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Category: Enjoying The Journey

Greatness Minus Fun

Published on September 30, 2024

I spoke to a very talented martial artist yesterday who quit competing and training altogether five years ago—when she was at her peak—because her coach was too hard on her and the process stopped being fun.

What a shame.

And what a great reminder to both coaches and competitors alike: winning isn’t everything. Because you can train your ass off, push your limits, and finish each session absolutely spent—in the name of the pursuit of greatness… but if it leads to you quitting… is there any bigger loss?

Now, can you achieve greatness without a healthy dose of the above mentioned items? Probably not. But, you know what else you can’t achieve greatness without? A healthy dose of fun and enjoyment for the process.

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

Never Apologize For Feeling Joyful

Published on August 1, 2024

“It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.”

Bruce Springsteen

In a world full of hate, violence, poverty, depression, hopelessness… it can be hard, even guilt-inducing, to feel the opposite.

I know I’ve had the thought run through my mind: “How can I feel joy when there are so many awful things happening in the world?”

But you know what? …It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.

To be clear, this is not to say that we should bury our heads in the sand and ignore the hate, violence, poverty, depression, and hopelessness of the world.

…It’s simply to say, sometimes the absolute best thing we can do for the world is find our joy and spread that into the world as an anecdotal, proactive response rather than becoming just another passive, infected part of the ever expanding, depressing problem.

P.s. There is a ton happening in the world that is joy-inducing, too.

You Parties

Published on June 24, 2024

I’ve been remembering lately how I used to crash on my bed at the end of a long day and scroll through my social timelines for 30 minutes to an hour each night before falling asleep.

…And how that isn’t even a thought that occurs to me anymore.

Now, it’s always either crash on my bed at the end of a long day and read or crash on my bed at the end of a long day and sleep.

And what an incredible victory worth celebrating that is.

One that, let me tell you, I haven’t really celebrated at all.

It was a challenge that I worked hard to integrate into my lifestyle that slowly, slowly, became a part of my lifestyle which, by definition, meant it was something I didn’t have to think about once it was established.

Upon reflection, I realized that I focused on other things I wanted to challenge and change about my lifestyle instead.

…And so it goes in life, eh?

If we always only think about what we’re lacking, not doing, or could be doing better… we’ll always feel bad about where we are—if we even remember to think about where we are at all.

Which isn’t to say thinking about how we can grow is bad… it’s just to remind you to balance it with some gratitude and awareness for how far you’ve come and to throw a little party for yourself every now and again.

I mean, seriously…when’s the last time you threw a little party for yourself, eh?

When Fast Slows Down

Published on May 7, 2024

What could you do, right now, that would make someone want to send you a hand written thank you letter? …Or, maybe a modern day best, a thoughtful text or email reply?

…Answer this question and you’ll have some pretty great pitstop ideas you could take from the long and oftentimes tiresome travels of your day—your life.

Because while it’s crucial to begin with the end in mind—to keep in focus where it is we’re trying to go—it’s also crucial to find ways to pitstop, to wander, to enjoy the scenery and people along the way.

And the things we might do that would elicit a quick “thanks” or wave (or serve no purpose and elicit zero response) maybe aren’t the best places to pitstop. Maybe we could take that time, strategically add a little intention that’s harnessed from the question above, and emerge with a scenic detour that becomes an absolute highlight of the travels of our day—our life.

See, getting to our destination fast isn’t greater than getting to our destination full. And full happens when fast slows down and adds a little intention, awareness, and generosity along the way.

P.s. For a deep dive into this topic, check out my guide: The Art of Forward: Direction > Speed.

Plain Fun

Published on February 14, 2024

Yesterday, I hosted a martial arts class where members could train with non-member loved ones as a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day in a unique, experiential kind of way.

My goal was to facilitate a type of class that was all partner themed, game-based, and contact oriented, that felt relaxed and above all… was just plain fun.

And the response from the members after the class was overwhelmingly positive with an almost unanimous request to have more “plain fun” classes just like it.

And it was a pleasant reminder that while adults on the surface often present as serious…

…They’re really just kids inside grown-up bodies who came to adopt seriousness as a way to interact with the world—maybe because it’s what they were taught, what they intuited, or what was required—when really… adults, like kids, just want to have fun.

P.s. The next book I’ll be uploading quotes from is Self-Renewal by John W. Gardner. You can pick up a copy and read along here.

Playing Outside

Published on November 19, 2023

Today, I played pickup football with a group of 15 people, ranging in age from 11 to 55+.

As you might imagine, the ones closer to 55+ than 11 were making their fair share of comments about feeling old, rusty, out-of-shape, etc…

But, something interesting happens when you get 55+ year olds and those who think they’re close to it outside in the sun, playing an impromptu game, with a group of fun-loving people, calling plays and running routes, and doing it all how they used to as kids…

…You can almost see the years melt away, right off their bodies and faces, in real time.

Their outer shells soften. Their smiles come easier. Their physiology relaxes. The conversation lightens. Their bodies heats up and move more freely.

See, playing—in all of its forms—isn’t what makes us feel old… it’s what keeps us young.

And it isn’t until we decide that we’re “too old” to play that we truly start to age.

Make The Means Your End

Published on July 8, 2023

Most people get handed a picture of the mega-rich lifestyle and say, “Yup, that’s what I want” and spend all of their time and energy trying to paint a replica of that picture into their life without any further thought.

…Without any image at all of what their daily experience to achieve that end might look like, without any conversation around priorities, and without any authentic customizations or added personality to the picture. Just a singularly focused attempt to copy and paste another person’s end into their life, irrespective of the means.

But, what we must understand is that the means are the *real* end.

Meaning, how the moments are spent inside the lifestyle will always matter more than the mere end picture of the lifestyle.

My advice? Forget the picture. Focus on pin-pointing how you most want to spend your time. Ask yourself this fundamentally important question: “What does my ideal day look like?”—and reverse engineer from there.

Investing all of your available time and energy into an end without carefully considering the means is a mistake. Make the means your end and allow the masterpiece of your life to paint itself. Not based on some mega-rich person’s painting, but based on the brushstrokes taken uniquely by you, for you—starting today.

Inner work prompt: What does your ideal average day / lifestyle look like?