Become the thing you needed in the world.

Growing up, the thing I needed more than anything in the world was for someone to believe in me. I was met with a lot of resistance throughout my life for the ways I had chosen to live. Adversity may make us stronger, and more resilient, but it certainly doesn’t make things easier.

As an adult, the thing that I try to be in the world is someone who believes in people. Someone that supports your strange ways, and wild dreams. This heals a little part of me, and it allows me to provide the thing I wish I had more of. It also allows me to believe in myself more.

Let this be a reminder, that if the thing you need in this world doesn’t exist, you may have to become that thing.

I started breakin’ in 97’. I was competitive for 15+ years and was fortunate enough to travel the world. I’ve been teaching, coaching, instructing since before I could’ve possibly known what I was doing (16 years old). Whatever I didn’t know I learned along the way. 

Teaching called to me, to provide help to weary life travelers, to be a guide for others, or a nudge for some felt meaningful. It gave me a rewarding purpose.

I danced, competed, trained and taught for the better part of 17 years. By then I was in the twilight of my dance career and things started getting dark. What was once a discipline to celebrate life, became more celebration than discipline.

I sobered up in 2014, and never gave it grips on me again. I left the old me behind, and stumbled around to find who I’d become. I less than stumbled into CrossFit in Downtown LA in Jan 2014. I knew for a while that I would pivot in this direction, and then I did. 

It’s been 10 years since then, and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to change my life. I chose discipline.  I chose not to disappoint my dreams. In all the years of many journey, passion has drove me to the edges of Earth, and myself. If I had to do it all over again, I would see if I could’ve laughed louder, touched more people, enjoyed more out of every second. That’s the thing though, just because we don’t get to do it again, doesn’t mean we don’t get to do it now. So that’s what I’m doing. 

Living life again, for the first time.