The Four Words That Make You a Better Leader: “I Made a Mistake” Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday Ego is the enemy. Humility is the advantage. And admitting you’re wrong is the fastest way to earn respect. In 1995, when Grandmaster Han first put me in front of a kids’ class as an instructor, I was both humbled and overwhelmed. I’d never been in front of a class before—unless you count all those times my grade school teachers made an example out of me before telling me to sit in the corner at...
1 day ago • 8 min read
The One Habit That Accounted for Most of My Success: Going to Bed Early Most disasters in life don’t happen at 2:00 p.m. They happen at 2:00 a.m. I guess I’m really lucky that I had a career in construction. The 6 a.m. start time forced me to change a bad habit that stemmed from growing up in Hawaii. My first real job after high school—making good money—was working at Orson’s Restaurant near Waikiki. Famous with the locals and packed with tourists. Especially when the chef had his "stuffed...
2 days ago • 7 min read
Your Perception Creates Your Reality: What a Fake Scar and a Cold Poker Taught Me About the Mind What you think shapes what you experience. Change your thinking, and you change your life. I remember the day Grandmaster Han gave us homework that had nothing to do with kicks, punches, or throws. Siberian tiger - Getty images “Study tigers,” he said. “Go to the zoo. Watch them. Read books about them. Really get to know them.” This was the late 80s, early 90s. Long before the internet. Long...
3 days ago • 9 min read
Are You a Dog? Then Stop Responding Like One. Dopamine addiction, notifications, and why giving your power away is killing your success. I guess I’m really lucky. I joined the workforce in 1983. Started my electrical career in 1986. Long before smartphones. Hell, long before any phones at all on the jobsite. I remember the first time I got a work pager. I had to keep coins in my pocket at all times so I could call the shop from a payphone when they wanted to get in touch with me. Motorola...
4 days ago • 8 min read
The Job You Hate Is the Job You Need: Why Your Worst Situation Is Your Best Teacher Life will keep beating you down until you learn what you need to survive, escape, and dominate. I was always the smallest kid in class growing up in Hawaii. Lucky for me, with the Asian population of the islands during the 70s and 80s, being small wasn’t as much of a target as it would’ve been on The Mainland. But it was still enough. Enough to get picked on. Enough to get pushed around. Enough to learn early...
5 days ago • 8 min read
The Three Words That Make You a Better Leader (And Why Most Leaders Are Too Scared to Say Them) The strongest leaders aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones honest enough to admit when they don’t have them. I love martial arts. Started with aikido in 1985. Moved to hapkido from ‘87 to 2007 until GM Han passed away. After that, explored kali, tai chi, and wing chun. Then in 2023, I found Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Meraki and dove in headfirst—sometimes literally. Controlling and...
6 days ago • 9 min read
It’s Never Been Easier to Stand Out: Why Mediocrity Is Your Biggest Advantage When everyone quits, staying becomes winning. Here’s why the bar has never been lower—and what that means for you. A little over two years ago, I walked into a beginner’s BJJ class knowing I was going to get destroyed. 58 years old. Small frame. 115 pounds soaking wet. Surrounded by guys half my age with twice my strength and three times my aggression. I wasn’t wrong. I got smashed. Submitted. Pressured into...
7 days ago • 8 min read
10 Hobbies That Will Change Your Life (Pick One and Commit for 6 Months) Six months from now, you’ll either be the same person with better excuses—or someone you barely recognize. Here’s what I’ve learned after decades on the mat, the jobsite, and in the arena of building a life worth living: The right hobby isn’t just a way to pass time. It’s a training ground for everything else. It builds discipline when you don’t feel like showing up. It builds confidence when you prove to yourself you...
8 days ago • 6 min read
The Engineer and The Artist: Why You Need Both to Master Anything That Matters Precision without creativity is robotic. Creativity without precision is chaos. Mastery requires both. Monday and Wednesday mornings before noon class, I meet up with a brown belt buddy. We’re not rolling. We’re not drilling in the traditional sense. We’re engineering. Half-guard retention and passing We’re working guard passing and guard retention. Slowly. Methodically. Breaking down every movement, every angle,...
9 days ago • 8 min read