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Category: Thinking Clearly

Very Busy

Published on December 17, 2025

One of my martial arts students apologized to me the other day because she had a schedule change and wasn’t going to be able to make it to every available adult class anymore.

…And instead of training five times per week, she would only be able to train four times.

Two times per week is a complete and healthy training schedule—for those who don’t know. And so, of course, I told her not to apologize and that it was totally and completely okay.

A few minutes after the interaction, I happened to have a flashback moment to the time when I was originally pitching the program to her (after she had signed up her son) and remembered her saying that she was very busy and unsure about whether she’d be able to fit training into her schedule.

And I smiled and felt good about the idea that martial arts became a priority that transcended the excuse of busy.

Because it’s never that we’re too busy… is it?

…It’s that we have other things we’d rather be doing or are—consciously or unconsciously—prioritizing. For better or for worse.

Legacy > Drama

Published on December 12, 2025

One of my instructors was telling me how drama was ruining some of her recent tournament experiences.

And after listening to all that was going on, what I told her was simple: don’t let something small like drama ruin something so great like legacy performances.

She’s in her national martial arts tournament era—and the experiences she’s having competing at that level are undoubtedly becoming memories that she’ll cherish forever.

…The last thing you want to do is let something petty, juvenile, or ridiculous steer you from that incredible path.

Five years from now, you won’t remember the drama in the least.

But five years from now you’ll definitely be proud of all that you pushed yourself to accomplish… And watching the videos of you putting your entire life force into a single performance is what legacy is built on.

Steer clear of the drama. Don’t let drama steer you.

Right Now Has Nothing To Do With It

Published on December 9, 2025

What happens today is a lagging indicator of everything you did yesterday and before.

If you’re feeling exhausted, right now has nothing to do with it… it has everything to do with the previous day or week’s sleep, habits, and health routines.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, right now has nothing to do with it… it has everything to do with the previous day or week’s (or month’s or year’s) productivity, initiative, and proactive problem solving (or lack thereof).

If you’re feeling unfulfilled, right now has nothing to do with it… it has everything to do with the previous day or week’s or month’s or year’s purpose alignment, relationship building, and/or inner work.

Remember when you’re feeling off, like a wilting plant, it won’t always be an immediately fixable problem. Weeks of no sun or water isn’t fixed with one exposure or pouring.

But if you can commit to consistent sun exposure and keeping the soil moist, so to speak, eventually, the lagging indicator of your not so distant right now, can be energized, accomplished, and content.

…You just need to remember to take care of your tomorrow self, today.

The Later, Larger Pain

Published on December 8, 2025

An employee of mine got the lead role in a local theater play—and today I got to see her perform.

When she first told me about this opportunity and how she got casted as the lead, it meant she was going to be much less available for work—because she was going to have to devote much more of her available time to preparing for the play.

As a boss, it’d be easy for me to get upset about this because of how it affected my ability to staff the school.

But, I was as supportive as I could be and looked for opportunities in her absence.

And after seeing her perform today, I’m so glad I did.

Seeing her perform was the most I’ve ever seen her express herself… it’s the most confident I’ve ever seen her… it’s the most alive I’ve ever seen her.

If both her and I were too zoomed in on the short term… she might not have gone through with the play. Maybe she would’ve chosen the short-term money from working her hours and/or maybe an overreaction from me would’ve made her choose differently or feel badly or at the very least not invite me to see her perform.

…And what a shame that would’ve been.

The long term focus, zoomed out perspective is almost always the way to go.

Because what it implies is a short term sacrifice for a later, larger gain.

…Much better than the long term sacrifice for the shorter, smaller gain.

Let It Linger

Published on December 2, 2025

As an extension off yesterday’s post, not only do I think it’s better to read several pages from one author versus one page from several different authors (emails and blogs included)… I also think it’s better to read one page from one author and really think about what it said (and do inner work with what thoughts it evoked) versus reading a bunch of pages from one author filled with bunches and bunches of what they think with no time to think about any of it.

Inbox zero is tempting. Getting the book checked off your list is appealing. Sucking up every idea and insight available to you in every moment of every day can feel deceptively productive.

But the reality is, as I was alluding to yesterday, tons of insight plus zero processing space pushes those insights out of your brain just as fast as they’re getting sucked in—because our short term memories can only store so much… which is why we (I) can spend an hour watching short videos, feel good about them while I’m doing it, and finish feeling like I took nothing away.

The key takeaway from this is that insight isn’t instantly integrated. Insight needs processing space—inner work time—where it can simmer, settle, and melt into your being.

Otherwise, it’s in one ear and out the other… in one eye and out the other… in one side of your brain and forced out the other… letting it linger is what allows it to stay within. And lingering happens only when there’s nothing else pushing it around and out of the way.

Avoiding Fear Is Avoiding Your Potential

Published on November 24, 2025

This past weekend, the martial arts association I’m a part of hosted a tournament for 500+ local and out of state competitors.

…And I don’t think a single one of them wasn’t nervous about competing.

From the outside looking in, as a spectator, it might seem as though many of the people who stepped into the ring were, in fact, without nerves… but, I can assure you, it’s almost never the case.

What happens is the competitors feel the nerves… and then get into the ring anyway.

Which is precisely what courage is: feeling fear and doing the thing anyway.

And it’s so important to remember this—especially when we’re confronted with a fear-inducing opportunity in our lives. Because while choosing to be a spectator will dissipate the fear… it also dissipates the courage you stand to build.

See what happens when you choose to step into the fear is you challenge and flex your courage muscle which, by and by, increases your fear tolerance and ability to manage your physiological response.

…Something that’s undoubtedly correlated to what’s required for you—us—to live and lead your—our—best lives.

Illegally Parked Car

Published on November 23, 2025

The other day, a mom came into the martial arts school I teach at and asked if she could speak with me.

I told her, “Absolutely” and after a few minutes of welcoming new clients in, saying goodbye to those leaving, answering quick questions from both on their way, handling a few transactions, and solving a few problems—I signaled her in the lobby and walked her into an office.

When we sat down, she smiled and told me that she came in with a hot head and was ready to yell at whoever she could corner in an office. She explained that there was a car parked illegally in the lot that was causing chaos during one of the school’s peak class transition times—which was frustrating not just in itself, but because it wasn’t the first time.

…But, she continued by saying, after watching how calmly I managed the chaotic busyness in those few minutes inside the school—her anger was gone. She told me that it gave her perspective on the circumstance and reminded her that while it was frustrating, it didn’t have to create frustration and anger inside her—her daughter made it safely to class, the illegally parked car was moved, and everybody continued on with their day safely.

It was such a refreshing conversation and just an excellent reminder to not only maintain perspective, but to always deploy calm as a strategy for problem solving. The opposite almost always only becomes another compounded problem that needs solving.