Do you practice Skill-Based Fitness?

Do you practice Skill-Based Fitness?

When we think about fitness, generally the first images that come to mind are lifting weights, running, stretching, or maybe playing a recreational sport.
On a good day, typical fitness training involves increasing attributes like strength, endurance, or flexibility. On a worse day, it’s running on the literal or figurative hamster wheel to hit some quota of movement for the day.

One thing that I think is missing from many methods and approaches is the idea of skill based fitness. The idea is not necessarily to get bigger or stronger or faster, but to  learn and improve upon the skill in question. Of course, the skill may require a certain level of the attributes mentioned, but the priority is the skill.

Many sports and movement modalities do this already, but it’s less prevalent in the modern approach to fitness. You already know how to run, lift, etc, so in order to improve it you will need to go faster, further, or add more weight to the bar.

Skill training is not only fun, but it can break up the “workout” monotony by giving you different options to fail. These failures are teachable moments you can use to refine your own learning process. It works a different part of your brain that may have been inactive since childhood.

Many adults out there haven’t taken time to learn a new skill in years. Maybe it’s the comfort of knowing what you can do, or the fear of failure, but adults can be very hesitant to try something new.

A few great options for skill-based fitness are Martial arts, dance, or gymnastics/acrobatics. Body conditioning is extremely important in all these disciplines, but the main focus is on developing skills and combinations.

Skill work can be frustrating since failure is a big part of it, but it’s also very satisfying when things do come together. It’s a way to add a new level of enjoyment to your training which will keep you coming back.
Skills help improve your learning process, your mind-body connection, and make you more interesting as a person.

Allow yourself to fail, allow yourself to learn, and watch yourself improve.
Are you currently training skills in your physical practice?

In my personal practice, I typically separate the skill versus attribute work. This helps a lot to organize my training and set clear goals.

Handstands: To Grip or Not To Grip

Handstands: To Grip or Not To Grip

When performing a handstand, your hands are what engage and connect with the floor. The way you utilize the hands will have an important impact on your handstand and overall balance.

In today's scenario we will be discussing two potential options: engaged grip and flat hands. What purpose do they have, and which is the better choice for certain situations?

Gripping in a handstand involves pressing the fingertips into the floor and pulling them in so that there is tension in the hand and forearm. Typically, the middle joint of the fingers comes up off the floor when performing this, but the hand position may not look the same for everyone. Check out my "PRIMING THE HANDS" video for a more detailed explanation.

Flat hands are as the name suggests; relaxed hands with minimal tension/engagement. This is going to be the default setting, as gripping is something that takes conscious effort from the flat hands position.

The grip can be very helpful when practicing balance on the hands. This is because it creates a stronger connection with the floor, which allows for more leverage and speed when making balance corrections. That doesn't mean you should use it all the time though. Plus it has one main disadvantage: gripping takes energy and can make you tire out faster. There are also some situations where it is either unnecessary or counterproductive.

Here are some situations to consider when it comes to gripping the floor:

-Beginner

As a beginner, the focus should be strength, conditioning, and coordination for getting upside down and on your hands. Gripping the floor is something you can play with in your warmup for exposure, but it doesn't need to be a major part of your practice just yet.

-Wall Handstands

Grip is not necessary or helpful for wall handstands when there is no balance involved. If you are doing this exercise for alignment, inversion awareness, or endurance/conditioning, there is no reason to grip the floor. When I perform wall handstands for warmup or conditioning, I keep my hands relaxed to save energy.

-Wall Balance

This is where gripping the floor will be very advantageous, especially if you are just learning how to balance. The balance itself comes mostly from wrist flexion/extension, but the grip makes it much easier to feel and execute. Depending on your level you can grip throughout the whole set, or turn on the grip during the moments you get into freestanding balance and relax when you return to the wall.

-Freestanding Kickups

Here it depends on the intention of the drill. I like to practice precision kickups with flat hands to ensure my accuracy and consistency. The intent here is to consistently find the handstand position with minimal correction, but not necessarily to hold the handstand.
When my intent is to balance the handstand, I will grip throughout the whole kickup so I can make easy corrections at any time.

-Freestanding Handstand

In this situation it also depends on the situation, your skill, and your personal preference. The grip helps with balance but takes more energy to perform. If you are still learning, or balancing less than 30 seconds, I suggest to keep the grip and make your balance more consistent.
If you are balancing 30-60 seconds or longer, you have the option to relax the grip. That doesn't mean you should or you have to, but it means you can play with it. Try to grip less and see how it feels. There is a tradeoff: relaxed hands use less energy and don't tire out as fast, but your balance needs to be a lot more precise to pull it off.
I prefer this method now: minimal grip and only activate it when I need it. However it did take some time to transition and get used to it, as when I first learned I was used to gripping the floor quite hard.

-Blocks

This is an interesting apparatus because it allows the fingers to curl over the edge and connect with the block completely. It takes getting used to, but it allows for a more comfortable grip compared to floor. This also means you don't have to squeeze as hard as floor to still maintain good pressure through the fingers.
An interesting blocks exercise to try is to balance with the fingers lifted. This is much harder than a regular handstand because it forces you to balance on a smaller point with less available leverage for correction. It's not the way you should be practicing balance, but it makes for a fun challenge and increased awareness.

-Handstand Walks and Dynamic Work

I treat handstand walks and other dynamic work as a constant transition from one hand to the other. So there's never any true balance, but rather a constant state of controlled falling. I do not utilize the grip in this scenario because it's akin to using the gas and brake on your car at the same time. The balance doesn't come from the hands, and neither hand stays on the floor for very long, so there's no purpose in gripping. The only time I do is if I perform a specific drill where I intentionally switch from walking to static handstand. When I stop walking I activate my grip. Otherwise, the hands stay relaxed and roll through the floor during transitions.

Check out the video below for some visual explanations. What do you think? Was this helpful to develop a better understanding of the grip in your handstand?

Splits Training Method

I just put up a new youtube video, which shows how I like to go into my splits when doing intense flexibility training. This is an excerpt from my hip mobility class series.

This is the kind of work I like to do when trying to increase range in a position, which is very different than my regular daily mobility work for maintaining range and joint health.

I’m using a variety of different methods to help me get lower, stay safe, remain calm, build strength and control, and ensure lasting changes.

Here are the main takeaways from this video:

-Start in a long suspended lunge

-Keep hips square(a good cue is to turn the back foot in)

-Set up pillows under you at your desired height

-Gradually go deeper into the long lunge

-When you reach the pillows, relax and sink down while extending your back foot

-Perform contractions against and in the direction of the stretch while gradually sliding out further. I typically hold a contraction for 3-5 seconds followed by a few deep breaths where I try to allow myself to go further.

-Use supports on your hands to help keep the chest up.

-Feel free to remove pillows as necessary

-Keep going deeper until you feel you’re at the end of your range with your hips square. Stay calm and breathe deep through the discomfort.

