Category: Living Well

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?

There Isn’t Much Time Left

Published on June 23, 2024

…To unleash all that you are inside.

Each day that passes that doesn’t involve you realizing more of your potential, sharing your unique gifts, expressing yourself more authentically, and/or connecting more deeply with others is a day that fades to black in the timeline of your life.

…A day that vanishes from your memory.

…A day that never makes it to your eulogoy.

…A day that may only permeate into the well of your regret.

There isn’t much time left.

Do something today that’ll help you realize all that you are inside.

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

Handlebars [Poem]

Published on June 18, 2024

You let go of your handlebars
As if to relinquish control
back to the universe

You stretched your arms
Straightened your spine
Softened your shoulders
And let your body free

Your arms waved in rhythm
Your head rocked side to side
Your face relaxed completely
And nothing else mattered

Not the pain of peddling
Not the hundreds of eyes
Not the torturous sight of inclines
…None of what filled my mind

And you—in but a snapshot moment
Took on a higher form
Embodied a radiance via surrender
That the grind in me couldn’t understand

Until I tried it—until I surrendered
And remembered what it was like—
Yes, remembered once again
How to actually live in the here.

P.s. You can read my other poems here.

Who Is A Strong Person?

Published on June 14, 2024

Last week, my martial arts students and I reflected on the question, “Who is a rich person?“

This week, we reflected on, “Who is a strong person?”

And the question I asked to help them gather their ideas was, “Who is one of the strongest people you know in your life?” And “Why?”

…And not a single person mentioned someone because of their sheer physical strength.

Each person mentioned somebody because of their emotional and/or mental strength.

They mentioned people who showed resilience, grit, patience, kindness, and courage in the face of adversity and unfairness in life… Parents who brilliantly juggled family, career, health, and more in spite of incredible challenges… People who were diagnosed with life threatening illnesses yet maintained a constructive outlook and found ways to carry through.

While physical strength is certainly impressive, the takeaway for me is that it’s built mostly for the individual… whereas emotional and/or mental strength is a strength that benefits every single person that individual interacts with.

I’m sure you have crossed paths with a muscle-head who was an absolute a-hole… who was, yes, utilizing a type of emotion and/or mental strength to develop their physical strength—but it was for the sole purpose of vanity… it was for themselves.

Whereas the people who develop their mental strength—by building discipline, courage, focus, respect, etc… or the people who develop their emotional strength—by practicing mindfulness, patience, openness, and do inner work… become sources of strength for us all.

P.s. One of the strongest people I ever knew was my great grandmother. Here’s why.

Meaning > Fun

Published on June 11, 2024

If your top criteria for doing something is that it be fun… then you’ll eventually regress to doing things that give comfortable thrills, dopamine hits, and easy wins.

If your top criteria for doing something is that it be meaningful… then you’ll push yourself to do things that are uncomfortable up front, but long term rewarding… things that are accompanied with progress, deep-seated gratitude, and fulfillment… things that challenge you to fail, learn, and grow.

Fun is for lazy Sundays, nights out with the boys, day trips with the girls…

Meaningful is for career paths, health and fitness efforts, community service, legacy…

The trick is to do meaningful work that you also have fun doing that you’d STILL DO even during the times when it isn’t so fun (no meaningful work is fun 100% of the time).

Expecting meaningful work to feel like an arcade isn’t practical. What you can expect, however, is to feel a deep sense fun/joy/reward from meaningful work that superficial “fun” work could never provide.

Something that comes from seeing others and feeling yourself improve… that comes from building something of value and awe… that comes from seeing your art/ creative visions come to life… that comes from thank you letters and unprompted gifts… that comes from changing lives.

Fun-only is almost always absent of meaning. Meaning-only almost always includes some sense of fun. Maybe not immediately, but almost always over the long run.

An Ounce Of Patience Is Worth A Ton Of (Inner) Peace

Published on June 10, 2024

On my drive to work this morning, I pissed a guy off very much.

While crossing the street in the middle of traffic, he started yelling and swearing at me for driving too… slow… because I didn’t drive past him fast enough which made him slow down his stride and (god forbid) wait an extra few moments before he could finish his jaywalk.

Looking in my rear view mirror, he didn’t continue in any kind of hurry either… just continued walking across the street, mumbling to himself, with anger oozing from his mannerisms.

The experience as a whole couldn’t have cost the guy anything more than 10 seconds. And yet, probably cost him upwards of at least 10 minutes from his exacerbated response… maybe even hours—who knows. And here I am, furthermore, thinking about it and writing about it hours and hours later.

Coincidentally, as the universe would have it, I discovered and uploaded a quote to MoveMe Quotes today that said, “Patience is not passive, it is concentrated strength.” And this little experience does a great job exemplifying why.

Ten seconds of patience—concentrated strength—could have given him and me (and anyone else involved) an exponential return in time saved from anger/ frustration/ and irritation… time that could be used instead for joy/ presence/ creative thinking/ etc.

And to those who take the time to develop that concentrated strength and actively flex those patience muscles in their every day lives—thank you. Not only is the ROI phenomenal for you, but it is for all of us. Your strength gives us more time and space to develop ours—and for that I am (we are) grateful.

Traveling the Distance

Published on June 9, 2024

Today, the Martial Arts Association I’m a part of hosted a black belt and higher level degree test for 80 candidates.

Each earned their way onto that testing floor from years and years of consistent hard training and well displayed martial arts culture / respect.

And each outlasting many of their peers who started on the same journey with them. Maybe only 1% makes it all the way from white belt to black belt. And maybe .01% makes it to the higher degrees. Their dedication carried them forward to a place where most never travel.

And so it is with everything we do in life.

There’s nothing wrong with stopping something you’re no longer passionate about or choosing to explore other areas of interest. But, do that too much, and you’ll never get to travel to that place where only the smallest of percentages get to.

What you pick doesn’t matter per se… what matters is that you pick.

And that you give what you pick your absolute best shot… through thick and thin… when it’s sunny outside and when it’s rainy… when you’re feeling lazy and when you’re feeling on top of the world… when you’re feeling low and when you’re feeling unstoppable…

Traveling the distance is what gives us roots. It’s what gives us depth. It’s what gives us wisdom.

Miyamoto Musashi said, “To know ten thousand things, know one well.” …And this is what he means.

Go deep in one specific domain and the rest of the universe reveals itself. Submit to your lazy nature and dilly dally your way from one thing to the next to the next… and you’ll forever only understand what’s on the surface.