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Category: Thinking Clearly

3 Promises I Made To 2 Strangers At A Music Show

Published on June 26, 2026
  1. You’re going to have the best time.
  2. Nobody is going to dance more than us.
  3. You’re going to get gifts from strangers before the end of the night.

And what an incredibly fun mission that was to fulfill.

Some promises I’ve heard other people make to themselves and others at music shows:

  1. Nothing better go wrong tonight so I can have a good time.
  2. Nobody is going to be as messed up as us.
  3. Strangers better not tick me off.

Choose your mission; choose your destiny.

…Because what you choose to focus on is what you’ll see and work to problem solve.

And making it your mission to “Not have a bad time” is not the same as “Having the best time.”

Where The Magic Happens (At Work)

Published on June 23, 2026

I’m pretty busy at work these days.

I could pull an 80-hour work week and still have plenty left to do—all things I’m trying to cram into my 40-hour work week as best I can.

…Maybe you can relate.

Add on top of that the fact that oftentimes as I’m working, I’ll get interrupted.

I’ll have kids peek-a-boo into my office, parents stop in to ask questions, instructors ask for advice or guidance, staff share daily happenings, students want to talk or chat the chat with me… and so on…

And it makes getting all of the busy done, as efficiently as I’d like to, challenging.

…But you know what?

The inefficiencies are where the magic happens, isn’t it?

It’s those moments spent peek-a-booing with kids… chatting with parents about life… giving instructors guidance… interacting with my staff whom I’m so proud to have on my team… and chatting the pointless chat with students… that make all of the damn work I’m trying to efficiently get done—worth it.

Without them, I’d be clacking away at a keyboard… for what? For whom?

…Maybe you can relate?

Which “Candidate” Are You?

Published on June 22, 2026

Black Belt Candidate #1:
– Showed up early to every practice, pre-test, and test
– Trained, rehearsed, and started drilling curriculum requirements early
– Got his/her curriculum approved to the highest standard
– Wrote an earnest black belt essay that reflected careful, deep thought
– Completed a service project that made a lasting and meaningful impact on both them and others
– Received a glowing letter of recommendation from an individual who could attest to character demonstrated over the course of years
– Courageously shaved their head/participated in a physical demonstration of humility
– Fasted before their test for the challenge and ritualistic cleanse of the body
– Gave their 100% best effort at each step of the testing process

Black Belt Candidate #2:
– Showed up late to every practice, pre-test, and test
– Waited until the last minute to train, rehearse, and start drilling curriculum requirements
– Got his/her curriculum approved according to the bare minimum standard
– Used AI to write their essay and added minimal thought and/or editing
– Did a last minute service project that they made sound better than it was
– Received a short, generic letter of recommendation
– Decided against participating in a physical demonstration of humility because of fear
– Didn’t want to feel hungry so didn’t fast for their test
– Did just enough to get by at each step of the testing process

…You may not be a martial artist. Heck, you might never even step into a martial arts school. But the contrast in decisions outlined above and what results apply universally. Candidate #1 and candidate #2 are going to feel completely different about their belt, the testing process, and themself… my question for you is: which candidate are you in your domain of life?

If You Completely Lost Your Memory…

Published on June 18, 2026

…Who would you ask to recount your true and most honest version of yourself?

Isn’t it interesting to think that each person you asked… would recount a different “true” and “most honest” version of you as seen through their eyes?

It’s worth sitting with this and asking yourself how the different people in your life would recount you to the amnesia you.

And then linger with that thought and decide if you’re happy with that… or if there are pieces of you missing that you would never get back because you’ve never given them out…

And decide if you want to do something about that…

…Or keep hiding what you might consider your most true and honest pieces?

What Do You Do?

Published on June 13, 2026

What do you do… in those moments you know you’ll always remember?

…In those crossroads moments?

…In those moments that represent a major shift or you know will make it onto your life’s highlight reel?

…At graduations? …At milestone birthdays? …At performance events? …At first dates? …At once-in-a-lifetime travel views?

…How do you step into that type of moment?

…How should you act?

…Should you record so you can reflect on it?

…Or should you step into that space in full presence and awareness?

…Maybe some combination of the two?

Can you step into a space with full awareness and presence if you’re thinking in the background about which moment(s) to capture? Maybe the moment happens when you think it will. Maybe another moment comes up that you think might be better? Maybe you decide to just capture them all and figure it out later?

…But then are you ever really there?

…What do you do?

Maybe outsource it to another? But then does it place a burden onto them that steals them away from presence and awareness? Or maybe it’d be a distinct joy to be able to rewatch this key moment a thousand times over on a screen? Maybe even more so than one fully absorbed and present time?

…And finally: are there ever really moments that are worth a careful contemplation like this over others? Or are all moments worth thinking carefully about like this?

Because I’ve been writing every day for a long time and I’ll tell you what…

There’s an unbelievable depth in each day.

What Does Your Design Say About You?

Published on May 25, 2026

What an interesting question to contemplate: “What does this space (that I’ve designed) say about me?”

And maybe more interesting—a question I’ve been contemplating all weekend: “How can I redesign this space so that it speaks to the person I have evolved into and most want to become?”

You’re Not Creating Your Own Weather…?

Published on May 14, 2026

I can’t express to you enough the importance of creating your own weather.

This becomes particularly important when you live in a chronically overcast, gray, cold, rainy place like Buffalo, NY.

If I let the weather dictate my mood, I’d be chronically miserable.

Instead, like the Good Mother herself, I gather various ingredients from what’s available in my immediate surroundings and cast a forecast over my day that’s aligned, predictable, and intentional with the mood I’m looking to nurture.

Music is a fundamental key in this practice. The vocals, instruments, and added sounds play at the exact vibration I’m looking to resonate at. And so rather than look outside at the literal weather, become miserable, and try to think myself into a joyful state… I’ll listen to music that matches what I would define as a joyful frequency and let it pull me upwards and outwards of my mind and into my body.

Mindful consumption is a strong second in the practice. Like food to the body, what gets consumed via the eyes, ears, and other senses has a direct impact on our inner weather. Watch news, gossip, and hate-based media—and so, too, will your mind become. Watch art, contribution, and love-based media—and so, too, will your inner weather become.

And digestion is an under-discussed third. Like food to the body, if you never stop eating—regardless of how healthy the food is—your body is going to feel like it needs to explode. We have a daily calorie limit for a reason—and the same should be true with the amount of minutes we spend consuming. The rest of the time? Digesting. Meditating. Relaxing. Playing. Being.