-Once you have acclimated to your maximum square split, go ahead and turn your hips out to go deeper. This is not “proper technique” but builds confidence and allows you to go further. I think of this as the dessert to the main meal of the hips square splits.

-Breathe deep and stay calm for a few more breaths.

-How you exit the splits is crucial. This must be done slowly and deliberately without engaging any of the muscles that have been deeply stretched.

-Post up on your hands and take your upper body sideways to transfer to a laying down position. Shake your legs out and allow them to relax.

-Stand up slowly using your hands. Have a walk around to get a feel for the new range of motion you just created.

This is of course not the only way to train splits, but is a routine that I find useful for developing new range and offering a variety of different stimulation.

Give it a try, and check out the video below if you want to follow along.

Techniques/Concepts to Hold your handstand longer

So, you’ve reached the stage in your handstands where you are balancing intentionally and building consistency. That’s fantastic, and it’s a great place to be in your journey.

From here, I think that one worthwhile goal to go after is long handstand holds. This will help to solidify your foundation of balance and technique, plus measuring how long you can stay up is a really easy way to track one kind of progress.

So, how do you train to hold your hand stand longer?
One way is to just keep doing it and fight for the balance. However, there are a few specific techniques and concepts that I found to be very helpful in this regard.

-Handstand Alignment

Alignment is an important concept when it comes to extended holds. The way that you hold yourself can either increase your fatigue or help to manage it. When it comes to handstand alignment, you want to think about a vertical line of force going through the body. You also want to make sure that you’re comfortable holding the position.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be completely straight and rigid, but at the very least you do want your arms to be completely vertical to the floor.
If you are practicing handstand with a skill focus, one of the goals of your alignment and position should be to minimize the amount of physical strain when performing the skill. If you do this right, it helps a lot with your focus and endurance.
When first learning handstands, many people have a tendency to bend the arms or lean in the shoulders to lower the center of gravity. It’s not necessarily wrong and can help with finding the balance, but when you do something like this it requires a lot of power to stay up, and you’ll find you will tire out very quickly.

-Refinement of Balance

The act of balancing itself should also be as efficient as possible. The overall goal should be to keep the body fairly still, with majority of balance being made through micro corrections in the wrists and fingers. This does take a lot of focus, precision, and practice to get it right. However it’s a very energetically efficient form of balance which will allow you to stay up longer without wasting unnecessary energy.
It’s common when people first learn to balance that they use additional joints like shoulders, elbows, and hips to help control the balance. This results in a wobbly style handstand. While I do think it’s an important skill, and definitely part of the progression you will follow, Your goal should be to find the still balance because it will allow you to hold it much longer.

-Precise Entry to Handstand

Another element that people often overlook is the precision of how they get into their handstand. You should be able to enter a balanced handstand in one try with minimal corrective movement.
If it takes you multiple tries, it means you’re not as precise as you should be and you are wasting both physical and mental energy in your attempts.
If you don’t use the right amount of force, you may also have to use your shoulders or bend your arms to catch yourself. While this may help you to salvage your entry and find your balance, it’s also using unnecessary energy that could have been used towards holding it longer.
What I recommend is to specifically train your handstand entries in isolation. Rather than trying to hold a balance every time, make sure you understand how to clean up the movement and consistently hit the Handstand position every time you go up. This way it will be much easier when you do actually try to balance.

-Spotted Handstand

Having a good spotter can also be helpful in training those longer holds. It’s not necessary, and I personally learned without a spotter, but there is benefit if someone knows what they’re doing.
The keep to spotting an endurance handstand hold with balance is to help in a minimalistic way. I want to prioritize my partner’s independent balance, but I still want to be there in case they lost balance so they can still stay up and get those longer holds.
If this is done correctly, you can progress much faster than only training on your own.

-Wall Assist

If you don’t have a spotter, you can also use the wall to help with your endurance.
Again, the point is to only use the wall in moments that you would have lost your balance. This way it will help progress towards longer holds. Perform your handstand next to the wall and hold for as long as you can. If you start to lose your balance or position, you can briefly tap the wall and reset without having to come down to the floor.

-Floor is Lava Method

When doing your longer freestanding handstand holds, if you lose your balance you can simply just tap the floor briefly and get right back up. This is a way to squeeze out more time instead of just giving up at the first sign of loss of balance. The way to do this is to maintain all of the weight in your hands as you come down, this will make your reentry more accurate but also keeps the tension in the handstand position. This way, if you’re holding for time and you come down, just try to get back up and recover as quickly as possible so you can still work those longer holds.

-Balance/Endurance Dropset

Typically when you are doing a long handstand hold, you are going to fall out of it because of either physical or technical failure. Technical failure means you foul because you were unable to balance yourself, but did not max out your physical capacity to hold yourself up. Physical failure is when your muscles give out and you are no longer able to hold yourself. This style of dropset incorporates both of these failures, which is great for working endurance.
Start by performing a Handstand near the wall but with free standing balance. Hold it as long as you can, and when your grift starts to give out and you can no longer balance freestanding, take your feet to the wall without coming out of the handstand. From here, you can then perform an extended wall handstand hold for as long as you want to so that you can challenge your endurance. Simple, brutal, and effective.

-Pure Endurance

At a certain point it’s also useful to max out your endurance and capacity in the Handstand. My personal favorite way to do this is in a chest to wall handstand, shifting back-and-forth from one hand to the other. It may seem counterintuitive, but this actually allows you stay up longer than if you were to only stand on two arms. As long as you have a good shoulder push and lockout, staying on one arm is not so physically draining as you may think. While you are on one arm, the other arm gets to rest.
In order to survive longer holds both physically and mentally, it’s good to set up a rhythm. Great way to do that is to have some music playing, so you can switch hands every one or 2 8-counts. This is a great way to build and test your physical and mental fortitude, and see how long you can really stay up in your handstand.

So, just a few techniques and concepts that can be helpful in your quest towards longer handstand holds. I hope it’s helpful!

Disclaimer for Life

I had a video go viral recently. This happens from time to time, and it’s great to see the algorithm smiling down upon me on those rare occasions.
This video is a demo of several hip mobility exercises I like to use, here it is for reference:

When a video gets millions of views, it can be quite entertaining to read the comments.
There lots of positive comments of course, and the references to Techno-Viking and Ginger Billy make me laugh.
Then there’s the self-deprecating jokes of “I dislocated my hip watching this” or “I wish I could move like that.” I wish it weren’t the case, but that’s a pretty common response from the general population even though I think these movements should be commonplace. Hopefully more people can drop the “it’s too late for me” attitude and adopt the “do what you can with what you have where you are” mindset, but that’s a topic for another day.

