, where I’m able to keenly focus on what’s happening, where I am, through all of my senses. Which, coincidentally, leaves me in a much better place to handle whatever was on my mind before as it gives my brain a rest, a recharge, and a boost into the rest of the day.

Would recommend.

Warmth and Light

Published on March 30, 2023

We are at our best when we’re radiating the warmth of love. Not towards one person, per se, but towards all of life.

And that warmth, as mentioned yesterday, is generally a composition of patience, kindness, joy, forgiveness, and gratitude.

Which means, a great question to consider as you go about your day and handle tasks, requests, surprises, confrontations, challenges, manipulations, curveballs, frustrations, adversities, irritations, unmet expectations, etc…

How can I use this or how can I respond to that in a way where it feeds the fire of my love (aka my patience, kindness, joy, forgiveness, and gratitude)?

Because if you’re unable to find a way to have it do either of those things… then the byproduct will be a more blocked love. It’s a binary path. We’re either feeding the fire of our love or blocking it.

And unless we’re finding ways to constantly feed those inner flames… it will slowly cool, fade, and eventually suffocate. And that’s the last thing we need in this already cold, harsh world.

What we need are more people who have found ways to perform at their best and can serve as brilliant sources of warmth and light—not just for themselves… but for us all.

P.s. This became the introduction for: An Exercise In Forgiveness—To Help You Let Go Of Anger and Find Peace