Why Not Me? - A Battle Fought Well

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Why Not Me? - A Battle Fought Well

Two and a half years ago I had challenged myself to write something on this blog everyday for a month. Anything. It didn’t matter how shallow or deep the message was…just write.

In the midst of that month our family received the news that my dad was diagnosed, and began his battle with, stage four kidney cancer.

As I write this today, that battle is coming to a close. It is looking more and more like my dad has days, if not hours, before he breaths his last and enters into the arms of his eternal father. I write this to reflect on the words he said when he started this journey, “Why not me?”

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You're More Like the Police Officer Than You Think - Trying to Understand Police Brutality

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You're More Like the Police Officer Than You Think - Trying to Understand Police Brutality

As a white father of two black children my heart has broken once again. My heart has broken because once again, a black man’s life was snuffed out at the hands of a white police officer. My heart breaks for my son and daughter who will experience prejudice and racism directed at them because of the color of their skin. My heart has broken because I as a white man can’t rightly teach them how to deal with being marginalized, and at times treated as something less than human. My heart has broken because I still struggle with how I can use my white privilege to enact change in our very divided country.

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Life Doesn't Fight In Its Weight Class - The Second Stripe

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Life Doesn't Fight In Its Weight Class - The Second Stripe

A few months ago, I reflected on what I had learned since starting Jiu-Jitsu when I received my first stripe on my white belt. In short, I began to learn how to become humble, resilient, and not play the victim when hardships in life come. You can read more about that here.

Yesterday marked the second milestone in my journey when I received my second stripe. My big takeaway this time around:

Life doesn’t fight in its weight class!

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It’s OK to be Conflicted: My Take on the Ford-Kavanaugh Hearing

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It’s OK to be Conflicted: My Take on the Ford-Kavanaugh Hearing

Like many Americans on Thursday, my attention was riveted by the Senate hearing of Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh. At times I found myself identifying with Ford’s “camp”, and at other times with Kavanaugh’s “camp”. I couldn’t understand why I was so conflicted about what I was hearing and seeing. Over the weekend I tried to think about what transpired many times and guess what? I still find myself conflicted…and that’s OK!

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Becoming Wealthy

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Becoming Wealthy

"There are two ways to be wealthy—to get everything you want or to want everything you have." - Ryan Holiday

From the time I was a young man until now, I have always chased "wealth". Whether in the form of money, power, or success, I have always strived to be the best. And more times than not I have succeeded.

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Book Review: "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl

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Book Review: "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl

We all go through moments were life seem meaningless. As if there is no point to it all. Maybe a loved one dies, or you feel like you can't advance in your career. We all go through seasons of questioning, but we always seem to find our way back to some form of meaning. But what about in a concentration camp? What about if you had to endure the greatest suffering a human has ever had to endure? Can meaning be found in the midst of that? In "Man's Search for Meaning", Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, tries to answer just that question.

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Bedtime Routines

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Bedtime Routines

Yesterday I wrote about morning routines, and afterward, I received a few questions about my personal morning routine, so I wanted to clarify a few things. First, the timing of the routine is not as important as having a routine. The only challenge with having a morning routine later in the morning is that you will have more people and things to guard that time against. Secondly, if you are wanting to get up earlier you have to think about when you go to bed. So today I want to touch on the importance of a bedtime routine.

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Morning Routines

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Morning Routines

A few years ago I wanted to create a few habits that would grow my strengths and minimize my weaknesses. Habits such as reading, journaling, and continued education. At first, I found creating these habits to be a difficult undertaking as I was trying to do them after work. Something would always come up which would get in the way. Then I discovered the power of a morning routine!

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Writer's Block

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Writer's Block

What is "writer's block"? The dictionary describes it like this: "the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing." In school, I remember "writer's block" being thrown around as if the student got the flu. "Sorry, prof, I came down with a bad case of 'writer's block' and wasn't able to finish that paper." But is "writer's block" really a condition the author can contract?

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