Finally, there’s the haters and keyboard warriors that crawl out from their burrows to bestow their knowledge and proclaim their many years of experience. They don’t make their own videos of course, but they see themselves as the ruling authority when criticizing on other people’s work.
Anyway, getting to the point of this blog, there were several people that mentioned I should put a disclaimer before a video like this. Apparently I was moving too fast, ballistic movements are bad and should not be performed, and people who try to imitate it could be injured. I can understand the perspective from a certain angle: I have been training for a while so I would not expect beginners to move like me right away. However, I would still give anyone the same workout/concepts, just scaled to their level.
The idea of never moving fast is completely idiotic in my opinion. We are not sloths. Sometimes life throws ballistic movements at you whether you like it or not.

Are people so fragile these days they need a warning before trying some hip mobility? Now I might understand that for some of the flips and stunt falls I do, but hip mobility? Next thing you know, water bottles will have warning labels for risk of drowning.

You want a disclaimer: Here it is:

WARNING
BEING ALIVE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE SEVERE INJURY OR EVEN DEATH
PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONS TO BE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE:
-PROCEED WITH CAUTION WHEN DOING ANY KIND OF MOVEMENT
-AVOID FAST OR SUDDEN MOVEMENTS
-AVOID TRYING ANYTHING NEW OR TAKING ANY RISKS
-BELIEVE AND OBEY THE AUTHORITIES AT ALL TIMES
-AVOID CHALLENGES
-CONFORM TO THE STATUS QUO

Don’t forget to always listen to someone when they tell you how many years of experience they have.
Obviously this post is sarcastic. Live your life. Try stuff. Use common sense. Sometimes you might get hurt; trying to live in a bubble will only make it worse when it does happen.
No, I’m not letting the trolls win by posting about this. I thought it was an interesting concept that could make for some entertaining discourse.

I’ll finish with this thought:
An incredibly valuable skill from a learning and teaching perspective is knowing how to distill a concept to its core, then modify it based on someone’s abilities and restrictions.

That’s the end of today’s rant. Thanks for reading, now go out and take some risks.

9 Reasons you Can't Freestanding Handstand(yet)

Learning to handstand can definitely be a journey, especially for those of us starting out as adults.
No matter your skill level or general timeline, the skill will always take longer than you think. That's one reality that you should accept.
That being said, it shouldn't take forever. If you've been at it for a while and aren't seeing the progress you want, there could be a few potential causes that are holding you back.
Being aware of your shortcomings can help you to work on your weaknesses and address your issues.

Below are 9 reasons you aren't making progress with your handstands(yet).

1. Conditioning
Handstand is a physical skill. While it's true that good technique can minimize the physical demands, conditioning will still play a vital role. You don't have to be in crazy shape, but the more fit you are the easier the skill will be to learn. It's difficult to focus on the technique if it takes tremendous effort to get into and hold yourself in the handstand position.
I personally find this portion of the practice much less interesting than the technical stuff, but if you have good conditioning it will do many favors for your practice.

2. Wrists
Many adults neglect their wrists in their practice, then later complain of wrist pain and stiffness. Handstand requires you to hold all your weight on a fairly small joint. If that's something your body isn't used to, it will take time to acclimate it. One of the best ways to do this is to perform a good wrist warmup every time you train, especially if you are new to the practice. Not only will this give you more sensitivity and awareness for balance, it will speed up the process of getting your wrists used to hand balancing. I lost count of how many times people told me how their wrists felt great during my handstand workshops after performing a thorough warm up(that they skimped on in their own training).
Check out my wrist series on vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/wristsequence

3. Inversion
Being comfortable upside down is a huge part of the handstand practice. In the case of many adults, they may not have been properly inverted since they were kids. This can be disorienting at first, so it's best to ease into it slowly to make sure you feel safe and comfortable doing it.
This is where inversions like headstands and forearm stands can be useful. They are significantly easier than a handstand due to lower center of mass and wide base of support. While they aren't direct handstand progressions, these poses allow you to spend more time upside down which will lead to more comfort and awareness.

4. Fear of Falling
Handstand is a unique skill because psychological restrictions can play as big a role as physical ones. Fear of falling forward is an important issue to address so you can be confident in your handstand. When you build the reflex to fall safely, it's much easier to fully commit to the handstand. If you are not comfortable falling forward out of a handstand, it's something you should specifically work on until it becomes second nature to you. This will open up many new degrees of freedom in your handstand practice.

5. Alignment
Holding the handstand a certain way can make it much easier to stay up there, so this is an important concept to learn. Essentially, you want to stack your joints on a vertical line which allows you to use your bone structure to hold the handstand. This decreases the physical demand of the exercise.
Unfortunately, the handstand alignment most people seek is not the most intuitive thing to learn. It takes specific training to feel the shape and be aware of the position. However, once you understand the concept it will be incredibly helpful. It doesn't have to be perfect, but paying attention to your alignment will be very beneficial.

6. Balance Focus
The balance of the handstand is a very specific sensation that is best trained specifically. Many adults assume that the balance will just happen at a certain point, but the reality is the balance is something you create. Learn to feel the weight in your hands, and how it can be manipulated through small movements in the wrist and fingers. Then learn to connect that to your entire body. Finally, learn to connect that sensation to your awareness of falling. After lots of practice, this is how you create balance.

7. Kick-up Inconsistency
What good is your handstand balance if you can't easily get there? I see many adults launch themselves into a handstand without any precision or awareness over any over without making any adjustments. Then they wonder why they can't hit the position or catch balance easily.
The kick up is something that should be trained deliberately. Get it to the point where it's smooth and consistent, then it will be much easier to balance from it.

8. Wall Reliance
The wall is a great tool for learning incremental handstand progressions, building confidence, developing balance, conditioning, etc.
However, it's also possible to become reliant on the wall to a point that it hinders your progress. Generally, I like to treat the wall as a temporary assistant. Something that you'll no longer need eventually. Try to be as light as possible when using wall assistance, and always keep in mind that the purpose of the wall is to be obsolete.
That isn't to say it's not a useful tool even for an advanced practitioner. However, the idea is to use the wall to help just the right amount, and gradually build independence from it.

9. Training Consistency
Real talk: are you actually training your handstand? Or just playing around with it occasionally? There's absolutely nothing wrong with the latter, but it probably won't get you much progress.
If you play around with handstands and inversions for a few minutes during your yoga or crossfit class, that's great! However, making long term progress will take more dedicated practice. Just something to keep in mind.

There you have it, a few ideas on why you may not be seeing the progress you want in your handstand practice. Hopefully it gives you something to think about and apply.

Check out my youtube video that talks about these points and some potential solutions.

Stop Looking for the Best Exercise

One of the most common questions I get is along the lines of: “What’s the best exercise for …”
I want to talk about how this is not a good approach for overall progress, and offer a better outlook.

I think the blame partly lies with the internet age, where nearly every video has some kind of catchy click-bait title.

5 best ways to improve your x, Top 3 exercises for massive x, are you making these top 3 mistakes…

I understand the reasoning behind it and how it is meant to draw people in.

