Blind Can You Can

Tag: writing

  • Clash of Mindsets: What the 2025 NBA Finals Taught Us About Resilience, Leadership, and Showing Up

    The NBA Playoffs just wrapped up, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are your 2025 NBA Champions!

    I’ll be the first to admit—I wasn’t always a sports guy. Growing up with poor vision and about as much coordination as a one-legged giraffe on roller skates, I avoided anything involving a ball, a field, or a scoreboard. But now that I’m older, I’ve come to love the lessons baked into sports—especially the mental ones.

    Sports are mindset on display.
    Every game is a battle of discipline, determination, resilience, and focus. That’s what drew me in. And this year’s playoffs? They were a masterclass.

    🏀 A Tale of Two Teams, One Mentality

    In the Finals, we watched the Indiana Pacers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder—two teams that proved you don’t need to be the oldest, richest, or flashiest to compete at the highest level. You just need heart, grit, and a refusal to give up.

    The Pacers were warriors. They battled their way through the playoffs, never letting the odds shake their focus. Tyrese Haliburton, their star guard, played through injury to force a Game 7. And even after suffering a brutal Achilles tear in the first quarter, his team fought valiantly to the final buzzer. Haliburton, on crutches, stayed courtside—still leading, still cheering, still believing. He didn’t retreat to the locker room. He showed up, even when he physically couldn’t.

    And then there’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the heart and soul of the Thunder.

    All season long, SGA delivered MVP-caliber performances. But what stood out even more than his stats was his consistency. Game after game, playoff series after playoff series, he brought the same fire, leadership, and calm under pressure. His presence didn’t just lift his own game—it elevated the entire team. The Thunder, one of the youngest squads in the league, leaned on Shai’s poise and star power to push through every obstacle. His leadership turned potential into a championship.

    Both teams were loaded with talent. But what brought them to the Finals—and kept them battling until the end—was mindset.

    • The Pacers showed us grit and loyalty.
    • The Thunder showed us resilience and consistency.
    • Tyrese Haliburton showed us courage in the face of injury.
    • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed us what greatness looks like when you lead with calm, confidence, and class.

    We often think success—whether in sports or life—goes to the strongest, fastest, richest, or smartest. But the truth is, it often goes to the one who keeps showing up.
    Not just when it’s easy. But when it’s painful, inconvenient, uncertain.

    Here’s the truth: Life is going to give you injuries. Detours. Game 7s.
    But that doesn’t mean you stop playing. You adapt. You pivot. You lead in the ways you still can.

    You may not be able to dunk like Shai or run the court like Tyrese—but you have your own game to win. You have people counting on you. You have a version of yourself that deserves to be seen, supported, and believed in.

    So take a page from the 2025 NBA Finals playbook:

    • Be consistent, not just intense.
    • Lead, even when you’re limping.
    • Keep showing up. Especially when it’s hard.
    • Believe that you were made for this fight—and more than capable of winning it.

    Because if they can, you can.

  • Jiu-Jitsu and the Art of Acceptance: Why Acknowledging the Bad Position Is the First Step to Winning

    It was promotion day at my jiu-jitsu gym this weekend, and as always, it reminded me why I love this sport so much.

    I know I’ve mentioned it before, but jiu-jitsu continues to teach me valuable mental lessons—on and off the mat. One of my favorites, and the one I find myself blogging about most often, is acceptance. Not the kind that means giving up, but the kind that grounds you in the present and gives you the power to move forward.

    Let me be clear: when I talk about acceptance, I don’t mean admitting defeat. I mean having the courage to acknowledge your current reality—without sugarcoating it, running from it, or pretending it’s something it’s not.

    In jiu-jitsu, especially as a lower belt like me, you often find yourself in bad positions. Side control. Mount. Your back taken. You name it. These aren’t moments you can ignore or say, “I’ll deal with this later.” The reality is: you’re stuck—and stuck now.

    But here’s where the lesson comes in:
    You have to accept the position before you can escape it.

    If I deny that I’m in a bad spot, I’ll get submitted. Plain and simple. But if I acknowledge the position, I can defend, I can adjust, I can survive—and maybe even reverse it.

    Life works the same way.

    We all find ourselves in tough positions. Financial stress, relationship struggles, mental health battles, or—for me—living with blindness. Every day, I have to accept the fact that I can’t see. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up. It means I’m starting from truth, not illusion.

    And that’s the most solid foundation to build from.

    With acceptance, I can analyze my situation honestly. I can figure out what my strengths are, where I’m weak, and how to move strategically. Without it? I’m just flailing around, wasting energy, getting choked out by reality.

