Not every training day is a brilliant one. Not every tournament is your best. Not every performance shows all that you’re capable of. Sometimes things are just plain crappy. You can’t get in the zone, you’re in your head, you feel sloppy, flat footed, slow, out of shape, etc, etc. Top performers are not devoid of bad days, they just Read More …
I’ve had many frustrating training and combat encounters. Ones where I have felt suddenly incapable of accomplishing something that may have seemed simple weeks before. It’s easy to jump to a conclusion “I’m just not practicing enough”, “I’m not learning”, “My opponent is just way better than me”. Yet there are so many factors that go into a given performance. Read More …
Some weeks you’re in the groove. Some weeks you’re not. Tonight I’m feeling decidedly disconnected from the music. I feel like I’m astral projecting above my body as it moves to the rhythm of its own synth. I’m syncopating out of sync. Usually I would feel verklempt about this. Swimming in a frustration of non-connection; with the music, my body, Read More …
About 18 years ago I took over running a rapier practice and class for the Society for Creative Anachronism. I was new to being in a leadership role and I sought out the advice of one of the senior members in the area about how to run a successful group. He gave me one piece of advice: Without fail, always Read More …
I am missing the woman I love. A friend has lost his son. My cheeks are sticky from my small sorrow. I lament not feeling her touch, smelling her hair, tasting her breath alongside mine. A man has lost his son. What is the measure of my small grief? Alongside one so large. Soon I will hear her voice. I Read More …
In my coaching practice, one of the core life skills I help people with is learning to budget. I do this both on an entrepreneurial level, to help people who are running new businesses establish healthy money management habits, and I also help individuals on a personal level. For many when we think of budgeting we think of saving. This Read More …
“The only thing that happens before you begin, is not beginning.” This is a beautiful quote from Kevin Ashton, author of How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery. He goes onto say that ideas are not what matter but our execution on those ideas. A thought that is echoed by many of the world’s Read More …
Research has shown that we humans use a tremendous amount of our brains in spaces beyond our conscious awareness. Learning is a process that is far broader than simply the conscious practice of new skills. I have found many situations in my personal experience where, after having worked on a problem extensively one day, I have woken up the next Read More …
You don’t have to free-solo the north face of the Eiger to reap the challenge and reward of climbing the mountain. I love to climb mountains (I really do) but I’ll happily do it with harness. Sometimes overcoming the fear is the reward. You decide “I don’t want to be afraid of this anymore”. The payoff is freeing yourself from Read More …
Take 5 minutes each day to practice doing something you love. Take one small step toward your goal each morning. Even if that step takes less than a minute. Put on a timer for 15 minutes. Work on the first step of your plan in that time. Repeat everyday, till it’s done. Read an inspiring book one page at a Read More …