However, “the best” doesn’t exist. Not in a universal way.

It depends on way too many factors. The best exercise for what? For Who? To achieve what end?
The best exercise for a high school athlete might not be the best exercise for a 50 year old office worker.
The best exercise for me might not be the best exercise for you. In fact, if both of us did exactly the same training it’s very likely our results would be different.
Don’t forget about time: the best exercise for me today might not be the best for me in 6 months.
So there is no best. There are things that work well for a specific individual with a specific need at a certain point in their journey.

Instead of looking for the best, find what works.

Instead of looking for the top 3, find one thing where you can give an honest attempt. If it works, great! Keep doing it until it stops working.
If it doesn’t work, modify it or try something else.

If you’re a beginner, literally try anything. As long as you can do it safely, you are likely to get some results from it.
As you get more experience, you will build a deeper understanding of what you need.

Another thing I recommend is to understand the concept rather than looking for an exercise. When you understand the concept behind what you’re trying to achieve, it’s very easy to come up with exercises and modifications for different scenarios.

Finally, don’t forget about your ratio of creation and consumption. Make sure you’re spending more time training and exploring than you are scrolling through videos.
Don’t get me wrong, I love how easy it is to access information these days. Just remember that information alone is not enough to actually make progress. Action and experience trumps pure knowledge.

Anyway, just a couple thoughts on the matter.
This actually reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books:

“In all of my universe I have seen no law of nature, unchanging and inexorable. This universe presents only changing relationships which are sometimes seen as laws by short-lived awareness. These fleshy sensoria which we call self are ephemera withering in the blaze of infinity, fleetingly aware of temporary conditions which confine our activities and change as our activities change. If you must label the absolute, use its proper name: Temporary.”

-Frank Herbert, God Emperor of Dune

Stop chasing the best and do what works. Modify as needed. If/when something doesn’t work, do something different.

6 Realistic Health/Life "Hacks"

These days the internet is full of all kind of charlatanry on how to instantly improve your health and solve all your problems. I don’t believe in easy shortcuts, but here are a few steps you can take that I believe can improve your health and quality of life.

1. Support your Local Farmers
Get your food from local farmers as much as possible. Even better if you grow it yourself, but that’s a different story.
This is a great way to get a quality product and support local small businesses who care rather than huge corporations. Buy from your farmers directly or hit up a local farmer’s market to avoid middle-men.
Since they are likely to eat their own supply and work their own land, you are likely to get better quality food with less negative environmental impact. I’ve talked to lots of farmers in my area that have been switching to regenerative farming methods.
This is very different than factory farming, where the bottom line is the almighty dollar and you can bet the CEOs don’t partake in their own goods.
Another benefit is fresher food that doesn’t have to travel far to get to you.
Plus your local market is less affected by “supply chain disruptions.”
I don’t care what kind of diet you follow, supporting your local farmers is always a great thing to do.

2. Walk Every Day
I believe that walking is very underrated, both as a form of physical exercise and as a meditation tool for increased mental clarity. I often get some of my best ideas when I’m out for a walk.
If simply walking is not intense enough for you, there are many ways to add some spice to it. Sometimes I like to do different breathing exercises/patterns or incorporate breath holds during my walks. Sometimes I’ll add some calisthenics or jog/sprint intervals. Sometimes I’ll carry and use another fitness implement like a tennis ball, ring, rubber band, club, rope, etc. to kill two birds with one stone.
However you do it, I recommend daily walks.

3. Spend more time Barefoot
I used to be that weird kid who would always walk around barefoot, even in the winter. I didn’t do it for any particular reason back then, I just disliked shoes. In retrospect, I was completely right and I am happy to have stuck to my guns all these years.
Most modern shoes are build like prisons: they either compress the foot and take away its ability to move, or numb it to create a kind of sensory deprivation.
The feet act as a sensory organ taking in information about the world. On top of that, they are an impressive feat of engineering, able to bend, conform, absorb, and redirect force in different directions. Walking barefoot, especially on a variety of surfaces gives your body valuable stimulation and allows you to use your feet to their potential.
Of course you should be safe, but try to walk barefoot when/where you can. Yes there are many good minimalist shoe options out there now, and they are great, but still try to go completely barefoot.

4. Learn Something New

As an adult, how often do you try to learn something new? Kids are literally learning machines, but it seems like it’s something we lose as adults. I believe it is doing a disservice to yourself to not continually try to learn new things. Keep in mind, how good you get has very little to do with the actual learning process.
Sharing a personal experience, I recently rented a car with a manual transmission for a few days for the practice. It’s not a completely new skill for me, but I have not had much opportunity for training and needed to log some hours to get more confident.
I was nervous at first, and definitely stalled out a bunch of times which was frustrating. By the third day I felt completely secure and confident driving a manual transmission in a variety of driving conditions.
This reminded me of the value of doing things that make you nervous, as it gives the opportunity to step up and grow.

5. Seek Discomfort
We have access many modern comforts that we take for granted; many things that we consider standard, our ancestors would not have dreamed of.
No, I’m not saying you should live like a caveman to offer tribute to the ancestral ways, but I think it’s beneficial to not always seek out the most comfortable option right away.
It’s cold? Let yourself be cold for a while. Hot? Same thing. Hungry? Experiment with fasting, feel the hunger. Uncomfortable being alone? In a crowd of people? Do it once in a while for the experience.
Discomfort allows for adaptation.

6. Maintain a Ratio of Creation and Consumption
Do you create as much as you consume? I think one cause of overall unhappiness in people is overconsumption without sufficient creation. Now, the idea of “creating” doesn’t have to be taken literally. The basic way I take the concept is doing something versus watching someone else do it.
Creation can take many forms, and I think there is a huge benefit to adding this concept to your life.


Nothing revolutionary here, but it’s what I consider doable advice that I try to follow myself. Maybe a little bit too realistic to get much traction with today’s clickbait standards, but I prefer a bit of realism.
Let me know your thoughts.

Comfort Before Complexity: How to get more comfortable in a Handstand

Comfort before complexity.

It's a phrase I use a lot when I teach and think it's a really important concept. This applies not only to handstands, but also to skill training in general.
When training handstands or any other skill, the general idea is to progress by increasing difficulty and complexity. This is something that can only be achieved after getting comfortable with the foundational elements leading up to your desired skill. This is an idea that you can take from a complete beginner perspective all the way up to the highest levels. If you're not comfortable, you will struggle to add elements and make progress. This is actually a common mistake I see people make, where they try to move forward too fast without getting comfortable where they are.
I especially see this a lot when students are working their basic handstand and learning freestanding balance. This is a particular place where getting comfortable with the basics will be a massive help for moving forward in the process.

