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Category: Miscellaneous

Gone To Burning Man!

From Saturday (8/26/23) to Tuesday (9/5/23), I’ll be off grid.

That means, you won’t get daily emails from me until I get back on the grid on Wednesday (9/6/23)-ish.

Rest assured, I’ll still be writing daily—it’ll just take on a more primitive form (that’s right folks… pen and paper).

And when I get back, I’ll share what words made it to paper during what I’m expecting to be a wild, curious, mysterious, serendipitous, and nothing-short-of-inspirational week.

Don’t know what Burning Man is? I can barely explain it. But, this video does a pretty solid job.

Thank you to each of you for your ongoing support. I look forward to reconnecting when I get back. ♥


P.s. If you’re feeling generous, you can send a little love via coffee here. This trip will definitely require copious amounts of caffeine. Cheers 🙂

Three Birthday Lessons

Today is my birthday.

And as I reflect on this last year, there are a few lessons that stand out as highlight themes:

  • Slow down. Faster isn’t better. In almost every case, with everyday living as the subject, slower is better. Because slower calms our body, which calms our mind, which calms our spirit. And a calm spirit is a more present spirit. And if we’re not present for life, then what the hell is the point?
  • No hesitation. Whenever I find myself on the fence about a thing I know I should do and the thing my ego wants me to do (e.g. household chores vs create AI art), I speak “No hesitation” into my mind as a mantra and react appropriately asap. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from building habits, it’s that the larger the gap is between fence-thought and response, the less likely I am to do it.
  • Take more shots. This past year I created my first ever digital product (something that imposter syndrome stopped me from doing for over a decade prior); I’ve joined a handful of new classes / activities so as to meet new people and reengage in activities as a beginner (e.g. basketball, modern arnis, yoga, meditation, dance, etc); and have taken more initiative in family and friend efforts (e.g. getting a run buddy, attending every wedding/ graduation/ reunion/ birthday party/ funeral I could, and said “yes” to more invites, etc).

In summary, I’d say this past year has been about living with more courage (more shots), control (no hesitation), and presence (slowing down). Three words I’ll be carrying close with me as the adventure continues into year 34. Cheers :)

Silo Poetry

On Saturday night, I went to a poetry reading.

It was hosted at the bottom of a no longer operational grain silo whose thick concrete walls wrapped snug around a cozy group of around 50 that extended straight up to what seemed like the heavens.

There were three finished, connected wooden pallets that served as a humble raised platform where presenters could read. The lighting was dim yet sharp. Words spoken into the microphone echoed off the cylindrical walls for what felt like minutes. And there was a fog that came reaching around small backstage openings that thickened the air that hung in the balance.

…It was a remarkable way to hear carefully chosen words, thoughtfully spoken.

And as if that wasn’t already enough, one presenter in particular added to the dynamics even further. When he was called up to read; as he walked consciously down the narrow isle; as he took his place atop the pallet stage; as he placed his bag down slowly behind; as he adjusted the thin podium, positioned his life’s work, thumbed through the pages and years, found his word collections and composed himself to read…

…He never said a word.

Not one.

It was as though we—everything gracefully mixing within the walls of that silo—were a type of freshly poured concrete and he was the worker who was expertly giving us time to thicken.

Right before he took a soft breath, that is, and cut through the hardening mixture like a type of chainsaw with his pointed, perfectly paced, incoming words. Straight through our dilated pupils and leaned in ears—the soft spot to our ever hardening exteriors—and into our earth.

15 Days of Gratitude Challenge

My friend Mike started a #15DaysofGratitude Challenge.

It’s simple. Every day for the next 15 days, post publicly something you’re grateful for.

This feels like a timely challenge for me because lately, I can feel my mind learning towards desire and away from gratitude. The discontent has been a noticeable feeling for some reason and expressing gratitude, I know, is the perfect antidote.

So, I’m in.

…I hope you’ll join, too.

Day 1: After work today, a colleague asked me what I had planned for the rest of my day. After thinking about it for a second, I realized I had nothing. And after an exhausting, nonstop, jammed schedule kind of week—saying “nothing at all” felt great.

Today, I’m grateful for the days when I get to do… nothing at all.

Guest Appearance On: Anecdotes For Success

Anecdotes for Success is a storytelling based podcast that highlights life experiences to help listeners level up and live their best lives.

In this episode, I share highlights of my story. We talk about martial arts, character development, business philosophy, teaching strategies, overcoming imposter syndrome, and more—all in about 53 minutes.

Hopefully, some of what’s shared will help you level up and/or live your life in a better way. Enjoy :)


P.s. You can listen to other podcast episodes I’ve appeared on here.

Nuggets From The People I Work With

Tonight I gave a speech featuring the many things I have learned from the people I get to work with on a regular basis.

What follows isn’t that, but a brief list of nuggets or “isms” from that speech that I thought were worth sharing—even to the reader who has never met them. Enjoy :)

  • Kindness is always in fashion.
  • Adventures are the real currency in life.
  • Always have something to look forward to.
  • Try to keep a night saved for the girls… or the boys.
  • Any day that consists of “went to the gym” is a great day.
  • The real benefit of ‘more’ is that we get to give back more.
  • Taking things seriously is important—but so is taking things lightly.
  • Work just as hard when there’s 2 in the room as you would when there’s 40.
  • Sometimes the claps from one, true fan can ring louder than the standing ovation received from a thousand spectators.
  • The best way to start a conversation, no matter how hard, is to walk directly up to the person, sometimes cornering them, and dive right in.
  • Always bet on yourself—the path might not always be clear, but the inner resolve and grit that’s guided us safely before will do so again.
  • Being honest upfront and well in advance of what might require honesty—saves everybody (mostly ourselves) time and headache.
  • Taking pictures at each step of the way makes for an incredible look back at a journey you didn’t even realize you were exponentially changing on.
  • The time it takes to construct a funny, witty, random, outrageous, where-in-the-heck-did-that-come-from text or comment… is worth every minute of invested time.

Blizzard of ’22 [Poem]

This snow doesn’t fall
It screams

Running parallel to streets
Digging deep

As a silver olympian
Extends for gold

An otherworldly relentlessness
Seen only asleep

My eyes turn inward
Inspired and see

Thick, swirling steam
A lifeline; hope

Two days no power
Creative heat

I turn inward again
And grasp tighter the rope