5PiECE

Freedom 35 🎈

I went from tripping about entering my 30s to now being half way through it 😅

But hey, I got ID’d the other day so it can’t be all that bad 😬

Honestly, despite the ups and downs that life always throws, these have been the years where I feel most settled into who I am and what I’m capable of 🚀

I truly am blessed - with a great partner, family and friends that are always in my corner even when I’m not in it myself ❤️

I often forget what I’ve been able to accomplish in my brief existence - and I still have a lot of goals that I’m trying to cross off the list - but I’m happy to have made it this far and excited to see what I do next with your love and support 🙏🏼

Thank you for rocking with me and hope to celebrate today and everyday with you in some way. 🎉

-5

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Over the weekend, we laid my friend to rest 🙏🏼🕊

Mike and I spent a lot of time together in elementary and high school - bonding over Halo co-op (legendary only), walking EVERYWHERE, partying, and having lots of deep, late night conversations about life and what we're trying to do in our adult years.

Like most, we grew apart as we got older and our interests changed. He got into Ju Jitsu, I went to college and life just got in the way. I still remember our days together fondly though.

Last time I spoke to Mike was during the pandemic after he acquired Riverdale Ju Jitsu. As an entrepreneur myself, we traded some "war stories" about business, laughs and other good times. 

Mike was a genuine, happy-go-lucky, passionate and loveable guy. We picked up where we left off in that call like time hadn't changed a thing - even though we barely spoke for over a decade. I wish I knew that would've been our last chat.

I remember early on Mike taught me his "Polish drinking trick" - if we were ever going to have some drinks on an empty stomach, he'd bring a bunch of bananas and we'd eat them so we weren't drinking on an empty stomach. A little protein, a little potassium - it always worked. Guy knew his stuff.

Check out the third photo from semi-formal Winter 2008. We could never sneak in our booze into high school events without it being a problem as under-agers. That year Mike and I had the genius idea to take our booze, put it in a gift box, wrap it and coat check it AT the actual semi-formal so we knew our goods were safe for the after-party.

Mike was invested in this. He even bought a birthday card; writing "Happy Birthday Dan & Mike!" inside. We told the coat check "We're going to a birthday after" and they wouldn't ask any questions. At the end of the night, we went to coat check and got our "gift.” Our high school safely held our liquor all night. I still can't believe we came up with such a genius play at the time.

I have so many stories like this with Mike. We were a dynamic duo for many years and I wish I could go back to that time - especially right now.

I love you Mike. Thanks for all the incredible memories. Rest In Peace brother.

Entering my 33rd year of existence feeling thankful for the beautiful people that make life worth living ❤️

Some incredible memories here. Excited to make more with ya’ll 🤘🏻

Wish I had more pics and space to share because there are SO many people who I owe a great deal to who aren’t displayed here. I love y’all ❤️

#33

A funny thing happened in the comments of one of my YouTube videos 😂

Someone commented that I "still have a long way to go" 🗿

As in I still have a lot to learn 🤔
...well, DUH 😅

I *better* have a lot to learn 🙌🏼

While they were insinuating that I'm a know-it-all who's in over his head, the truth couldn't be further from it 🙄

I'm definitely not a novice - I've been at this for 10+ years now, with plenty of successes to back it up🏆

I walk what I talk 💪🏼

But similarly, I’d be hard-pressed to believe that I know everything there is to know about audio 🥶

And that is why I teach others because the BEAUTY of teaching something is you get to learn it TWICE ✌🏼

When I put together content, I'm re-learning what I'm teaching and getting better at it ✅

You ever find yourself in those moments where life feels a bit stale? 😐

Like you're bored, unsatisfied and unfulfilled to some degree? 🥹

Chances are you feel this way because you aren't CHALLENGING yourself anymore 👀

And a good way to challenge yourself and re-invigorate your zest for life is to LEARN something new 📝

This can happen in so many simple ways. For me, I do the following:

1) I listen to podcasts instead of music - especially interviews with elite performers who have done things I’s like to accomplish so I can see what it took and what they had to learn to become a success 🔊

2) I read non-fiction books - Same concept as above, except much more focused on specific niches, skills and ideas that I want to improve upon 📖

3) I watch educational content - I push myself to continue to learn, or re-learn things I already know. It’s possible to get rusty so I see this as a way to not only gain new skills, but also remind myself of things that we sometimes forget through our day-to-day practices. 📀

4) I talk to peers and share experiences - think of this like a mastermind in a way. I tell others about what I've done that was right or wrong, and they do the same. We all learn from each other and pull things away that help us all get better. 🗣

I firmly believe that the moment you stop learning, you start dying 📉

I'm trying to live long, my friends, and I hope the same for you 🙏🏼