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Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

When I Went To A Music Show Alone

Published on August 12, 2025

Once upon a time I decided to go to a music show alone.

While there, a random person saw me vibin’, asked if I came with anybody, grabbed my arm when I said “No,” dragged me around the packed venue filled with thousands of people until she finally found her people, and introduced me to them all.

We’ve all been friends ever since.

And that squad and I have gone to many other shows, have created countless memories, have rippled that same inclusive energy to hundreds of other strangers, expanded our squad beautifully, and are still making plans together today.

…All from that one random, happenstance initiative.

Three lessons come to mind from this story that popped into my brain today:

  1. Don’t be afraid to do things alone. Go where you feel pulled to go—your people will be there, too. And if you don’t, you might never cross paths with who you were supposed to meet.
  2. Always show up with intentionality. I don’t recommend dragging strangers by the arm who go places alone—it only worked because the vibe I was giving worked and she sensed it. And I allowed her to drag me because the opposite was true, too. I don’t know how to describe it, but your vibe attracts your tribe. It’s something you feel, you just have to intentionally show up with the vibe you want to attract… and follow the pull of your attraction.
  3. Keep doing inner work. The deeper I continue to dig inside, the better things continue to get outside. At the forefront of which are the people I’m blessed to be connecting with at this stage of life.

I Lost My Voice

Published on August 11, 2025

I went to a music festival this past weekend and lost my voice yelling and screaming.

…Makes things kind of tough when you come back to work as a teacher.

But, what was interesting is that it made me perceive all of my daily communication challenges differently—a forced perspective change if you will.

And so rather than greet everybody with an over the top volume… today, I greeted everybody with claps and a whisper.

Rather than communicate with my instructors and staff in one broad stroke of my voice… I met each of them where they were and communicated individually.

…Which, interestingly enough, made me do the same with the students. Rather than ask the class questions, I asked each student individually. Rather than delegate after class helping, I spent a little extra time whispering answers to the ones who asked. And rather than control the whole dialogue of the class, I delegated and had students and other staff members get involved.

Having no voice as a teacher can undoubtedly be a challenge… but it doesn’t have to be a problem.

Inner Work Prompt: What are you looking at as a problem that might be better percieved as a challenge?

On Toxic Work Environments

Published on August 7, 2025

I student of mine asked for advice on working in a toxic workplace.

Step 1, I said, is to figure out if the toxicity is coming from one or a few rotten apples—that are contaminating the rest of the lot—or if it’s the tree as a whole that’s toxic and it’s the source itself that’s contaminating the lot.

Step 2, of course—if we’re talking of one or a few rotten apples—is to take the appropriate actions to either remove the apples that are rotten or perform some kind of corporate/systemic/HR alchemy and cure them of their rot. Even if it’s the biggest, sweetest, highest yielding apple of the lot… it’s never worth ruining the rest of the harvest. Cure or remove are the only options.

…And if it’s the tree as a whole that’s toxic, well, I told my student, you’re better off taking your apple to another tree. Because the time, energy, and effort that would need to be invested into curing an entire tree, would be taken away from the time, energy, and effort that could be invested into yourself and a different tree that’s healthy and postured for growth.

Which is the last point I made: A massive tree that’s toxic is not better than a smaller tree that’s healthily growing. Always invest in trajectory as much as you do any other factor.

Stop Complicating Your Morning Routine

Published on August 7, 2025

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Win the morning; win the day.”

And I bet you’ve heard countless suggestions from countless sources on how exactly you can do that. You might’ve heard things like:

  • Wake up at 6am; better yet, join the 5am club; and don’t ever snooze more than once.
  • Read; then journal; then set intentions; oh, and review your to-do list; and meditate for sure.
  • Go for walk; in nature; with family or dog; for at least a mile; while listening to a motivational podcast.
  • Cold plunge; shower; skin care routine; foam roll; stretch all muscles in body.
  • Exercise; eat protein; and superfoods; oh, and lots of water; and don’t forget to include every single supplement that’s ever been recommended to you.

Let me share with you a secret that you already know: complicated is the enemy of consistency.

Try and complete that above list of items every morning and my bet is that it won’t be long until you’re burned out and doing exactly none of them again.

Simplicity is consistency’s best friend.

Want to know what I do each morning?

Generally speaking, it’s exactly three things: Shower, exercise, protein.

If I can accomplish those three things, my morning is won.

…And the other things? Some I’ll do later in the day… some I’ll do occasionally on a weekly or monthly base… and some I don’t do at all.

And guess what? That’s okay.

Because I know what’s most important to me. And if you figure out what’s most important to you, you’ll have a MUCH easier time getting it done consistently and over a life-changing span of time.

Mudded By Default

Published on August 6, 2025

Time spent thinking… about what to write… about how to say something… about how you feel… about what’s right and what’s wrong… about what’s even just going on in your mind…

…Even if it amounts to nothing tangible or ends with no evidential outcomes or progress—

—Is never time wasted.

The mind is unavoidably mudded by default in our modern world.

…And each stone not thrown into the pond—for whatever duration of time it can be sustained—is an inaction that leads precisely to what a mudded-by-default kind of world needs more than anything else:

…Clarity.

Never underestimate the power (or benefit) of sitting and doing boring thinking.

On Being Spontaneous

Published on August 4, 2025

Not being able to be spontaneous isn’t about your need for a plan or your desire for control… it’s about not being able to trust yourself.

Because it’s not about what happens in each moment… it’s about what you bring to each moment…

And if you don’t think you can let go of the future (plans) and bring great energy and perspective to the present (one moment at a time)… then maybe it isn’t the plans you need to work on…

When Your Body Speaks… Listen.

Published on August 1, 2025

One of the guys I play basketball with is the type who pretty much walks into the gym, dribbles and shoots a few times, and then steps into full court, full speed games.

He’s been out for a few months because of a calf injury—which likely resulted from his above “warm-up” routine.

Today, when he came back for the first time, what did he do?

…Walked into the gym, dribbled and shot a few times, and stepped into our full court, full speed game. Not a stretch in sight.

The thing you have to understand about your body is that it doesn’t communicate with you via words—it communicates with you via aches, pains, injuries, and every other unpleasant (and pleasant) type feeling.

If you don’t listen to your body, you’re bound for much more of the unpleasant than pleasant.

If you pay attention, however, and really listen… and build habits around pains… routines in repeatedly targeted areas… and rituals for when communication happens… you’d be surprised how much more pleasant it’ll be to be in your body.