A blog about my experiences as a father, husband, military professional, and martial artist.
Comfort is the enemy. More and more professionals in a variety of organizations will give you the same assessment. An easy life, although comfortable and even stable, will not scratch the proverbial itch your psyche requires to be content. The comfort trap often plagues our service members during times of reflection when they are battling…
This is my game. There are many game’s like it, but this one is mine… all my fellow veteran grapplers eyes are widening as the opening line relates to the infamous Rifleman’s Creed of the U.S. Marine Corps. The next phase of my journey will take place in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany. This chapter is lined…
Starting over can be a daunting task, especially when you are leaving an environment that brings out the best in you and your family. My family and I have left El Paso and are now living abroad for a time to be determined, but as somber it is to bid farewell to our family and…
In the midst of uprooting my family to begin our next journey in a country far, far away, I had to stop and reflect on the accomplishments of my teammates in the past week. We had several members of our Zen Martial Arts El Paso, Texas Family received stripe promotions on their white belts. Seeing…
To compete, or not to compete… that is the question? I’ve struggled with this question on more than one occasion as an older student of the art, and I will tell you testing your game against an unknown opponent going full speed will give you the immediate feedback to application you’re searching for. You will…
It takes a village… in combat sports we often see the journey as that of the individual walking the path. There is, however, a very large support team behind the end product, which is any martial artist who finds success in their craft. The network available to newbie jiujiteiros and martial artists from other styles…
We start learning from the moment we enter this world, we die once we stop, and it’s up to us to make the time in between count for something. Time is the one constant we all share and it’s up to us to make the most of our days in existence. When I woke up…
What is a legacy? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, legacy is “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.” However, I would offer not all things transmitted are monetary, or material possessions. I would argue the greatest legacies are from the stories of relatives who struggled through and overcame…
Children are dependent on their parents, adults can operate independently from others, and professionals understand the importance of interdependence to get to Dream Team status. Interdependence is the connectivity of systems, or people, to accomplish a goal, vision, or mission for an organization. Fostering an understanding of interdependence across the team will instill a sense…
When it really comes down to it, the only thing we have in this world is our knowledge and our word. Both take a long time to build and both are key attributes of our reputations in society. Your word, however, is the most critical component to your credibility and is the easiest to compromise.…