What does it mean to be comfortable in a handstand? Here are some thoughts:

-You can stay up for a long time.
This is one of the more obvious ideas, but generally if you can stay up for a long time it's a good sign of comfort.
-You can easily, smoothly, and consistently enter and exit the handstand.
People often focus on the handstand, but the entry and exit are also crucial parts of the skill. You should be able to calmly and casually transition in and out of the handstand.
-Repeatability.
Are you able to repeat your performance with minimal deviation? PRs are cool, but your true skill level lies in what you can repeat, eventually under imperfect or adverse conditions. If you are able to replicate your performance, it's a good sign of comfort.
-Physical Demand.
Comfort means minimizing the physical demand of the skill. It shouldn't make you tired. This may be accomplished through physical adaptation, refinement of technique, and keeping the right mindset. If doing the skill tires you out, you may not be comfortable there.
-Breath control.
How is your breathing? This is very important because it sets the intention behind the exercise. Are you breathing normally? Continuously? Calmly?
Conversely, are you holding your breath? Is your breathing heavy or labored?
Improving this will help make you more comfortable.
-Surplus of Conscious Awareness.
How much of your focus does it take to perform the skill? Is it something that requires all your mental capacity to do? This is normal in the beginning, but later on you want to free up those mental resources. Being able to do the skill without thinking about it is a really important level of comfort to build. This way you can shift your awareness to the new skills you want to achieve.
-Exit strategy.
Are you able to safely bail out when things go wrong? If not, it's going to be difficult to relax and get comfortable, as you will be dealing with fear and uncertainty. A good bailout should be reflexive. This way you know you'll be safe no matter what happens, and you can be more comfortable in the skill.

The above are some theoretical ideas on what it means to be comfortable in the handstand. Next, let's go into some practical techniques you can utilize to develop those concepts:

-Long handstand holds.
There's something to be said for just holding your handstand for a long time. You can't cheat it, and it's easy to measure. This also develops your capacity so that you can steer clear of fatigue when you work on new techniques. As an example: let's say your max hold is 90 seconds, and your working technical sets are 30 seconds in duration. That means that you are not approaching fatigue in your typical set, which will allow you to focus more on the technique. While it may not be the most interesting exercise out there, you will see benefit in your comfort levels from working long handstand holds.
-Wall Walks.
This is a fantastic conditioning exercise that can also be used to build comfort in the handstand. The idea is to build strength, endurance, and overall physical capacity in the handstand ranges. This exercise involves shifting weight from hand to hand and passes through a wide variety of shoulder ROM. This drill is much harder physically than just holding a handstand, so getting good at this will make the regular handstand seem like a cakewalk.
-Vocalizing.
Breathing is a very important factor in how comfortable you are in the handstand. However, I find one of the best ways to coach breathing is by incorporating speech. Talking out loud in your handstand will force you to breathe in an efficient way. You can say what you want: count out loud, sing, rehearse your favorite monologue, list the ingredients of your dinner, etc. Try to maintain a casual conversational tone and volume. Having a conversation with a training partner is also great. Not only does this train your breath control in handstand, it shifts your conscious focus away from the skill which will help you relax more.
-Entry and exit.
Do you practice your handstand entry and exit? I believe it's worthwhile to practice this separately from handstand holds. Being smooth in your entry and exit helps simplify many variables in the skill. When you enter, the movement should be effortless and casual without any wasted energy or hesitation. When you exit, it should be intentional, soft and fluid. If you can get into your handstand consistently and exit smoothly, it will help build comfort and lessen your overall frustration.
-Structural Collapse and Reconstruction.
Alignment and structure are really important to be able to hold a handstand efficiently. An efficient handstand is a valuable step towards a comfortable handstand. One specific drill I like to include for reinforcing this is the collapse and rebuilding of the structure. Find your efficient handstand alignment, intentionally collapse the configuration, then return to your original form. The contrast between positions helps build appreciation for good alignment. This drill also teaches you to hold yourself in less-than-ideal positions, which builds strength and versatility. All of these factors will increase your comfort level.
-Visual Engagement.
Visual stimulus is another way to create a distracting task in order to make holding the handstand consume fewer mental resources. Typically, I teach students to look at the floor between the hands when doing a handstand, as this is the most conducive for learning balance. However, you can also poke your head through your arms and look out at the world. See what you can notice. Try to read something. Find ways to engage your visuals that do not relate to your handstand. Doing so should make the handstand hold less consciously demanding, and more comfortable. While this can be done freestanding, I recommend trying it in a back-to-wall handstand first.
-Movement.
A significant portion of handstand training is about stillness. However, adding in some movement is another useful technique for building comfort. Against the wall, try to find different ways to move around in your handstand. Explore various ideas and positions to see what you can come up with. This is a great chance to try some moves you might not be comfortable doing without the wall. This kind of work will build versatility, and it will make holding a static handstand more of an afterthought. This in turn will make your handstand more comfortable to hold.

So there you have it. A few ideas and practical exercises to help get you more comfortable in a handstand. This is a crucial part of learning the handstand as a skill, and I hope the ideas will be helpful.
Check out my youtube video on the subject below.

Obstacles and Excuses

I "shouldn't" be able to do a handstand, here's why:

-I have joint laxity in my shoulders and have dealt with multiple dislocations and other shoulder injuries.

-I have focal dystonia in my hand, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions.

-I have had numerous wrist injuries and a flexibility difference in wrist extension between both hands.

-I have a scar from an abdominal surgery, which apparently is supposed to affect my core activation.

-The structure of my elbow extension is different between my right and left arm.

-I didn't do gymnastics as a kid.

-I have "heavy legs" which make handstands harder.

These are some excuses I can use to justify my not trying. They might make learning the skill more difficult, or perhaps put a limitation on potential for reaching peak form.

However, using such excuses generally translates to something more like this:

-I'm afraid to try.

-I don't want to put in the time or effort.

-What if I fail?

-If I can't reach a high level in a short time, then what's the point?

-I might never get "good".

-Nobody needs to learn that.

We all have our difficulties. They can be leveraged as excuses for not trying, or obstacles to overcome if you do try. The difference is in your perspective.

Keep in mind that you don't have to succeed, "get good", make money, get recognized, etc. in order to be satisfied.

The easiest thing to do is nothing. This takes no effort and involves no risk. You can make plenty of excuses to rationalize doing nothing. After all, you can't fail if you never try.

The other option is to try. Make an honest attempt at your goal. Unfortunately this involves time, effort, and potential risk. It will also likely involve failure. When you try, there is no guarantee of success. There is, however, a small chance you might learn or gain something from the attempts.

So here are two different perspectives:

-"I don't want to try because of x, y, and z limitations. I'm probably going to fail and I'll lever get to elite status."

-"I will try because this is something I want to do. I might be hindered by x, y, and z, but I will do my best with what I have. I would rather try and fail, at least knowing I tried."

As always, just some thoughts to consider.

Benefits of Learning Slowly

What's the fastest way to learn a handstand?

I get variations of this question quite often, and the concept is one you can apply to many other skills.