    One of my training partners said something that stuck with me:

    “Face the problem. If you turn your back on it, it’ll only get worse. Ignore it, and you’ll get submitted.”

    That hit hard—not just in sparring, but in life. When we ignore our problems or deny our circumstances, we stay stuck. We give our challenges the power to control us. But when we accept where we are, we can start to move—slowly, surely, and with intention.

    So let me say it one more time for the people in the back:
    Acceptance is not defeat. It’s awareness. It’s honesty. It’s the beginning of strength.

    Pretending things are fine doesn’t make them better. But acknowledging the truth? That gives you the power to change it.

    In jiu-jitsu, that means surviving the round. In life, it means breaking through—one breath, one move, one mindset shift at a time.

    With a little acceptance and a whole lot of determination, I truly believe you can overcome any position—on the mat or in life.

  • Everyone Dies—So Why Are You Still Worried About What They Think?

    Everyone Dies—So Why Are You Still Worried About What They Think?

    Let’s talk about something nobody likes to talk about: death.

    Yep, that word alone makes most people squirm. But hear me out—death can actually give us one of the clearest perspectives on how to live.

    I was listening to a podcast today, and the host said something that stopped me in my tracks: “Everyone dies. You will die. The people you think are judging you? They’ll die too.”

    At first, it sounded a little dark. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. We’re so caught up in worrying what others think of us—but most people aren’t even thinking about us in the first place!

    Think about it: how often do you spend your day obsessing over someone else’s outfit, decisions, or what they posted online? Be honest. Even the people closest to us—our partners, kids, parents—aren’t thinking about us 24/7. Most of the time, we’re all just trying to get through the day.

    Try this: track how often you think about specific people during your day. Not just a passing thought, but genuine, intentional focus. You’ll probably find that the majority of your thoughts are centered around your own tasks: getting ready, driving, working, figuring out what to eat, and so on.

    When I wake up in the morning, I’m not immediately thinking “I love my son” (although I do). My first thoughts are usually, “Time to get up, make breakfast, pack his lunch, and get him to school.” I think of him because I have to interact with him—not because I’m analyzing every choice he’s making or silently judging how well he brushed his teeth.

    And yet, when it comes to our own lives, we assume everyone is watching. We imagine there’s a spotlight on us all the time, and if we make the wrong move, people will notice and talk. But the truth? They’re not.

    Even people with thousands of followers online aren’t on our radar unless there’s a specific reason. Just last week, I only thought of a semi-famous person because I was considering reaching out for a speaking opportunity. Otherwise? Total non-factor in my mind.

    Why do we do this? Maybe because as kids, we were always being watched—by parents, teachers, authority figures. We were raised to think our every move was being monitored and judged. And now, as adults, we’ve internalized that belief.

    But here’s the liberating truth: most people aren’t paying attention. And the ones who are? They won’t be around forever.

    So why let the fear of judgment from people who won’t even remember your name stop you from living fully?

    Let’s take it even further: one day, every single person you’re afraid might judge you… will die. Their opinions won’t matter in the long run. And on their deathbed, they probably won’t be thinking about you at all. Harsh? Maybe. But freeing? Absolutely.

    At the end of the day, the only person who has to live with your decisions is you.
    Not your boss.
    Not your classmates.
    Not random people online.
    Just you.

    So ask yourself: are you willing to live with the decisions you’ve made based on someone else’s opinions—or worse, their imaginary judgment?

    I know I’m not.
    I’m betting on myself.
    I’m choosing to live in a way that I can feel proud of, not based on someone else’s fleeting attention.

    Because the people I think are judging me today?
    They might not be around in 30 years.
    Or 10.
    Or one.
    Or even tomorrow.

    So stop letting ghosts-in-their-own-making run your life.
    Live boldly. Love freely.
    Laugh at yourself often.

    And when in doubt, remember: other people think about you far less than you think they do.

  • What Wet Pants Taught Me About Priorities, Passion, and the Freedom to Play

    What’s your priority?

    As a kid, it was simple.
    “I want to play.”
    “I want that video game.”
    “I want that snack.”
    And we definitely knew what we didn’t want:
    “I don’t want to do homework.”
    “I don’t want to eat vegetables.”
    “I don’t want to go to bed.”

    That kind of honesty is crystal-clear when you’re little—and yesterday, I got a wild reminder of it from my own son.

    Picture this: I’m at home when my son bolts back inside from the backyard… and pees. Not in the bathroom. Nope—in the living room.

