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Posts tagged “http://www.meadscorner.com/meads/”

Dental work Blows! and Teaching is Awesome!!!

I was under the knife recently…and Yes is Sucked, with a capitol S!!! I have almost no positive memories of my mother but the one thing I do remember about her is how she hated it when people touched her face, including her children. Out of all the nothingness that she taught me, I did learn at a very young age that she, and ultimately me, hated people touching our faces. And yes it’s weird when I am dating a girl and she wants to touch my face, it’s just really really uncomfortable:(

So there I was in this Awesome city called Denver, sitting in a dental surgery chair with a ton! of laughing gas and numbing stuff coursing through my lungs and veins. Regardless of how much stuff they pumped into my body to take my mind off of the fact that people were in my face doing some serious drilling and cutting, I was one extremely pissed off Animal! I had to reach out to my Lil Sis just to get some texting support right before the procedure so I didn’t punch one of the dental surgeons in the face. They were super cool and nice but I still hated the experience!

Now that I got that out of my busted up “online” mouth;) It’s onto some really cool stuff that is coursing through my Fighter/Professor body! I’ve been off of the mat for almost 2 months now and it’s been awesome and tough at the same time. It’s hard to put into words but when you have a tattoo of something you love on your body and you aren’t pursuing said endevour there is a part of you that isn’t syncing up right with the world. That’s where I’ve been. I’ve been working on getting settled into a new city and job so much that I let my Jitz slide, a lot:( This Jiu Jitsu layoff has been a weird mix of refreshing along with a side of feeling weak and lost. I know now that I needed to take a good break but I also know that I suffered for it. Soon I will be on that mat again and the journey shall proceed…

With Jiu Jitsu it’s this weird thing where I hate losing but I know I need to tap in order to get better. So now that I am going to be getting back on the mat soon, and basically rolling as hard as possible, with dudes that are very technical and 10-15 years younger then me, I know there is going to be some ass kicking coming my way;) I don’t tend to tap much and have been injured b/c I wouldn’t submit to a arm or leg lock and that is just stupid, but that is who I am. So fatigue and frustration here I come…

On an Awesome Jiu Jitsu Professor note! I recently started doing Privates with this 19 year old kid. He’s had no Jitz or any sort of Fight training so we are starting with the very basics. It’s totally rad b/c he is like a sponge and soaks up everything I show and tell him! I am muito excited to see how he progresses b/c it seems like he is committed to growing as a Fighter….but as always time will tell:) For now I am way Pumped to be working with him! As someone who has been teaching Fitness and Fighting for more then 10 years I have to tell you how Amazing it feels to be teaching again! I’ve also got a personal training client that I will start training next week. There is something inside of me that feels “right” with the world when I get to see my student(s) learn something, it is one of the most Amazing feelings in the world! So upward and onward I go…

March 14, 2013 | Categories: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Entrepreneurship, Health & Fitness, Inspiration, Jiu Jitsu, Low Back Pain, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

That Fire still burns…

When will a beat dog know he is beat…that is the question I pose today! Where are you at in your journey through this crazy thing we call life? What is your job and/or profession that you are called to…let’s get a little bit more personal…what are you “called” to and what are you doing day to day in order that you pay your bills? How about what are you doing that Inspires you and people around you???

My question about a dog knowing when he is beat is about whether someone should follow their deepest desire to do what they know in their Heart is what they want to do or should they continue on the path of status quo and just exist? I concede that this is a much more complicated question then I give credeence to in these few words but the question is still a valid one…

I am here today to pose that question to any and all readers I have out there…which I realize is only a very select few of my Closest and most Awesome peps:)!!! The point here is that as a Fighter I feel the pull to get back into competition even though, in brutal honesty, I don’t like competition. It Totally Blows!!! That is another story for another time but for now…here’s the skinny…As of late, I have been consumed with finding a safe place to live, getting a job, paying the bills, and being so successful in my job that I don’t have to worry about paying bills. So I have been off of the mat for almost 2 months now. Not training has been one of those things that has been hard but also extremely nice. (and any of you Fighters out there that haven’t taken time off and think I am weak for this, well I just say a nice go @$%$%# yourself!) Reality here is that I am getting this pull inside the deepest part of my soul that wants me to do something Extrodinary and put everything out there and just Fight!!! There are soooooooo many life realities that play into me stepping into that cage again, and 99% of them are all negative! So how do I proceed? How do I deal with this nagging thing inside of me (almost a nagging of my soul) that tells me it’s time to quit being a pussy and do something about it?

I specifically started this Blog so that I could Inspire and Motivate to people to reach beyond themselves and Achieve things that they never even thought possible in their lifetime! I WANT & PRAY that people will step out of their personal defeats and circumstances and do something Amazing with their lives!!! That is why I started writing the Animal Jiu Jitsu Blog!!!