Why do you want to learn it fast? Is speed your highest priority? What''s wrong with taking a long time to learn a skill?

It might seem like a flex to be able to boast about how quickly you learned something. I also understand that time is precious, so sometimes we want to check a thing off our list quickly and move on. As usual, there's no free lunch here.

I see several negatives with placing speed as your learning priority.

-First off, it's likely to decrease your probability of learning retention. Trying to learn something quickly means you can forget it just as fast.

-Prioritizing speed means you will be more likely to cut corners, lower your standards or skip steps to achieve your timing. Maybe this doesn't matter to you, but there is a chance that your form and technique will suffer. A less ideal scenario is that this might set you back when it comes to building upon future skills. A worst case scenario is one where this could lead to injury.

-Sometimes the value of learning something is not in the end result, but in developing a deeper understanding of the process. This is a concept you can then apply to other skills you learn.

Trying to shorten this process will decrease this benefit and shortchange you on these valuable lessons.

I believe there are many benefits in taking a long time to learn something.

-It allows for a greater appreciation of the skill. This way you will have more gratitude for the work you or others have put in. When you see someone perform the skill at a high level, you have a deeper understanding of what it takes to get there.

-You are likely to catch more details regarding the skill. Fast learning usually gives you a rough sketch macro view of the process. When you learn slowly, it allows you to pick up on the finer details that you otherwise may glance over. When it comes to skill refinement, details are key.

-Develop your own learning process; in other words "learn how to learn". Slower learning allows you to better understand the individual process you take to gain a skill. That's a lesson you can apply to everything you do.

-No rush or deadlines. There's nothing wrong with giving yourself a deadline, and at times this can be a powerful motivator. However, allowing yourself as much time as you need can take the pressure off and help you relax.

-Learning slowly allows more time for development of basics, which is vital to build on future skills. Many students don't sufficiently develop their basics before moving on, and oftentimes this hurts their progress in the long run. One of my biggest personal regrets in my training journey was not appreciating the basics early on. I would have been better off taking far longer than I did to develop basic skills and concepts.

-Slow learning gives more time for attribute development, which can help minimize injury risk. When a skill is physical in nature, an important part of the process is to build up your body to withstand the forces involved and be able to perform the techniques safely. This is a process that can't be rushed; doing so often comes with negative consequences. This can vary greatly depending on the skill and the individual, but the physical adaptation process should be respected.

-Slow learning has better carryover for teaching. The best teachers are usually not the most gifted athletes or the fastest learners, but those who struggled with the skill. Learning slowly is much better for developing a teaching skill set.

-Finally, slow learning leads to better retention. You are less likely to forget something you took a long time to learn, compared to something that came to you quickly. When I learn new skills, a factor I try to consider is permanent retention. What I mean is, how much training will it take for the skill to become a part of who I am? How much work is needed to be able to perform the skill with no notice or hesitation under imperfect conditions? That's the point where you own it. Of course it's not something that's necessary for everyone, but retention is something to consider.

In conclusion, while learning something fast may seem impressive, it's not always what it seems. There are many advantages to learning a skill slowly.

As always, just something to consider.

Reminiscing About Getting into Cirque

Recently I was reminded of my time auditioning for Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, circa 2011. This was a big audition that happened for me a couple months after I had moved to Vegas from Ohio.
I went into it with no expectations, just doing my best and having a good experience. A documentary about the process was actually being filmed at the time, so they ended up catching a few clips of me.
At the time I was training in multiple disciplines including hand balancing, tumbling, tricking, capoeira, bodyweight strength, rings, and weight training.
I actually auditioned twice in the same weekend. The first day was the acrobat/gymnastics audition, where over 100 people signed up. Many of the participants were elite gymnasts who had competed on a national level or even higher! I was definitely towards the bottom of the list regarding overall skill level.
The first part of the audition was showcasing 4 different tumbling passes on the floor: 3 running passes and one standing. This was done one pass at a time with everyone else watching you go. After performing your pass, you had to wait for 100 or so people to do theirs before getting to go again.
That's quite a bit of pressure! The atmosphere felt tense, like a competition.
Personally, I kept things pretty basic and only threw tricks I knew were consistent for me. I was satisfied with my overall performance even though I didn't do anything fancy.
The first part of the audition took several hours, and up next was work with the different gymnastics apparatus. I didn't participate in this portion of the audition since they were specifically looking for national level routines. Luckily the atmosphere was much more relaxed, so this was a great opportunity to meet some people, talk, observe the additional auditions, and do some light training.
Once everything was over, the judges announced those who made it to callbacks the next day, This is where the physical conditioning, dance, and character portion of the audition would take place. The skills portion was a screening to get there.
I did not make it past the first phase, however I was invited to the martial arts and specialty audition the following day. I had one day of rest to prepare a two-minute routine showcasing my skills. This was stressful in its own way with such a short notice, but it allowed me the chance to get two auditions in one weekend.

The martial arts audition was much more laid back than the gymnastics one. There were around 20 people, and the environment was less tense and much more supportive. This audition felt more like a training session where everyone encourages each other rather than a competition.
The audition was a similar process: everyone got the chance to show their routine. Afterwards, the judges decided who would advance to the next portion.
Once again I did not make it past this first stage, but I did receive some feedback. I was told my level of acrobatics was not high enough for the roles I could fit. The solution: keep training.

I was a little disappointed that I never got to do the rope climb test requirement that I had specifically been working on. Being able to climb a rope with no legs is generally a standard level of strength required in many circus auditions.
To this day I still try to include rope climb in my training.
Also, knowing what I know now I'm almost 100% sure I would have failed the dance portion of the audition, had I gotten a chance at it.

All in all, it's a great experience to look back on. I never quite got that illusive cirque contract, but maybe it was for the best that life took me on a different path.

I hope you enjoyed this post reminiscing on some good times and pondering what could have been.

You can watch the documentary below. There are a few clips of me from the Martial Arts and specialty audition from about 35:00-38:00

Make Skill Easy and Make Strength Hard

"Make skill easy and make strength hard."

Once you understand this perspective it can make things much simpler for categorizing your training making progress.
Are you training in skill or strength?

The goal of skill training is to become better at the skill. The intention should be to perform the skill with high precision using minimal effort. Ultimately this will be accomplished through not only proper technique, but also through mindset and perspective. As you get better, ths skill should take less and less effort to complete.
How many times have you seen someone do a cool move and thought, "they make it look easy". That's the point of skill work: make it easy. Relax. Own it. Put the skill in your pocket so you can pull it out at any time. Make it look easy even in the worst possible conditions.That's the goal of skill work.

The goal of strength training(or any other attribute) is to increase your physical capacity. The intent is to make the movement difficult to complete so that you can create adaptation in your body. When the same movement becomes easier, the exercise should be modified to increase the difficulty and maintain the level of challenge. This is usually accomplished by adding reps, modifying tempo, increasing load, or decreasing leverage.
Make strength hard so that you're putting in effort and allowing yourself to build from it.

