“Success is not final.  Failure is not fatal.  It is the courage to continue that counts.”

                                                                                  - Winston Churchill

In my over four and a half decades of teaching and training in the martial arts, I have witnessed some incredible examples of students overcoming obstacles in their training and in their lives.  Injuries and illness, personal relationship challenges and financial difficulties are just a few of the difficulties I have seen my students be confronted with and overcome. 

While these instances are generally not experiences, we would intentionally ask for in our lives, they invariably are gifts as they help us to become better, stronger and more expanded than when we began our journey to confront them. 

One of my favorite stories to illustrate this comes from a student I had the honor of teaching for many years named Nabeel.

Nabeel came to our martial arts school when he was around 8 y...

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” 

                                                                                          - Howard Thurman

I have been extremely blessed in my life to have several amazing teachers, instructors, and mentors along my path. 

These people have guided me in all areas of my life.  Whether it was martial arts, sports, business, or parenting, each one of these incredible individuals, regardless of their area of influence, has left an indelible impact on my life and the lives of those that I serve. 

In reflection, I have come to realize, that all of these important people in my life had three very distinct things in common.

1. They were incredibly good at what they did.
2. They were passionately unselfish in sharing their wisdom.
3. Finally, and probably most importantly, they absolutely loved what they did. 

What's important to note is i...