All storms shall pass

You may be in the middle of a storm right now. You may not. Regardless, our life is full of storms and full of clear skies. Sometimes you are in the middle of struggle, sometimes you have overcome it, and sometimes you are heading into it. We typically have no idea when the storms are…

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Adversity is your opportunity

Over the past month I’ve had the opportunity to speak in front of several professional groups in person. The “in person” part is a highlight because it is the first time I’ve spoken to a non-Zoom crowd in over two years. It was so energizing to be in front of a crowd again and I…

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Make today ashamed of yesterday

I was teaching Jiu Jitsu last week and some of the senior students were “phoning it in.” They were simply going through the motions. It was as if they thought that just showing up was good enough. But, is it? Yes, showing up is sometimes 90% of the battle. However, showing up without putting in…

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Find your life’s song

How many times have each of us uttered the phrase, “I will be happy when?” Then, if we don’t get to that magic “when” moment, we continue to be unhappy. Or, worse yet, we actually do get to that moment and our happiness is fleeting. We thought that the accomplishment of the goal would finally…

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The real world is every day

Many children and young adults are entering the back-to-school season. My daughter is entering her senior year at the University. Today, in fact, was her first day. We spoke last night and she mentioned that she was a bit sad. This is her last year before she enters the real world. I smiled because that…

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Be an inspiration

This past week brought the passing of Judo Gene LaBell at the age of 89. He was one of Bruce Lee’s instructors and known to many as “The Godfather” of grappling. The mixed martial arts community reacted by honoring his name, his legend and all his accomplishments. Anyone who knew him said that he was…

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Honor those who paved the way

Sometimes we can’t find the strength to forge ahead. We might have reached a point that we can’t rely on the inspirational sayings that typically motivate us. Remembering all our previous accomplishments doesn’t work. Even pulling out the list of all the times we’ve faced and overcome struggles doesn’t give us new strength. What do…

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Leveling up

How many times have you been told that you can do anything you set your mind to? What about the statement, if you believe it and you can see then you can achieve it? Although inspirational, these statements miss a key factor which often makes them untrue. The key factor is that the “you of…

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Find your treasure

People search their entire lives for their treasure and often never find it. The simple reason is that they are looking in the wrong place. You can find your treasure once you learn that it’s found within the cave that you are scared to enter. Fear is your obstacle We each face obstacles in life…

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Is there a limit beyond your limit?

How many times have you pushed yourself to the limit, then realized that you could’ve done more? Last week I was doing squats and was using a weight that I maxed out at eight repetitions the week before. As I approached the eighth rep, I felt that I could do one more. I took a…

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