When's the last time you were uncomfortable? Probably not too long ago. It's not always fun, but being uncomfortable carries with it some benefits. If you're focused on developing your skills in a specific area, the more often you put yourself in uncomfortable situations, the quicker your skills will develop. I recently started reading The Talent [...]
It's easy to sit on the sidelines and point to the people in the arena, stating the advantages they had in their pursuits of greatness, while we, the less fortunate, were forced to just sit and watch their ascension. The truth is, despite the certain advantages some people are born with (location, genetics, timing) , every one [...]
When we hear criticism, or even the word criticism, most of us get a sinking feeling in our gut. Criticism is never good, right? Wrong. Criticism is a catalyst for change and improvement. Yes, it can stink when delivered in the wrong way, but if used correctly, it can spark a much-needed change. Did I like [...]
Are you a competitor? It doesn't matter if you're an athlete or not, but are you a competitor? Do you love to win and hate to lose? Does losing bring a stink to your face? The best of the best are obsessed with winning. Just the other night, I was watching the Jerry Rice story. [...]
Think back to the last time you said, "Because I said so, that's why." For me, it was yesterday. I was talking to my daughter. Technically, I think I said, "Because I'm big and your small, and that's why," but I made my point (That's a little saying my sister-in-law taught me). Outside of speaking [...]
There were a handful of times in my wrestling career where I totally lost control. I can remember one, in particular, that sent me flying across the mat toward my opponent. I had lost, and he had mocked me. I lost it. Thankfully, my dad caught me before I made the regrettable mistake of letting [...]
I can count on one hand the amount of concerts I've been to in my life: there was Blink 182, KISS, Naughty By Nature, Dashboard Confessionals, Dierks Bentley...OK, maybe two hands. But the point is: I'm not a regular concert goer (BTW, if you can find any continuity in that band list, please let me [...]
I was fortunate to speak at two different high schools yesterday (Portage/Central Cambria, PA), spreading a message of "fight". Not the kind I did in a cage, rather the kind we are all faced with on a daily basis; is fighting for what I really want/believe in really worth the struggle? Do I have the strength/will/fortitude [...]
In the past few years, as I'm comfortably in (past) the twilight of my professional fighting career, I've begun to reflect much more. Introspection, looking within yourself and your experience, is an extremely valuable habit (It often drives me/my wife, crazy, but I believe it's paramount to optimizing yourself, physically and mentally). A few weeks [...]
Have you ever heard a song, interview or soundbite of some sort, and you remember exactly where you were/what you were doing when you heard it? Maybe it wasn't revolutionary in the standard sense, either, but it carried with it intense personal meaning? About six months ago, I was walking down my sidewalk listening to an [...]