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Life is made up of stories. They give us meaning and purpose. They help us frame ourselves within the context of our society. They help us make sense of life and even help us determine what is important and what can wait. They achieve this by providing a framework for prioritization towards a goal by helping us determine what will move us closer to that goal and what will hinder our progress or send us in the wrong direction. We tell ourselves stories about our childhood, our

It has long been said that growth only happens when we reach the edge of our comfort zone. In educational psychology there is a principle, known as the zone of proximal development. It which represents the edge of our existing knowledge or abilities. It is the place where we are challenged just enough to be able to incorporate new information into our existing knowledge base, but only with support and effort. This raises questions for me about those days when I am having trou

The gym is the great communicator. The gym is always honest. I may be having a good day, or it may be a bad day. The gym doesn't care. 200 lbs. is still 200 lbs. If I could lift it last week and I can't today, I did that. To myself. No blame. No circumstances. No oppression by powers outside of myself. I fucked that up somehow. And ONLY I can fix it. I spent a lot of time when I was younger trying to lift heavy weights like the strong guys. I spent a lot of time trying to do

I am a monist. This means I believe everything is God. Or more properly stated, I believe that God is everything. I believe God is the largest, most all encompassing phenomena in the universe; perhaps is the universe itself. I believe God is also the smallest and most irreducible bit of matter that exists, be it a boson, energy string, or quantum membrane. God is both the greatest and the smallest simultaneously, as well as everything in between. This is one meaning of the al

Carl Jung used the language and imagery of alchemy to describe the process of personal development, a process he termed individuation. Considered an early precursor to chemistry today, alchemy’s dynamic metaphoric language is analogous to the process of personal growth and development. The desire to transmute lead into gold is an easy metaphor for turning weaknesses into strengths, fears into courage, and pain into a tool for helping others to heal. The alchemical mantra solv

As a cultural figure David Goggins is fascinating, charismatic, and challenging. If you are not familiar with him, you should be. Goggins is a former Air Force pararescue jumper, former Navy Seal, former pull-up world record holder, author, and smoke jumper. He confronts life with a dynamic, action-oriented, and unapologetic approach that demands his best every day. His story is compelling, difficult, and as extreme as his personality and achievements. To run thousands of mil

I spent a lot of time in life trying to figure out who or what to be. The effort I put into trying to feel like others looked has been immense. I have never been able to act extemporaneously the way most folks seem able to do in public. Conversations with strangers, particularly those about trivial daily matters, have always been physically painful for me. I can engage in them for a time, but it leaves me physically and emotionally exhausted and it’s only a matter of time bef

Dad’s been dead over thirty years now. I’m only 43, but I’ve already outlived him by four years. I can remember the phone call that came in from the local police department that cold January night; the questions and the fear that came with it. Sometimes I still talk to him, though he never answers me. Sometimes I feel like he is watching me and regretting the choice he made that night. Or maybe he is admiring the man I have become and encouraging me to keep working on my litt