“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”  

                                                                                                      - Joel A. Barker

I believe we are all born with a vision for what we want in our lives inside of us. 

Just think back to when you were child and the numerous visions you had for what you wanted to be in when you “grew up”.  Your imagination was boundless.  I personally wanted to be a cartoonist, a doctor, an astronaut and a super-hero (Actually, when I was 5-years old, I WAS Batman).

I believe these visions exist inside of us so we have a means to share our innate gifts in the world.  This is not just available for some of us, but for all of us.  However, this begs the question:  If this is true, why is it that so many of us allow those visions to merely become dreams that fade away because we never took action to make them a reality?

If you...

“No one can do it for you, but you can’t do it alone.”

                                                            – People’s House – Denver, Colorado’s Motto

The quote above has its origins in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation world. 

As an adult child of an alcoholic, this statement has particular resonance for me.  However, regardless of addiction has impacted our lives (and for most of us, it has), this adage holds just as true as a profound lesson in life.

We all encounter challenges in our lives.  Although some of these trials may seem to come “out of the blue” to impact us, upon reflection we find most of the experiences which test us are of our own making; either through our own actions, thoughts and/or beliefs. 

As much as we might want to have someone come and rescue us or find someone to blame during these times of challenge, these are aspects of our life that we need to take ownership of. 

When we take accountability for each of our life’s situations ...

“It is solved by walking.”

                                                                            - St. Augustine

In May 2014, I undertook one of the most amazing experiences in my life as I walked the Camino de Santiago. 

The Camino or The Way as it is known, is a 500-mile pilgrimage across northern Spain.  My trek began in the town of St. Jean-Pied du Port in western France, ascended into the Pyrenees Mountains and then descended into Spain where I would spend the next month trekking 17-18 miles per day across the beautiful Spanish countryside to my ultimate destination, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Legend has it that the Camino began in the 9th Century as a way for early Christians to pay penance for their misdeeds by making the arduous pilgrimage to the city of St. James (Santiago), the apostle reputed to have brought Christianity to Europe. 

Today, the Camino serves as a means for thousands of pilgrims or peregrinos annually to take a respite from their everyd...

“People aren’t grateful because they are happy, they are happy because they are grateful.”

                                                                                                            - Anonymous

This coming Thursday, we will be joining our family and friends around the table to celebrate one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. 

In addition to indulging in an array of traditional foods like turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, we will also pause to reflect on the many blessings in our lives and share our appreciation for family, friends and the many wonderful things our life provides us.

While taking a day to remember and express our gratitude is important, I have often wondered how my life and the lives of others would be positively impacted if we made gratitude a daily practice, rather than one just reserved for an annual holiday. 

A wise person once said, “Life does not happen to us, it happens through us.”  Said another way, the filter by whic...

"Don't ever doubt that one small single event can trigger an unstoppable chain of events that gain momentum with increasing force, and nothing is ever the same."

                                                                                                 - [email protected]

One of the vivid memories I have of my Grandma Natzke, as I was growing up, was her joy of playing the game dominoes.  During the course of my childhood, she attempted to teach me several times how to play.  Although I never acquired her love of the game (nor do I think I remember how to play it), each time I see someone play or speak about dominoes, I get a warm memory of my grandmother.

Several years ago, I was introduced to a video on You Tube that continues to bring forth my warm thoughts about dominoes, albeit in a much different way.  In fact, I was so taken with it that I now include itas part of my keynote talk.  It is called Domino Chain Reaction.

In it, a man who looks like everyo...

“The moment you take Responsibility for everything in your life, is the moment you can change Anything in your life.”

                                                                                                                   - Hal Elrod

As a speaker, I am honored each year to share my Mind of a Champion message with wide variety of audiences.  Groups range from elementary school children all the way to corporate leaders. 

While it does take a diverse set of skills and strategies to be able to communicate with, and hold the attention of audiences of such a wide range, I believe that we are “all big kids anyway” and as a result the essence of my message if basically the same, regardless of the audiences to whom I am speaking.  That message is:

There is a champion inside of you and when access it and take full accountability for your life, you can achieve anything you put your heart and mind to.

While I enjoy speaking to all assemblies of people, the one group ...

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit.  When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

                                                                                                - Art Turock

Several years ago, I was in a conference and heard a speaker make a cute little statement regarding the concept of commitment.  It went like this...

“I had bacon and eggs this morning for the breakfast, the chicken was involved, but the pig was COMMITTED."  

That statement, as trite as it might be, has always stuck with me.  How committed am I really to the things I say I am committed to? 

Or as super coach, Steve Chandler asks, 

"Are you interested or are you committed?"

Ready to FINALLY be committed, check out my Breaking Through Coaching Program!  

Throughout my career as a martial arts instructor, I have been privileged to teach li...

“Master the basics.  Then practice them everyday without fail.  Small disciplines repeated with consistency everyday lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.”

                                                                                                         - John C. Maxwell

Last week I shared the concept of how in martial arts, a Black Belt is nothing more than a “Master of the Basics”. 

When we bring the principle of “practicing the basics” into our everyday lives, we can find that it serves us greatly in creating mastery and success in everything we do.

I discussed in detail how the practice of my first three of six basic life-leadership skills can lead not to only a positive impact on our lives, but also on the lives of those we serve and lead. 

Specifically, these skills are……………

• Giving our bodies adequate rest
• Eating foods of high nutritional value
• Physically moving or bodies each day

You can read that blog by clicking here: Are You...

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious.  Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”

                                                                                          - Jim Rohn

I believe consistently and diligently practicing the basics is the key to success and mastery in any endeavor. 

In the Martial Arts, instructors consistently share with their students the following......

Black Belt is nothing more than being a master of the basics.

From early in my martial arts career, I have a vivid memory of my first martial arts instructor talking about the importance of practicing the basics.  He equated the basics as the foundation for all other advanced skills. 

“Build a house on sand (poor basics),” he would say, “and it will crumble at the first sign of harsh weather.  However, build it on cement (strong foundational basics) and it can withstand almost anything.”

In his book, Raise Your Game, author an...

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”

                                                                                                                                                                      Albert Schweitzer

On September 13, 1973, I took my first class in the martial art of Tae Kwon Do.

I clearly remember this day as it was my brother Danny’s 5^th birthday, and I had a begged my mom to let me miss his party to attend my first class. 

Like many boys my age, I was inspired by the television show, Kung Fu.  In it, David Carradine played the Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine, who was roaming the Western United States.  The consummate reluctant hero, he would enter a small town and be harassed and eventually attacked by a band of bag guys.  He would then “take care of them” using his Kung Fu.  As a 10-year-old, it was the coolest thing I had...