Even the most optimistic person (and I consider myself an optimist), would have a hard time finding the silver lining in 2020. To put it mildly, 2020 was a very challenging year.
Challenge brings about change, and that change can trigger growth – if the appropriate actions are taken. For myself, I had made new years resolutions to travel a lot in 2020, and host a bunch of retreats in Las Vegas, Thailand, and Costa Rica. As you can imagine, that didn’t turn out well, lol! I did get to host one retreat in Las Vegas before the election madness, and that was a lot of fun. But it was a far cry from what I had planned for the year.
As it turns out, that was just the tip of the iceberg. But I’m not going to recount all the mishaps the year has brought, as I know mine probably pale in comparison to those who suffered dire consequences.
Instead, I will focus on the good things that happened. For one, I did manage to sneak in a few trips last year. I went to Tahiti at the beginning of the year, and a couple of trips to Miami. I got settled into my new home, and while we still have projects left, we are in much better shape now than a year ago.
One of the best things I got for the house was building up the home gym. I save a considerable amount of time working out at home versus going to the gym, even though it is only 1 block away. You don’t realize it, but every time you have to walk across the gym to get equipment, wait for a bench to open up, or go to the station on the other side, time is ticking. Comparing the length of my workouts now to before, I’m probably saving about 20 or so minutes per session, which adds up really fast when I work out 5 to 6 days a week. In about 10 years it will pay for itself too, so there is that bonus.
That leads up to my health, which has never been better. While many are in fear of health, I’m reaping the rewards of all the time I have put into cleaning myself up – from both inside and outside. Diet has been streamlined and I have been enjoying eating heartily and nutritiously. All the working out has crafted the best version of myself ever. I’m stronger and leaner than ever.
That is probably the most important thing I have done this year – double down on health and fitness. What good is anything else in life if you aren’t healthy enough to enjoy it? Even if you think you are okay, chances are you could be doing more to make yourself fitter. Hell, I was training and competing with no ACL for years, and I did ok. But looking back on those days compared to now, I did myself a huge disservice. I could have been so much better. But that’s okay – learning lessons. It’s not how you start, but how you finish, and I plan on finishing strong AF. LOL!
Another good thing I got going was jumping into the gun game. As the years add on, I know the amount of MMA training I will be capable of will be limited – at least to the extent that I was used to. That is one reason firearms training is appealing to me, as I know I will not be nearly as limited in that regard. I have flirted with it for years, but I hadn’t dedicated time to it. Last year I finally went down to Miami and trained with my brother Marcos and became a NRA Certified Instructor in Basic Pistol, Personal Protection Inside the Home, and Personal Protection Outside the Home. I’m heading back in couple of days to complete some more training in Rifle, Shotgun, and Chief Range Safety Officer. I have also added to my collection of firearms, and will be offering training in Las Vegas very soon.
I have also been getting a new website setup for my MMA courses, and I will be launching that very shortly. The new platform will be easier to track progress of course completion, and I think it will be a nice step up. I also have some new courses getting set up (finally!), and I think it will be introducing new content not shown before (at least that I know of).
Finally, my brother and I are going to setup an affiliation program for our gym, the Freestyle Fighting Academy. After over a decade of people asking to be affiliates of ours, I think we are a little overdue. We just never sat down to think about how we could maintain the integrity of our ranking system, but we recently have put together a solid plan that we believe will make it rock solid and offer a ton of value to school owners, by helping them how to systematize teaching and business operations, and by plugged into our teaching curriculum, instead of just paying for a brand name and by left to their own devices.
So hopefully the new year will allow us to pursue our passions and grow. Happy New Year!
Want to hear God Laugh? Tell him your plans!!
Nice to hear some positivity in a time where there seems to be less and less of it. I was lucky enough to get a private lesson with you last February right before covid. If you’re looking for affiliations you can always hit up Todd Top Team!