Remember, this is about perspective and classification of training. I can take any movement and view it as a strength or a skill, and that will change how I train.
Think about whether the movement you are performing should be easy or difficult, and that will change how you perform it.

Sometimes the two concepts can overlap as well. Take the handstand for example: though it is a skill, there is still a base level of strength required to perform it as a skill. That means that some students may have to treat handstands as a strength move with the intent to graduate it to a skill.
Some movements are combinations of strength and skill, which means sometimes in training you can separate the technical work from the physical adaptation work.

Anyway, it's the concept that's important. Make skill easy and make strength hard. Figure out what you're training and adapt your perspective, movements, and mindset accordingly.

What is "Proper Technique"

"Proper" technique. I think this is a very important concept to understand in regards to any skill.
But... what does it mean to use proper technique? It usually relies on setting a specific standard, which in itself can be arbitrary.
Proper for what? Proper to have fun without getting hurt is not the same as proper to follow a specific competitive standard. Proper in a controlled environment is not the same as a chaotic environment with unpredictable variables present.

Also, there's the factor of information overload, and many techniques often being presented as right/wrong and black/white. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in it to a point that hinders your progress.
It's possible to spend too much time thinking about "proper technique" as opposed to actually doing the thing.

I want to propose a very basic standard for proper technique, especially to those who train for fun.
First off, are you doing the thing you intended to do? Second, are you able to do it without pain or risk of injury? If you can do the skill safely, that's already proper.
After that you can layer on additional standards based on aesthetics, power, speed, efficiency, etc. The question to ask then is "How much do I care or want to care?"

Proper form can be many things depending on the context, but my first priority is whether a student can perform some variation of the skill without pain and without risk of immediate or future injury. Of course, everything is dependent on the individual student and their goals.
It's great to have goals and standards, but it can also be good to let go of them sometimes to not get consumed and enjoy the moment.

As always, just something to think about.

Is Straight Handstand the Ultimate Form?

The straight handstand.
Is this the ideal form? Is this the handstand shape that everyone should aspire to achieve? Perhaps...

It's certainly a good standard to uphold. The straight handstand is efficient from a mechanical standpoint, as it stacks all the joints on top of one another. You can't deny the aesthetic value either; the tall straight line looks good. This form also works well with regards to execution of skills like press handstands, one arm handstand, and many dynamic moves.

What about a counter-argument? First off, creating this shape in your body is not intuitive, so it's more difficult and takes longer to learn for many students. This shape is also very dependent on an individual's shoulder flexibility, which could be restricted by body structure, former injuries, other training, etc. The straight handstand form is also more specific to modern day gymnastics and circus techniques, so depending on an individual's goals it may not be necessary to learn it strictly this way.
Though the straight handstand technique is desirable for many skills, it's still possible to achieve a very high level of ability without a straight handstand.

So, should you try to learn your handstand with this form? The general answer is yes. However, depending on your physiology, goals, and standards, it may not be your highest priority.

Why Learn Handstand? What's the Point?

Why would you want to learn a handstand? What's the point? It's a common question, often asked by people looking for a good reason as to why they can't do it.
The reality is why do you need a reason? Why not learn something for the sake of learning it?
What if I told you that the point of learning handstand is to be able to do a handstand. Why do you need more reason than that?

Sure, I could try to sell you on it. I can tell you that the handstand is the ultimate display of body control. I can tell you that it's a form of meditation and builds laser focus. Handstand will make you the best student in your yoga class, and it will make you a prime contender in the Crossfit games. That it will build rock solid upper body strength and make you jacked; after all look at the physiques of olympic gymnasts. It can fix all your imbalances. It's the basis of all acrobatic movements. I can throw out some fancy pseudo-scientific fitness buzz words like propioception, core strength, myofascial, primal, etc
You can get fit using only your bodyweight and gravity. Return your state of mind to a childlike form of play. Increase your weightlifting numbers. You could get more social media likes and followers. You can even sell fitness programs and make money with handstands; you don't even have to be good as long as you have flashy marketing. Maybe being able to do a handstand might make you seem more interesting. Maybe it will help you make friends and attract a potential mate. I've even heard how doing handstands can make your face look younger because of all the extra blood rushing to your head.

I can try to sell you, but I won't. Any of the above can be good reasons to learn handstand.
However, I want the main factor for someone to be curiosity. It always has been for me; it makes me hungry to know and learn more. I think being curious about something is the most powerful reason to want to learn it.

Being able to do a handstand probably won't increase your chances of survival, except through some abstract thought arguments. It probably won't help you get a job. However, you might build new respect, patience, and self awareness through the learning process, which may contribute to other elements of your life.

Even though handstand is what a lot of people know me for, I have gone through many different phases in the process. I have gone through times when I occasionally practiced handstand as a side activity. I have gone through times when it was a major priority and obsession, and I trained 2-3 hours per day. I've also gone through times when I could barely put my hands on the floor or grip anything due to injury and neurological issues. I understand all different manner of the training, from mild interest, to passionate obsession, to complete inability. All part of the cycle.
If I want to return to living and breathing handstand I can, and if I never look back I can say I walked the path.

So in conclusion, what's the point of the handstand? To learn the handstand.
Do you have to do it? No; but if you're curious, you can.
It's an interesting skill-based fitness activity that you can do for fun to get upside down, or spend years mastering it and refining the craft. If you never learn it or have no interest in it, that's fine too. Talented or not, you won't learn it by accident.

Either way, don't take it too seriously.

Thoughts on Censorship and Control within a Community

I used to be an important member of an online community from which I was censored and banned.

At one point, this was a fantastic community and forum where people from all different backgrounds, levels, and perspectives could share and learn from each other in a way that furthered the collective knowledge and understanding. There was open communication on a variety of topics with different experts weighing in; and it was a place that was friendly to beginners as well. There were also in-person seminars that were excellent for sharing knowledge and connecting with the community.

There was a point, however, where certain courses were released and the paradigm shifted. These courses were touted as the ultimate in knowledge and programming on the subject at hand, straight from the creator of the community.

Was there useful knowledge contained in the courses? Absolutely. The ultimate and only answer to training? Not so much.

After this, the forums became more heavily moderated and closed-off in terms of knowledge shared. People with different opinions were censored, as were comments/posts that included anything short of a raving review of the programs. When someone asked a question, the "correct" answer should have been that it would be covered and addressed by following the programming in the courses. Deviation from this answer could result in being censored.

In fact, many people who were censored and eventually banished were extremely qualified but happened to have a different opinion than the norm.

Open sharing of knowledge was now discouraged, as there was "secret proprietary information". In fact, I got one of my posts taken down because "the knowledge was too good to be released for free." The forums became less friendly to beginners because it was assumed that if you purchased the programs and followed them exactly, that it covers everything and shouldn't leave room for questions or concerns.