    My first thought? Why on earth would you do that?
    But as I stood there—confused, annoyed, and slightly impressed by his audacity—I started to think: What was going through his head that made him think this was the best option?

    As the frustration faded, it hit me:
    He had made a decision. His priority was play. Nothing else. Not even peeing in the toilet—or finding a tree in the backyard. Fun was his mission, and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him. Not even… wet pants.

    Sure, after the fact, I made him clean up the mess. (Let’s be honest, I had to re-clean it afterward.) But even as he was half-heartedly wiping the floor, I could see it: his mind was still on the game, on the sunshine, on living.

    So I kept thinking about it.
    Why was it so easy for him to let go of everything else and just focus on what mattered to him?

    Then came the deeper truth:
    As adults, we overcomplicate everything.
    We block our passions, our dreams, our joy—because we’re afraid of a little discomfort, a little embarrassment.
    What will people think?
    What if I fail?
    What if my pants get wet?

    But here’s what my son’s “accident” taught me:
    You can always change your pants.
    You can’t always get back the time you didn’t spend doing what lit you up inside.

    My son wasn’t embarrassed. The other kids didn’t even notice—or care. They were just having fun, fully present, fully alive.

    Meanwhile, we adults stack excuses like a game of Jenga:
    “I’m too old.”
    “I have responsibilities.”
    “What if I look stupid?”
    “What if people talk about me?”

    And all that fear? It’s mostly in our heads.
    Most people aren’t even paying attention to us half the time.

    So here’s my takeaway, learned from a small puddle and a very determined little boy:
    Do what matters. Follow the joy. Don’t let fear, pride, or discomfort stand in your way.

    If you want to play, go play.
    If you want to start that business, launch that project, write that book—go do it.
    Let’s stop waiting until everything is perfect. Because perfect never shows up—but time keeps ticking.

    Sometimes, the biggest lessons come with wet pants.
    So be brave enough to chase your joy, even if it means getting a little messy along the way.

  • The Real Buy-In: Fueling Your Dreams Beyond the Whys

    The buy-in has to be bigger than the prize. Let me say that again—what you want must be more powerful than all the “whys” holding you back.

    Most of us start by asking, “Why am I doing this?” or “Why should I even try?” That sounds logical. But here’s the problem—if your “why” isn’t solid enough, you’ll fold the moment things get hard. You’ll lose the energy to get back up when life knocks you down. Worst of all? You’ll lose the willpower to even get out of bed.

    Let’s be honest—life has a way of wearing us down.
    Work. Bills. Kids. Relationships. Health. Hustle.
    There’s always something trying to sap your energy.

    But life doesn’t hit pause just because we’re tired.
    The kids still need to be cared for. The job still needs to be done. The relationships still need attention.

    Too often, we burn out—not because we’re lazy or incapable—but because our buy-in was too weak. We were aiming halfway down the track instead of the finish line.

    Here’s the truth:
    If all the “why” questions in your head can convince you to stop, it’s a clear sign—you didn’t want it enough.
    And that’s okay! But it’s something we need to recognize and own.

    Because if you don’t believe in yourself—if you don’t truly want that goal—no motivation, no podcast, no guru is going to carry you through the hard days.
    The “why am I here?”, “why am I doing this?”, “why is this worth it?” questions will start echoing back with answers like:
    “You’re not good enough.”
    “This isn’t worth it.”
    “This is too hard.”
    Until finally, the loudest thought becomes: “Maybe I should just give up.”

    So how do you fight back?

    You get crystal clear on what you really want.
    Not what your parents want. Not what society tells you to chase. Not what looks cool on Instagram.
    Your dream. Your desire. Your calling.

    You will never fully buy in to someone else’s dream. If you try, you’ll end up half-hearted, uninspired, and exhausted. But when you know deep in your bones what you want—something that speaks to your spirit—your motivation becomes limitless.

    Think of it like Iron Man’s arc reactor.
    When your dream is truly yours, it powers everything—your focus, your courage, your energy, even your patience.
    With that in your arsenal, you’re not just fighting to win a single battle—you’re equipped for the whole war.

    So what’s the takeaway?

    • Find your dream.
    • Tune out the noise.
    • Don’t let your life be scripted by well-meaning friends or scrolling social media.

    How do you figure out what you really want?
    For me, it’s about getting quiet.
    Find a peaceful space—maybe out in nature. Silence the distractions. Quiet the mind. Breathe. Reflect.
    Let your soul guide you toward the truth. I know, it sounds a bit woo-woo, but hey… it just might work for you too.

    Because at the end of the day, your goal, your dream, your life—it’s your arc reactor.
    Only you can switch it on.