Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

Follow Your Curiosity (Sometimes)

Published on December 11, 2023

Follow your curiosity is excellent advice. Except when that curiosity leads you down potentially wasteful and/or destructive paths.

I was thinking about this today as I reflected on why I was so damn sleepy.

This past Saturday, my curiosity piqued when I saw a social media video breaking down a Muy Thai fighter’s unique style and found out he was fighting that night. I followed the trail, found the fight, and ended up watching fights and fight videos until well into the night.

Then, on Sunday, I was watching football with my family. During the game, my curiosity piqued when I kept hearing about the upcoming “Must See” matchup between two great teams. So, after my hometown team’s game finished, I rushed home, took care of my final responsibilities for the evening, and stayed up, again, well into the night watching TV.

Now, did I learn something from these experiences—I guess. But, if I’m being honest, it was mostly wasteful. Earlier sleeps, more reading, and less passive entertainment would’ve been better.

Am I saying to completely ditch passive entertainment? I mean… I not not saying that… but, I will admit there can be a time and a place—for sure.

What I am saying though, is to weight the future costs of pursuing your present curiosities.

Is it going to lead to valuable skill building and useful insight or mostly wasted time and sleepy mornings? Because not all pursued curiosity is created equal. And if you can get better at picking and choosing which curiosities to entertain and prioritize… you just might find yourself picking and choosing between better/more upgraded life possibilities.

Own Your Future

Published on December 10, 2023

If you’re given an opportunity to perform/ create/ express… to show what you’re made of… to put your spirit on full display… and you choose to give it an average effort…?

…The future consequences of that… the regret/ the fewer opportunities/ the reduced impact… is on you—not anybody else.

Remember this: we’re wired to hold back. To stay comfortable. To take the easy path. To not risk failure or embarrassment. Which is why seeing people do the opposite—in any arena—is so captivating and inspiring.

And if captivate and inspire is something you aim to do…

…You have to choose to do that. To rewire your system. To rewrite your defaults. To reject the status quo and what’s grossly accepted as the norm. To give the opportunity presented to you your greatest effort… without hesitation, self-consciousness, or egotistical concern…

…And own the fact that the future… your greatest future… is always a series of choices that can be made only by you.

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

Opportunistic Moments

Published on December 10, 2023

Today, I was responsible for leading a group of 75 Martial Artists through one of the biggest days of their lives—their Black Belt and higher degree test.

And one thing I’ve learned about approaching big days—both as a leader and performer—is to not think of them as such. But rather to think about them in terms of opportunistic moments instead.

The weight of “big days” can not only stifle you, but steal you away from the very moments you’d most want to remember that are, by definition, housed inside big days. It’ll have you thinking about what’s next, what’s later, what can’t be forgotten, what just happened, what went wrong, and what could’ve been better. Leaving you, mentally, everywhere except where you are.

Bring yourself back by asking yourself questions like: what do I have the opportunity to do right now?

…Is this a moment where I get to show grit, intensity, and spirit? Or is this a moment where I get to rest, recharge, and rehearse?

…Is this a moment where I get to perform in the spotlight? Or is this a moment where I get to cheer for the ones who are?

…Is this a moment to conserve energy and go half-way? Or is this a moment where I get to go all in and really test your limits?

Get better at living inside moments—both on “big days” and normal ones—and suddenly, your days won’t feel so heavy and intimidating. And you might just find yourself feeling lighter, more present, and ultimately… more alive.

Lie For Me?

Published on December 8, 2023

Somebody asked me if I would lie for them today.

When I explained that I wouldn’t and why, I also included the following line to serve as a reminder/ forewarning… a line that didn’t come from some picture quote post I saw somewhere on the internet… but from a place of experience learned the hard way. I said:

Telling a lie now moves difficulty into your future; telling the truth now moves difficulty into your past.

Whenever you find yourself on the fence about whether or not you should tell the truth or lie… keep this in mind. And if that’s not enough, remember that the future difficulty compounds vs the now difficulty because of the accumulating guilt, lie remembering, performing/acting, and follow up questioning.

…Sometimes—oftentimes—difficult now is actually the much easier option.

Enough Thinking For Today

Published on December 7, 2023

…That’s what I tell myself when I collapse into my bed at night.

…And I open a book and start reading as soon as I can manage.

My thought is this: we spend every waking moment of our day thinking… trying to stay one step ahead of what’s next; solving problems; avoiding distractions and staying productive; imagining future possibilities; reflecting and learning from past experiences; keeping our priorities prioritized; remembering to eat enough food and drink enough water; entertaining stupid random stuff that we can’t help… etc

And collapsed in bed, exhausted, shouldn’t be another time for us to keep doing all of the above.

In fact, continuing to think critically and solve problems from your day before you sleep is an excellent way to lose sleep and wake up more tired the next day leaving you with less energy to solve the very problems you thought thinking about in bed would help.

Here’s the strategy: don’t tell your mind to stop thinking—this doesn’t work. Just like trying not to think of Pink Elephant doesn’t work. Give your mind something to guide it. Something that can carry it forward on a ride and relieve it of its incessant nature to problem solve and replay experiences. Books do it for me.

…Until your eyes are so heavy that you can’t help but put the book down and pass out.

Collapsed on your bed = enough thinking for today. Try it.

P.s. If something randomly pops into your head that I don’t want to forget, I write it down or record it on a note app. Trying to remember things before you sleep will stimulate you back to a wakeful state.

Just Vibes

Published on December 6, 2023

The first time I heard the song Who Do You Love by ARTY feat. Rozzi, was when I was dead in the middle of running my first ultramarathon.

…Like dead.

…In the middle… maybe not even half way.

…While running a 50k in the desert.

And right before I heard it… it was dusty and rugged and mute. And I was alone. And I was hurting. And I was trying to quiet the deflating chatter of my mind. And I was definitely questioning my life choices.

And then… I heard the song faintly in the distance. And then I heard it getting progressively louder behind me. And then I was starting to wonder if I was hallucinating… Until, lo and behold, a dude on his bike with a bluetooth speaker strapped to his basket passed by with the song blasting.

And the song filled me with the life that was quickly exiting my body in that moment. And it gave me the mental patching I needed to hold more of that life inside as I continued on my way… like a mechanic expertly patching a pierced tire that was in danger of soon hitting rim to road. And I even got a boost that allowed me to pump my arms to the beat, crack a smile, and shout him out as he passed.

And not even a minute later… he was gone.

…Peddled off into the dusty desert going wherever his wind blew him.

…And I never saw him again.

And this was all it took to give me the critical boost I needed to carry on with my fight.

…No interaction. No major endeavor. No fancy tactics.

…Just vibes.

Painted Rocks

Published on December 5, 2023

“It’s actually pretty gratifying.”

…A friend of mine said about her painted rock side hustle.

What started out simply as a hobby that entailed collecting rocks on her morning dog walks that she would then paint by night as a creative/ calming outlet… slowly turned into a business name, with chic branding, and small pop-up stands.

…Not with the intent of massively scaling and changing the world.

But, with the intent of sharing her unique gift with those who cared.

And the funny thing about sharing gifts with those who care…

…Is that it’s actually pretty gratifying for one’s self.