THOSE WHO STAY WILL BE CHAMPIONS. This is a sign that hung in my college football weight room.  It meant a lot to me. It's what motivated me to put in extra work and ultimately become a scholarship athlete and starting offensive guard on the football team.  It wasn't always like that though.  My life could have been drastically different - and not for the better.  Here's how it began... My dream to play college football started after a disappointing senior year of high school. We started 4-1 and then proceeded to lose 5 straight games because half of our team thought partying was…

Today marks Day 11 of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Ever since I was a kid, these games have been awe inspiring to watch. In second grade, I was so inspired that I wanted to be just like Nadia Comaneci. I begged my mom to sign me up for gymnastics. Aside from some random cartwheels on the playground, a failed attempt at the uneven bars was my first and last stab at gymnastics! Since then, the closest I've ever come to being in the Olympics is running a marathon. Here's what I mean- Running a marathon is the biggest athletic event I've…

Ever hear the saying "your mind is a battlefield?"  It's so true, and something we all fight everyday.  I say, win the battle in your mind and you'll win the battle with your body.

Inflammation is not always bad. We need some inflammation Inflammation is actually a process that helps the body fight things that could cause harm like infections and injuries. It's a healing process that is completely normal and healthy. However, too much inflammation over time keeps the body in a constant state of alert and can begin to negatively impact organs and tissues. Like many things, inflammation is good to a point and when it crosses the line and becomes chronic and excessive, you now have a problem. That problem is not just stiffness and soreness. It is much more than that. It is a…

One of my favorite teachings in the Bible is from Jesus's legendary sermon on the mount.  In Matthew 7:3-5 he says "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's"

Proverbs 22:13: The lazy man says, "there is a lion without, I shall be killed in the streets."  Too often we let the imaginary "lions" in our life keep us in the "playing it safe" zone.  Playing it safe is one of the riskiest things we can do.  I can't think of many worse things than being 3, 5...10 years down the road and seeing ZERO progress in life.

Too often people sell themselves short or let limiting beliefs stop them in their tracks. I love this passage from Proverbs 18:21: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."   As you put limitations on yourself, you are really speaking death over yourself.

Moms have a tendency to put everyone else's needs before their own.   At some point along the way, my mom came across a saying that has stuck with our family: If the Queen isn't happy, no one is.

The other day I woke up in a dark fog. I felt depressed, hopeless, and had zero motivation to get up and get my day going. Can you relate?

When someone like Joe Mauer makes it into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot, that’s worth talking about.  I've had the privilege of knowing him when he was a kid!

As one of my old coaches used to say: "There is no such thing as maintenance. Maintenance means you are coasting and coasting means you are going downhill."

I've got an interesting thought for you today.  "To do" or "To be."  We all tend to go through our days with a "To Do" list.  Executing tasks all throughout the day...work, home...some of them just mindless busy work that's not really serving a purpose in our lives. It's a wonder we tend to feel empty and unfulfilled at the end of each day. What if we changed our thinking....

Last week I talked about doing an honest review and assessment of 2023 as a crucial first step to setting goals in the upcoming year.  Hopefully you have had time to do this since last week's email.  If not DO NOT DO THIS STEP UNTIL YOU REVIEW YOUR PREVIOUS YEAR.  You can't put the cart before the horse!

As a coach I buy what I sell. Meaning I invest in coaching myself.  One of the BEST practices taught to me through the coaching I have invested in is the LOCKDOWN.  It sounds more ominous than it really is.

The BIG reason I get out of bed every day is because people depend on me. And I like it that way!  It gives me purpose and creates some good pressure for me to go out, show up and execute daily.  I would rather have people depend on me than me depending on them.

Yesterday at church our pastor had us stand up to do the Hokey Pokey! Remember that from when you were a kid?Where in life do you have one foot in and one foot out?   Hmmm. Good question.

I am a lifelong Vikings fan.  There have been a lot of ups and downs as well as disappointments throughout the years (please don't mention the 1998 NFC championship game), but I continue to cheer them on regardless of what kind of season they're having. Last Sunday might have been one of the BEST Vikings games I ever watched.

The other day a friend of mine was shocked to learn I get up at 4AM.  "How can you do that?"  One simple answer. PURPOSE over PLEASURE.  I say this because I have a clear purpose bigger than myself.

I saw a saying once that said "The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go."  I like that imagery.

This past week I hit a BIG goal. I dead lifted 500 pounds!  At age 51!