A blog about my experiences as a father, husband, military professional, and martial artist.
It isn’t masculine to be filled with rage. The closer he comes to a peaceful mind the greater his strength shall be.” ~Marcus Aurelius “No bad days” … this is not to be understood as a means to suppress emotion and further degrade your mental health. This is to remind us all that we have…
“I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself.” ~Oprah Winfrey Things don’t happen to you, they happen for you. It’s up to us to realize what the lesson is and where we really want to go in our lives. Every experience…
The only person you can control is you. So focus on making yourself who you want to be.” ~Jocko Willink Apologies in advance for those of you who thought this reflection was, in any way, related to the college basketball brackets. however, March is a very symbolic time for me. March 1st marks the anniversary…
Get out there and live and strive to be better, because the life you got it is a gift, so live it!” ~Jocko Willink Now before I get into the story about the new addition to the Clas Family, “Old Blue”, I have to lead off this reflection with the most significant event that happened…
A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” ~Seneca In 2020 COVID-19 gained legitimacy as a global pandemic and changed life as we knew it. This reflection is in no means designed to compare the friction in our lives with those who have lost family and loved ones during the…
We’re born alone. We die alone. And in between we spend our lives looking for something. Connection. That’s all we want. Every once in a while, we might find it in a true friend. Many friendships will come only to fade as quickly as a firework. But some, a rare and precious few, turn life…
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” ~Epicurus You’re standing in line with several other paratroopers getting ready for the light to turn green and for the jumpmaster to set you free with one word…
I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” ~Leonardo da Vinci It’s been more than a year since I’ve competed. The process is the most important part of the match. Putting in the time on the mats, watching your…
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ~Thomas Edison It’s been an interesting week integrating into our new family battle-rhythm. The kids are adapting to the cultural dynamics of their new schools, we have found a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu academy to continue our…
With change being an inevitable element in our lives, we have only two options. Either embrace it and live life to the fullest or be stuck in the comfort zone of a compromised life.” ~Mohith Agadi It has been too long! I am writing this reflection now amidst Hurricane Ian pushing north through the Carolinas.…