1. Schedule it- There is merit in the effectiveness of doing something each day at the same time. Establishing a routine is a powerful tool to increase the likelihood that you will follow through. Think about it, when you schedule an urgent appointment, you document it and make it a priority. Exercise is the same way. Block out all other responsibilities and put your workout in your “to do” list for the day. 2. Just start- Move a little. Do some hamstring kicks or arm circles. As you move your body, your mind begins to follow suit. “Emotion is created by motion,” Tony Robbins said. Often, our ..read more

In some way, we are all trying to fill a void right now. Whether you are a young child or a person who is retired, there is a void. A void filled with uncertainty, fear, and an eerie feeling of unknowing. I feel for all the athletes who lost their seasons. The NCAA athletes, high school athletes, and younger developing athletes. I sympathize with my son, who has created the image of himself as a lacrosse player. Like hundreds of thousands of others, he can’t play right now. I am sensitive to my daughter’s worry about her repaired ACL injury, wondering when it will be healthy en ..read more

1. Write your bucket list of all you want to accomplish in your life. Organize it into 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, etc. increments. Doing this creates excitement in your mind about the future. It also brings to your attention your goals and ambitions. While writing, imagine it occurring. Feel the positive emotions. I did this years ago, and many of my written hopes and dreams have come true. (Refer back to my post on the Reticular Activating System – RAS). 2. Challenge Yourself- design a workout, home project, do something you say you want to do but “don’t have time” and do it! Any ..read more

The hours of the day fly by with unrest. Thoughts in his head circle and spin. “Relax,” he tells himself. But, he cannot figure how. Endlessly checking his phone, the weather, and emails, he looks for anything to settle his mind. “Why!” he screams in his mind. He feels helpless to the barrage of unrelenting activity. He remembers a riddle he heard as a child, “what runs all day and never stops to rest?” The answer is frustrating but too real. “Your brain.” He looks for relief at every corner. A book, music, and games. Unsuccessful, he takes a walk. At first, the walk is not one of peace and s ..read more

Running in the darkness of night, the young man was both anxious and excited. The following day he would be wrestling for the state championship. Pounding the pavement the night before a match was his ritual. It helped him relax and focus. He asked himself the same question he did on hundreds of other previous late-night runs, “have I trained hard enough.” In his mind, he already knew the answer. He had done all he can. It was a moment of brief reassurance. A quick check to confirm his thinking and pacify his mind. The young man had spent years perfecting his craft. T ..read more

Lost in thought to figure out the “secret” to success, happiness, and freedom, you learn a few things. You discover that when you follow your passion, you find your purpose. And your purpose moves you in the directions of places you never expected to go. When I look in the mirror, there is only a reflection of the person I once was. Underneath the exterior is a person wanting more. A person wanting more love, happiness, and peace. A man who finds no peace in contentment. Someone restless with the status quo. Oddly, I find serenity why my mind and body are challenged. A scary and unsure feeling ..read more

Each day millions of teachers enter their school aimed at doing all they can to help students learn, grow, and become better individuals. I do not know anyone who got into the teaching profession for the money or the summers off. All teachers got into it because, at some point in their academic career, a teacher or coach made a tremendous impact on their life. In college classes that I took, the professors painted a rosy picture of being a teacher. To a certain extent, they make it “all sunshine and rainbows.” Colleges teach prospective teachers to develop lesson and unit plans, a pedagogy of ..read more

At times, life can be a challenge. It is for everyone. We have a tendency to believe the “grass is greener on the other side.” We assume people with more money and material items must be happy. We see Facebook and Instagram pictures where everything looks perfect. In our mind’s eye, we imagine how great it would be to be in their shoes. Our assumption is that money or beauty is the key to happiness. A new car or weight loss might temporarily bring happiness, but usually, that happiness is fleeting and dissipates quickly. The reality is nothing outside of ourselves will give us joy on a long-te ..read more

Dear High School Athlete, In part III, I want to discuss parents and their involvement in your athletic development. We will wrap up this last letter with some other topics I feel are necessary to highlight. One being a reiteration of the importance of working hard and a brief mention of making the right choices in your academic and social life. I am a parent of two teenagers and a high school teacher and wrestling coach. I have the luxury of seeing things from multiple perspectives, the teacher and coach side, where it is all business about learning, growing, and getting better. And as a par ..read more

Dear High School Athlete, In part two of this three-part open letter, I want to discuss college athletics. I will start with my experience of being a collegiate wrestler and what it was like for my teammates and me. I then want to address the misconceptions and confusion about athletic scholarships. I will present statistics on scholarships and participation at the NCAA level and provide an optimistic viewpoint on why you can and should aspire to be a collegiate athlete. Lastly, from my experience working as a leadership instructor for a company called The Program, I will share insights, expe ..read more