The in-person seminars turned into militaristic workouts and certifications, with increasing talk about how the method was absolute and other methods were inferior. Pursuit of money and power became the driving force rather than pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

I was censored for having opinions different from the status quo. I was banished because I started doing my own thing and I had to choose between loyalty or independence. I don't like being controlled, restricted, or being told who I can or can't affiliate with, so I chose independence. I was young and just getting started at the time, so it was not a decision I took lightly.

I went from being a distinguished member of the community to being cast out and eventually even threatened with lawsuits. It was a good taste for me of business and what some people do with power.

I heard stories later on about how affiliates and members of the community were further censored and controlled to ridiculous standards, so looking back I'm glad I got out when I did.

What's the lesson here? Nothing good comes from trying to control people and information. If someone is trying to censor what you can see or control who you can affiliate with, they're most likely doing it for their own gain.

Having different perspectives and opinions is a sign of healthy discourse. If there are no dissenting opinions, that's a good reason for suspicion. There are no absolutes, and they should not be imposed. People should be given the information and be free to make their own decisions.

When I see someone in "authority" trying to exercise this kind of control, telling me who I can or can't see, that's a big red flag and good reason to create some distance. It doesn't matter if the reason is because of greed, power, control, or personal squabbles.

Nothing good comes from censorship. I believe in open sharing of knowledge and information. No one is an ultimate authority. Trust but verify. Ask questions. Don't get indoctrinated. Get out of hive mind. Deny nothing but question everything.

Anyway, that's my ramble for today. Why was I recently reminded of this experience? I forget...probably just a fluke.

Have a great day!

Reflections on 30 Years in the USA

Recently it was the 30 year anniversary of my family emigrating to the United States. We came from Odessa, which is in present day Ukraine but was part of the former USSR when I was born.

I was just a young boy at the time, so I didn't really grasp the depth of making such a journey.

Looking back at it now though, it's a pretty heavy thing to think about. The idea of permanently moving thousands of miles away from your ancestral home of many generations; moving to a country where you don't have any connections, money, or even speak the language.

It sounds like a pretty big risk when you phrase it that way.

Why then? Why would my family and countless others take that risk? Freedom? Opportunity? Escaping an oppressive tyrannical government? These might be mere words to those who have only known life in the USA, but these ideas hold a deeper meaning to immigrants who have seen the other side of the coin.

I wasn't old enough to understand the political side of things over there, but from the stories I've heard from my parents and grandparents it's probably for the best. Between the tales of communal apartments, working on the кoлхоз(collective farms), the lack of food, medical care(I almost didn't make it past 2 months after being born), communist propaganda, etc, there are a lot of things I am glad I missed out on.

The main difference I noticed and enjoyed upon moving to the USA was the difference of all the food available; I was able to try an abundance of foods I had never even seen or heard of before. When we first arrived after our long journey, the first thing I ate was two whole bananas, my first time ever trying them. I even think the reason I prefer bananas at a very specific level of ripeness is because it matches the taste from this very experience.

As a first generation American immigrant, I have an interesting perspective on opportunity. I went to school, did OK but not great, attended college, got a degree in physics, and got a job. After less than a year, I figured the corporate life wasn't for me, so I took another job, much lower paying, in something that interested me but I didn't have much formal training in. A couple years after that, I packed up my car and moved across the country from Ohio to Las Vegas in order to pursue different opportunities.

I went on to perform as a professional acrobat, become a published author, and traveled the world as an internationally recognized instructor/presenter. All in a field where I had no formal training and essentially going against what would have been my "predetermined destiny" in life. This was made possible through hard work, opportunities presented, and many people who I had the honor of learning from. Over 10 years later, I have once again moved across the country to a new location, again with the hope of potentially building a new career path.

So when phrases like "land of opportunity" get thrown around, the USA is a place where you can legitimately start with nothing, work hard, and build something amazing without having to grease any pockets along the way. If things don't work out, you can move to another state, start over, and try again.

Know that I don't care much for politics or borders, but I do believe that the USA is the greatest country in the world. A country that was founded on rebellion against authority. I am grateful for the sacrifices my family made to be able to live here, and I am grateful to be an American.

Finally, I am not trying to start any political conversations here. This is just the perspective of one immigrant who came over at a young age. I am grateful to have had opportunities and success I most likely would not have had a chance at otherwise. No place is perfect or without issues, but I do think it's important to listen to the stories of immigrants who have seen different sides of history. There is a reason why people from all over the world try to emigrate to the USA.

Nonconformity

I’ve always been a bit of a loner. Never been good at conforming to a group.

It’s not for lack of trying though. I’m actually a bit embarrassed when I look back at my feeble attempts to try to conform, during a time where I was convinced that it meant something was wrong with me because of it.

These days I accept and embrace it. Being content with solitude means I am never in bad company.

to be happy by yourself creates an interesting kind of freedom.

of course we are social creatures by nature, and I think everyone has to find their appropriate balance of people versus solitude. I’ve just learned about myself that I’m pretty far on one end of the spectrum, and I am OK with that.

I still think it’s good for me to get some dosage of social time, just as I think it’s healthy for extroverts to spend time being alone with their thoughts.

anyway, I’ve never been much for conformity, and it was very freeing when I stopped trying.

I think the moral of the story is to find your own way. And then experience the opposite so you understand a wider perspective.

Developing a Healthier Relationship with your social media accounts

It's easy to get caught up in the current world of social media. We get addicted to the idea of meticulously curating the parts of our lives we wish to show people in the hopes of forging our perceived identity.
This may seem like it's about to be a negative post about social media, but it's not. I think SM is an amazing way to connect with people all over the world. It's just important to keep a healthy dose of reality in order to not get consumed. The following tips may not raise your follower count or help you work the algorithm, but they can help you maintain a healthy relationship with your social media presence.

-Post for yourself. Forget about the algorithm, metrics, likes, comments, saves, etc. Your posts should be primarily for you; the number's don't make it a "good post". What makes it a good post is when you feel satisfied with it when you look back at it.

-Post when you want. Don't give into the pressure of feeling like you have to be constantly posting something. There's nothing wrong with posting every day, but the world will still keep turning if you miss a few days. "The wise man speaks because he has something to say, the fool speaks because he has to say something."

-Don't take comments seriously. When you put yourself out there, you're also opening yourself to criticism. However, most of the people who criticize have private accounts and no body of work. It's easier to criticize than to create, and even easier when you can hide behind a keyboard and firewall.

-Don't try to be someone else. Everyone will have their own unique formula for success, but copying someone else's will not be the answer for you.

-Ask yourself: Would I still do what I do if I couldn't tell anyone about it? If the answer is yes, then you're doing things for the right reasons.

There it is, just a few ways to keep a healthy relationship with your social media accounts. Now don't forget to do something today that makes you forget to look at your phone.