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The Word I’m Trying to Live By In 2024
One small step, one giant leap.
Ever since 2021, I’ve followed a theme for each year of my life.
2021 — 3 years ago now — was about hustle.
I was fresh out of college, so “hustle” was a pretty good word to choose.
Back then, I was teaching more Jiu-Jitsu than I had at any other point in my life. I drove all over the Chicagoland area teaching private lessons and eventually classes. I sacrificed sleep, efficiency, and even my health to build the early stages of my career.
That work allowed for 2022’s theme, which was experience.
That was my first year competing in the highest levels of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I relished every single experience. I traveled to Europe to compete for the first time on money I made teaching Jiu-Jitsu. I competed in some huge Jiu-Jitsu events, started traveling and doing seminars, and did my first instructional. I also became a ghostwriter and experienced entrepreneurship for the first time.
In 2023, the theme was tests.
I competed 14 times — most of which was in the back 6 months of the year. In the first 6 months, I traveled a lot to train, testing out new environments and possible places for myself to live.