Now when it gets personal I will be honest and tell you that I struggle with the things in my life that test to make sure are one of several things; God’s calling , a selfish ambition, or simply me trying overcome the pain in my life with stupid things like Fighting. My point is that I am and I want you all to be painfully realistic as to why you feel you should be chasing after the dreams you chase. Here’s the reality for me…I am definitely past my prime, I am not in the best shape for someone my age, I have a medical condition that makes my training and Fighting half as good as a “normal” person, my stand-up is horrible, and I am super busy with life obligations such as building a life and paying for it….so where does that leave me? If I was a rational person, had a “normal” upbringing, wasn’t just a little crazy, cared what people thought, and was a smart man (Forrest Gump reference) then I would put up my gi and gloves away for good and say “that’s enough for me” BUT that is EXACTLY where the wildcard lies…hhhhhmmmm…..

February 20, 2013 | Categories: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Entrepreneurship, Health & Fitness, Inspiration, Jiu Jitsu, Low Back Pain, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Being sick & review of “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell…

Since my move to Denver I have been very sick two times! My body isn’t used to this mountainous climate:( This last week reminds me of my drive here, how I had to stop at a gas station in some small town in Colorado and chill b/c I felt dizzy as all get out and my body was telling me I was going to puke at any moment! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE it here!!! but in all reality for almost my whole life my body has been at sea level. And this Animal’s body is definitely not used to the cold, at least being in it day in and day out. So where does that leave me? I recognize the fact that I am not accustomed to this environment and that it will take me this first winter to get used to the weather here…so I am willing to buck up and accept that fact and work through the doldrums of a Texan in Colorado:( All the while stoking the fire of excitement of next winter when I will be snowboarding, snowshoeing, and climbing these Beautiful & Majestic peaks:)!!!

Now off to the world of literary Beauty:) I just finished “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell and was overall very impressed with it and more specifically how it broke down people’s ability to make “snap decisions” of people and/or situations that they are presented with. It is fascinating how a person is able to make split decisions about people and/or situations based on what Gladwell calls “Thin-slicing”. He defines Thin-slicing as “the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behaviors based on very narrow slices of experience.” Throughout his book he gives examples of individuals in various professions that are able “read” people or situations solely based a quick glance of said scenario. Throughout the book he covers subjects such as how to have a successful marriage, car salesmen, Vietnam vets, war games, facial recognition experts, and many other unique and exciting subjects. He uses various studies and informational resources to back up his analysis and description of how all the various individuals have learned to be “experts” in their chosen field throughout their many years of experience.

One of the things that hit home for me while reading this book was how relevant it is to my years of being a bouncer and doing club/bar security work. I even mentioned this book and it’s findings about Thin-slicing to the general manager of Punch Bowl Social, where I am currently the Head of Security. I explained to him that b/c of all of the various threat scenarios and all of the highly intoxicated and violent individuals I have had to deal with over the years I have developed a keen sense of what is truly dangerous and what is not. For instance, when I see someone walking through the crowd or through the front door in my bar/club I can instantly tell if they are going to be a problem later on in the night. Now if that person is sober, I will wait to see how they act after a couple drinks before I am 100% sure about my decision as to whether they will be violent or not. But this skill that I have obtained over the course of my many years of working in clubs and bars is almost always completely accurate when I see a highly intoxicated individual walking through the crowd and I get that “sense” that he is of bad character. I tell my security staff about how I am able to do this effectively, especially with drunk people, and I always quote Ernest Hemingway to give myself more published credibility. Hemingway said “you know the true measure of a man’s heart when you see him drunk. He becomes who he truly is at that precise moment of intoxication.” I am paraphrasing here b/c I remember reading that quote in college and it has stuck with me to this day. That quote and glimmer of truth is the exact reason I trust no man that is violent or mean to women any form when he is drunk. So now you see how Hemingway and Gladwell are all part of my daily duties as a Professional Bouncer!

To sum up my ranting…I think you will benefit substantially if you pick up a copy of “Blink” and I believe it will give you greater insight into your chosen profession!

February 19, 2013 | Categories: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Entrepreneurship, Health & Fitness, Inspiration, Jiu Jitsu, Low Back Pain, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Just Show Up” & Success will come…

I just hired a bouncer at the bar I work at. To be specific, I hired him for part-time work to cover all of our regular guys shifts if they are not able to work or need time off. I did this b/c we don’t have another full time opening right now. But he will be working at least once a week and sometimes 3 times a week. Point is, he got hired!

