You have been sold a lie: self-sufficiency won’t make you happy. — People love to romanticize their independence. I know because I’ve done it, I’ve seen people around me do it, and I’m a part of a culture where being “self-sufficient” is seen as the crown jewel of personal development. If you can take care of yourself, you’re supposed to be “safe”…

Loneliness on the road can be untameable. — I just finished 2 and a half weeks of travel through Europe. I spent a week in Poland, where I geared up for and competed in a martial arts tournament, and then I went on an “adventure” through Italy and London. During the week of my tournament, I was traveling…

Because LinkedIn is lame, and… — Yesterday was Friday. On Fridays, I train at 7 am, go to therapy at 9 am, teach a Jiu-Jitsu class at noon, and I then drill techniques and lift weights from around 2 pm to 4:30 or so. Then, I’m tired, so I go home, have dinner, and go to…

Here’s what it actually taught me about life. — When I was 18, I thought that getting my black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu would solve all my problems. I thought that once I had a Jiu-Jitsu black belt, I could open a gym, and then a few years of hard work after that, I’d be “set”. This was a…

Planes, trains, and automobiles — what I learned from getting lost on the Amalfi Coast. — I always wanted a life full of wild quests, grand adventures, and never-ending exploration. I always wanted my life to be “like the movies”. I always wanted to be the hero of my personal movie. I’ve always been a “get up and go” type of person. Even before I could…

And it’s only getting started. — Here’s a photo I took this morning in Vietri Sul Mare, a little town outside of Salerno, Italy: Vietri Sul Mare is considered to be the gateway to the Amalfi Coast. Getting here was a bit of a wild ride. Here’s how I did it. First, I obsessed over one thing for about a decade. I took this trip with…

When your mind is a prison. — For most of my life, I’ve been a bit of a late bloomer. This is primarily because I have a lot of anxiety. It takes me a bit of extra time to get started with things. I hesitate. I’m nervous all the freaking time. I get nervous before competing in…

I make a living playing a sport you’ve never heard of — I’m a professional Jiu-Jitsu athlete. I finally feel comfortable saying that. However, Jiu-Jitsu isn’t exactly a “major sport”, and making a living in Jiu-Jitsu can be strange and difficult. Most people have never even heard of the sport that I practice for 3–6 hours every day. Some of the top…

It only took a decade. — Last weekend, I competed in a martial arts tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I had 3 matches. The first match lasted 8 minutes. The second match went for about 2 minutes, and the 3rd and final match went for 10 minutes. …