During my time in Belgium I never thought I would be taught how to do something that I have been doing my entire life.. 'Just breathe,' Olivier  said to me… At the beginning of January I started to go through a rough time, which lasted through the month of February. It finally hit me that I was in a foreign country alone and this mental frustration not only showed up on the way I carried myself but also on the court as well during those months.. That was until I heard the words, 'Just breathe.'

  Now I have always been conscious of the benefits of doing particular breathing techniques but I have never seen anything work as fast as the breathing techniques that I did with Olivier Goetgeluck. Vegetative Training (VGT) is the name of the technique. I still don’t know all of the science behind it but I do know after my first session I felt amazing and from that day I have been hooked to it. After a few sessions of doing VGT my spirits began to lift along with my level of...

                                                            Why The Hourglass? 

"Such a perception time is. Why do we tend to allow something so fickle and fleeting to have such a dominant presence over our lives? Understand that the only time that truly exist is Now.. as the wind comes and goes it carries away the concept of seconds, mins hours and days. Meaning that nothing will truly last forever. So be conscious and aware of what surrounds you now and be prepared to let go of it when the time comes, as the wind carries it away like a leaf in its grasp.. the pain, the sorrow, the happiness, the joy all will come to an end before starting again. Accept and embrace it all, while understanding it won't last forever. Be ready to change and adapt in every space and time that we now understand as the now.

...

     I believe that the growth of the internet and social media has been extremely detrimental to our ability to be fully present. Through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and all other things alike we are able to be physically in one place and mentally submerged in another by simply scrolling down a timeline of some sort. All in all this isn't such a bad thing. I mean the internet gives us the ability to always be connected to people, places and things no matter the distance that separates us. But through my experiences I know that this kind of mental teleportation has crippled our capability to "Be Here."

  Being Here is the idea that we are completely indulged in the NOW. If you genuinely think about it, all that exist is Now, all that you can control is Now and all that you can change is Now. So why do we spend so much time living in the unchangeable past or the non existing future? Why do we spend so much time living somewhere else other than Here? So I ask you, what are you...

        22 years later, I look up and I find myself in a distant and foreign land. I know what steps have been taken that has led me standing here, but I am not quite sure why I am here. Though I am far away from those I love and cherish dearly, I am still surrounded by many, but at times I still feel alone, at least I think I am. It is difficult for me to make out the faces that are around me. They seem as if they are only shadows, a significant part of me, but yet somehow we are still separated. Every encounter with them reveals a new part of me that I once was unconscious to but now I am forced to face. Emotions ranging from happiness, anger, joy, anxiety, are exposed through these shadows which opens the door of opportunity to change and grow. As time passed I now know that these shadows are the lasting memories of people that I have once met and the lessons they have taught me.. I am still not quite sure where this path is headed but there is something, a light, an inner voice tha...

The Idea of "Patience" was developed in my early years of college. I suffered from mild anxiety due to being completely consumed in the unchangeable past, the "disappointing" present, while also attempting to speed up my future blessings. This anxiety was caused as I became envious of other people who were succeeding at chasing their dreams at a much faster pace than myself. As a result of my anxiety, I began to take sleeping medicine every night to help calm restlessness. The reality that my dreams were not manifesting in the physical world as fast as I wanted them to was overwhelming.

    On one of those restless evenings while laying down, I vividly recall telling myself, "Relax kid, everything that's meant to be will be. You just need to stay patient and trust in God." This internal revelation was the start of devoting my entire life not only to the pursuit of my dreams, but more so to the idea of "Patience".  With the goal of inspiring anyone else who is ch...

Everyone can’t be the star that shines its entire life. God’s timing is perfectly designed to give those what they need and want, but only when they truly need and deserve it.

     I learned at a young age that there was something deep inside of me that was craving to shine, but my desire to be illuminating didn’t match the timing of God’s plans. Maybe I was too immature, too prideful, ungrateful, or too selfish, whatever it may have been or still is, I understand that I must continue to grow no matter what.

    Growth is one of the most important things to me in life. If I’m not growing in all aspects of my life then what am I doing? Ever since middle school I’ve heard “you’re not good enough” and “you will never play college ball” and “you will never play professionally”. Every time someone says “You can’t do” I slowly start to prove them wrong. This is because when people label me as not good enough they clearly don’t understand my desire to grow and to constantly be in comp...