On a related note, this guy is new to the world of Jiu Jitsu and constantly espouses how it has helped him drastically change his life for the good. In all honesty we’ll see if he’s still training in 5 years or totally walked away from it. I Pray he is still on that mat or at least struggling to get back on the mat like yours truely;)

Today’s post is about “Be Present To Succeed” or as I like to say all the time “Just Show Up!!!” Yuri is the name of the bouncer I hired at the bar where I manage the world’s Best Security Team. He got the job b/c he was constantly telling me that he needed a job. I told him over and over again that we weren’t looking for anybody but if he just made himself available when I needed him that he would most likely get hired (of course he would have to do a spectacular job and show me he knows how to bounce!) You see getting to where you want to be or finding success in your choosen profession/life isn’t all that complicated and difficult. I mean you definitely have to put the work in and know what you are doing in said pursuit, but there are a TON of other people out there that want exactly what you want and have the skill set you have! So how do you set yourself apart from them? What makes you different then them? The answer is plain and simple…you are willing to anything and everything to achieve your success but most importantly you are willing to JUST SHOW UP!!!

After I told Yuri, he better be available if I needed him, he made sure to pick up the phone every single time I called and if he absolutely couldn’t answer right away he called me back the second he could! He took my advice and made himself available at a moments notice. And consequently when we were short a guy at 9:00pm on a Friday night, I called him, and sure enough he came to the bar and got his first shift! All I needed him to do was be there when I needed him and he did just that and now he is a member of the best paying Security Crew in all of Denver!

Now Yuri says he has 5 years of nightclub experience, but people can tell you anything about their work history and experience. Not saying that he is lying about his bouncing/nightclub experience, at all! Yuri is a straight up guy BUT Tim Ferriss even talked about this in his book the “4-Hour Work Week.” Tim calls it something like “Creative Truth,” I believe he uses another phrase that I really liked but you get the point. Regardless of how much experience Yuri has, he has shown me that he knows how to handle instructions, a crowd of drunk people, and bar fights, so I am very pleased to have him onboard:)

My challenge to you today is to think of what you are trying to accomplish in life. It could be related to your career, family, or social life but whatever it is I want you to take a long hard look at how much you expect success without being 100% available for that success? For me, I want to write more and be published but more importantly I want to make very very good money writing! So how often am I sitting around and writing? How often am I spending my time sitting around watching a movie or doing stupid time wasting activities instead of typing away on my Mac? The answer for me is easy…I absolutely need to sit down more and write!!! What is it that you need to “Just Show Up” for??? What is it that you are trying to do in life that you feel like you are not achieving or even making headway on? What endeavor can you start “Just Showing Up” for and wether you get what you are after today, you are willing to wake up tomorrow and the next day and the next day until you finally achieve your vision of success?

I hope this helped clarify some things for you…more importantly I hope this Blog will motivate you to go out and do things you never thought you could or would do!!!

As Always I want to say Thank You for reading my Blog and Please click the “Follow” button if you haven’t already!!! Until next time…

February 7, 2013 | Categories: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Entrepreneurship, Health & Fitness, Inspiration, Jiu Jitsu, Low Back Pain, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Time for the last leg of the journey…

Here we go….just got done with some Amazing Praise & Worship & Sermon at the local downtown coffee house in Wichita, Kansas:) http://www.meadscorner.com/meads Been an AWESOME week of reflection and checking of my motivations and my Heart to see what is at the core of me and my reasoning in doing what I am doing. I got to have some time where I was stripped of all my “normal” activities, which apparently aren’t that normal after all…haha! But seriously I got to have some great gut-check time and some time to really dig into what I am doing here. For those of you that don’t know my background this is my second business related to Fitness. I opened up a 1,200 square foot personal training studio in the heart of Seattle, Washington about 6 six years ago. It was called “Animal Fitness Systems” and it was a Blast and it did Awesome for about 2 years. It ultimately failed due to a combination of my laziness/inept at business and the economy in 2009 in the Northwest (which was straight horrible!) I started that company with a dream, credit cards, and some of the best friends/clients/AFS ButtKickers a person could be Blessed with. It was the Best learning experience for “how to start and fail” at a new business….hahaha! It was a whirlwind, I tell you that much:) I got to train and get to know some of the most Amazing people on this planet and got paid to do it so I was one happy Animal:) I write this b/c I want people to know that I am familiar with the ups and downs of business and the pro’s and con’s of what I am doing right now. This week has been one of those “gut-check” times where I sat back and really really reevaluated what I was doing and ultimately if I was ready to do this crazy entrepreneurship thing again! I will detail later in this Blog how and why I literally have no choice but to do what I am doing…NOT to be confused with “I am doing this b/c I don’t want to” BUT the truth is that I am doing this b/c it is literally in my blood/DNA and my Calling in this life is to “go forth and create” something from nothing:)!!! I just happen to like fighting and intense exercise/sport so here I go… I want to Thank everyone sooooooooo much for Helping & Supporting me on this path b/c without you I would not be able to do any of this! You know who you are out there:) Please feel free to comment on this Blog and also tell a friend about what I am doing here so we can get more peps on board this crazy thing called “American Entrepreneurship”….Thanks Again!!!

August 13, 2012 | Categories: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Entrepreneurship, Health & Fitness, Jiu Jitsu | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment