Posts

Leave Your Mark - Power of Your Why"

     I recently have been asked a few times "how do you have a career in teaching and manage kids everyday during the week, then come to coach kids CrossFit classes on Tuesday and Thursdays for two hours each day and then add volunteer opportunities with youth programs at church?" I will be honest, it is not a question that I have given much intentional thought because.... I authentically enjoy it.  And, I will be honest again... it is not easy.  There are days where patience feels like it is the hardest thing to hold.  There are days where I am tired and could use a few hours to just myself, but after thinking about that question and comments over the last few weeks it has led me to believe how powerful your why is.  I could get really specific, but in general I feel like my purpose and my why is to leave an impact and help set up our future generations for a better future.   For me, doing that through Health and Fitness is my vehicle. ...
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Put In The Reps.

      The last few weeks my wife has been learning how to make sourdough.  If you do not know, to make sourdough, you need a starter and the starter you have to feed for a week in order to have the dough that is required to bake a sourdough loaf.  I really do not know much about how the process goes.  This is her first time baking sourdough and its been a process of her reading a lot of articles, watching videos and asking others questions; today is bake day.  I have not been involved in much of the process except for getting to watch her learn this new skill.  As her husband, I have got to see the different emotions during the journey - excitement for seeing her starter take off.  Uncertainty for if it would turn out how it is supposed to.  Moments of worry that the sourdough starter is not growing like it should.  Joy that the night before bake day, her dough ball is looking really good and ready to bake.     It has been...
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Head Down, Look Forward.

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     One of my favorite books of all times is "Discipline is the Destiny" by Ryan Holiday.  The book speaks on how developing discipline across all aspects of our lives is what brings us prosperity, success and growth into legacy that we wish to leave behind us.  I have read this book and truly bought into the belief that when we develop discipline in all aspects of our life we are ultimately creating freedom in our relationships, our health, fitness, finances and all other aspects.  I have been able to experience both sides of the spectrum.      A vision word, as I am calling it, is a challenge to choose one word that is central to your year ahead.  It is what you desire your year or next season of life to inspire.  It's another version of setting goals, except the vision word can be a bit simpler to break down on a daily basis - especially if goals seem daunting.  I have thought a lot over the last few weeks of 2023 what I wa...
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The Herd.

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      Your "herd" is powerful, its the people that we allow closest to us and we surround ourselves with regularly.  We have all heard something along the lines of "you are like the 5 closest people around you" and I find that to be incredibly powerful.  Your herd has an impact on you and that can help empower you towards your goals and becoming the person you want to grow into or pull you far, far away from that.      When I think of my herd, I think of the community that I surround myself with.  What are those people like? What are they doing? Are they doing things with character? Are they encouraging and acting positively in their lives? Or I can ask myself the opposite of all those questions, but when you answer those questions for yourself, I find that it allows me to "check-in" to make sure that my herd is aligned with my values.  One thing that I struggle with immensely is people pleasing and saying "yes" to almost anyone....
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Discipline of Showing Up.

    This morning, as I am sitting and drinking my coffee, I am thinking about how easy it is to stay comfortable.  It is all around us and 24/7 we are being thrown opportunities to comfort ourselves and it takes a lot of discipline to do the things we say we were going to do.       My morning routine is so important to me.  I have always been a early riser - its when I enjoy to do my reading, my journaling and some movement to start my day.  This year, I have not been good at it.  I have actually struggled with that discipline.  I have chosen many times the easy choice of scrolling my phone first thing in the morning, hitting the alarm 5 or 6 times before waking up, not picking up the paper and pen, letting the books pages sit still and telling myself: "well, I will just get my workout in later."  For Christmas last year, my wife got us a Concept 2 Bike Erg, which is a stationary bike and is a incredible tool to just sweat, mov...
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"Finish Well"

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      2023 is nearly behind us and 2024 is practically in the grasp of our finger tips.  With the year ending comes opportunities to reflect that often occur, I believe, naturally.  With a new year beginning, we often look forward to new hopes, goals, and aspirations.  Between the end of a year and the start of a new one, the idea of momentum is powerful.      Momentum - it carries both opportunities to bring results we thought we were not capable of and to fall into the traps of complacency; not seeing much growth.  2023 may have been a year where you accomplished a lot of what you set as goals and maybe even exceeded those.  It may have also been a year of many hardships, challenges and maybe just not following through with the goals we set out for and this is the kicker...      Whatever type of year 2023 was for us, we can ALL finish well.   This idea of "finishing well" came from a podcast I was recently list...
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Welcome & Introduction

       Welcome to The Bison Mentality.  I am a elementary Health and Physical Education teacher, along with a CrossFit coach, husband, reader, podcast listener and enthusiast of Bison.  Wait, you said enthusiast of Bison???      Yes, I did say Bison.  If you know anything about Bison, you know that often they can be found in herds and I think that says a lot about the majestic animal.  But what I think says even more about that animal is that they are one of few animals that go head first into storms, meaning they do not slow down for the adversity of a storm... wow.  That is powerful.  That is why I am an enthusiast of Bison.  I learned about this through a well-known CrossFitter, Rich Froning who now owns a Bison ranch.  This resonates with me so strongly and is the purpose behind this blog because the bison embodies/symbolizes the sense of character I believe we should be holding ourselves to.    ...
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