The Past is a Compass, Not a Crutch

A Ticket to the Past

By the time you read this, I’ll have arrived in Amsterdam, somewhere between a great café and a quiet canal.

Tomorrow, I board another Law of Attraction cruise—my 15th or maybe 16th over the past decade and a half.

These aren’t just vacations. They’re check-ins. Tune-ups. Little soul recalibrations.

And while I’m looking forward to it, there’s a ticket sitting in my email that’s been haunting me: admission to the Anne Frank House.​

Now don’t get me wrong—I believe history matters.

Deeply.

I was assigned The Diary of Anne Frank in high school like many of you.

I remember the chilling quiet in the room as we turned pages, absorbing the tragedy and bravery of a young girl forced into hiding by a world gone mad.

But I also grew up in Hawaii.

I’ve seen how people stay stuck in the pain of the past.

I’ve got cousins who carry Hawaiian blood and speak—often and loudly—about how the U.S. took the kingdom by force.

And they’re right. It was stolen.​

The history is real, and the pain runs deep.

But here's the thing that always gnawed at me: most of the people who screamed the loudest about the injustice... had no plan to move forward.

No vision.

No action.

Just anger.

As if talking about what was stolen is the same as building something new.

That's the paradox I’m sitting with in Amsterdam.

History is essential.

But so is choosing what we do with it.

I know I’ll honor Anne Frank either way, but I also know this trip is about life—not just loss.

Because I’ve learned something in my 59 years that I wish someone had told me at 25:

You must learn from the past.

But never be owned by it.

How to Use the Past Without Being Used By It

The past is powerful. It’s a teacher, a warning, a mirror.

But it can also be a trap.

Let’s break it down.

1. History is context, not chains

Too many young men today are walking around with inherited baggage—family trauma, societal narratives, even their own screw-ups—and wearing it like a badge or a prison sentence.

• “I came from a broken home.”
• “I didn’t go to college.”
• “My dad wasn’t around.”
• “All the systems are rigged.”

Okay.

Fair.

Let’s acknowledge the truth.

But here’s the hard question:

What are you going to do with that information?

Because if all you do is talk about it, mourn it, or use it as an excuse, you’re not moving forward.

You’re just reinforcing the prison walls.

History is supposed to illuminate the road ahead—not keep you stuck in neutral.

If the past was terrible, then let’s build something better.

If it was amazing, then let’s protect and evolve it—not worship it until it fossilizes us.

• Warriors respect history.
• Leaders learn from it.
• Badasses build from it.

2. Pain is a warning system, not a worldview

You touched the stove. You got burned. Good.

Now you know how fire works.

But if you start avoiding every kitchen for the rest of your life, you never cook. You never grow. You never feed yourself—or others.

I’ve seen too many men define their identity by pain.

Like it’s the only honest thing about them.

But pain is supposed to teach you something.

The lesson is what matters—not the injury.

You can honor the suffering of your ancestors, of your people, of your younger self—without needing to relive it every day.

You’re not betraying the past by choosing joy in the present.

In fact, that might be the most respectful thing you can do.

3. Outrage without a plan is just noise

Look around today—at politics, culture, social media.

Everyone’s mad.

Everyone’s a victim.

Everyone has a history they’re waving like a flag.

But here’s the warrior’s lens:

What are you building?

You don’t get extra credit for being loud. You don’t change the system by complaining about it in comments.

You want to change the world?

Start with your room.

Make your bed. Build your business. Train your body. Help someone who can’t help you back.

Action first. Then—maybe—voice.

You’ve got to earn your right to speak through what you’ve done, not just what you feel.

4. Memories are tools, not homes

You ever see those guys who peaked in high school?

Their stories always start with “Back in the day…”

They live in the past because the present scares them.

Or worse, because they never built anything worth remembering after the glory days.

Don’t be that guy.

Don’t romanticize the past to the point that you ignore the now.

You’re not here to repeat yesterday.

You’re here to become the kind of man your younger self would look up to.

Memories are there to sharpen you—not to comfort you into laziness or fear.

5. Let the dead be your teachers, not your anchors

Anne Frank was a teenage girl writing in a notebook under threat of death.

She was real. Her life mattered. Her voice echoes still.

But if your takeaway is just sadness—or worse, cynicism—then you’ve missed the point.

Learn from her courage.

From her clarity.

From her hope—especially in the face of darkness.

Let her be a compass.

Then go live a life that honors the dead by refusing to join them too soon.

Putting It On the Mat:
A Story & a Challenge

Years ago in the 90s, I was at a café in Westwood, the Elysee, back when I was still a young electrician figuring out how life worked.

It was my sanctuary. I’d sit with my coffee, watch the world go by, and write in my journal.

One day, the owner sat down with me. A young guy, mid-30s, sharp dresser, constantly moving like a hummingbird in loafers. We got to talking.

“I’m doing all this,” he told me, gesturing at the bustling café, “so I can sell it in 10-20 years and retire in luxury.”

He was working 12-hour days, 7 days a week, and hadn’t taken a vacation in five years.

Now, maybe that made sense to him. Maybe it still does.

But even then, something about it struck me as… off.

What if those 10-20 years went by and he didn’t make it?

What if he built this empire and forgot how to enjoy it?

What if—God forbid—he died with his dream almost reached?

That moment stuck with me.

Because I knew too many guys—hell, I was one of those guys—who thought the grind was the only way. Who thought suffering now meant success later.

But later isn’t promised.

And even if it is, who are you when you get there?

If your identity is built on old pain, inherited resentment, or deferred joy—you’re not living.

You’re just... waiting.

So here’s your challenge:

1. Write down three stories from your past you keep repeating.

Then ask: “Is this making me better or bitter?”

2. Choose one lesson from each that you can apply TODAY.

Not someday. Not when it’s convenient. Now.

3. Let the rest go.

Grieve if you have to.

But bury the corpse.

And start building a life that your future self will be proud of—not haunted by.

​The Daily Dojo isn’t just about learning to fight.

It’s about learning to live.

We’re here to help each other move forward—with honor, with heart, and with strength.

Thanks for being part of this tribe.

Let’s make sure we never need another Anne Frank museum again—not because we forgot—but because we learned.

And we led.

Stay sharp.

Stay kind.

Be a warrior.

—Chuck

P.S. When I told my partner Hiro about the cruise, he said, "Wouldn't it be cool if we did a martial arts themed cruise, like the LoA one?

Where we could do workshops and seminars on the ship and at each port, there would be excursion to visit and work out at the martial arts schools of each city?

After the workout, we go eat lunch together, visit the town, then off to the next port...! Wouldn't that be great!?!"

And as I thought about it, I couldn't get it out of my head, so as I board the ship this time, I'm going to talk with my friends who help Esther Hicks with her workshop and see what we can do to create one for our group here, martial artists who want to travel the world learning, growing and sharing.

Reply to this email if that sounds like something you would like to do, let's get the list started and let's make it happen!

We'll call it The Leader's Dojo Roundtable (or something like that, lol)

Are you sicked and tired of being surrounded by losers, lemmings and Luddites?

Then join the Leader's Dojo, where you not only discover how badass you are but you're surrounded by other badass warriors and leaders who will help you to be even better.

​Join now here!​