Why I'm Here

I believe that I was born to positively change the world by supporting the people in it. Call it a cliche, but this is real for me. More than anything it makes me feel good to be an agent of change. Selfishly, by making someone's life better so they enjoy life more, it helps me enjoy my life more.

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My mom always told me, "to those whom much is given, much is expected. To those whom much more is given, much more is expected." This quote is framed in my living room. I've been blessed with a wonderful family, support system, and many privileges. The thought of wasting these gifts makes me sick.

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My life philosophy

I have a burning desire to feel loved by myself and my God and to experience the excitement that results from inspiring others to do the same. When I feel lost or disconnected from myself, I come back to this idea as a reminder of what I'm seeking. If my actions aren't getting me closer to my burning desire, I simply redirect. This doesn't mean my days are all a breeze though. Just like everyone, I have parts of my day that I don't enjoy, but I choose those parts because I know they will serve my ultimate goal to be a source of positive change.

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Marcus Aurelius, ancient Greek philosopher, says "I do what is mine to do; the rest does not disturb me." To me this means that I handle the things within my control, and seek peace with the things that are beyond my influence. When opportunities for me to enact positive change come up, I take them. When life has it's scary and painful chapters, I simply see them as events without assigning negative meaning and continue controlling how I respond to these events.

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My Days

Growing up, I imagined being an action sport athlete like a professional skateboarder or fighter. If young Mitchell could see me now, spending my days listening to and supporting clients, reading, and creating educational content, he'd be SHOOK. While I still have that extreme edge, I mostly coach, create, train, pet my cats, and learn all day. 

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I think my childhood teachers would also be surprised that the inattentive kid with ADHD from their classes now has a doctorate, is self-employed, and turned listening from one of my biggest struggles to my greatest strengths. I've always been able to think about a lot of things at once, and come up with a large variety of solutions to problems (ADHD gives me this superpower). Learning to quiet my mind, and think critically for sustained periods of time has been a powerful source of growth for me that's a constant work in progress. I don't say this to brag, but to highlight how my expressive thinking may be distracting if I share too many ideas at once.

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At present...

As I write this, over the last 6 months I've been trying to "do" less. Specifically, I've adopted a tip from the Navy SEALs: slow is smooth and smooth is fast. It sounds paradoxical, but it has actually made me more successful, productive, and fulfilled. Trying too hard to perform can slowly eat away at our capacity to perform because it leads to feeling frozen. 

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Instead, I reduce resistance between what's happening NOW and my desired experience by giving up the struggle. This does not mean giving up discomfort though. Rather than thinking about what I should be doing, I acknowledge that everything already is as it is. Giving up the idea of should allows me to focus on being what I want to be in the present moment.

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I'm like an onion

Most people identify by saying they're optimists/pessimists, introverts/extroverts, ambitious/lazy, etc. I'm just a person with many layers (like an onion) to my personality that I choose to access when it's most appropriate. So choosing dichotomous words to describe me is too black & white.

 

I can talk to anyone and often feed off the energy of others, but as I've gotten older, I enjoy the company of my own thoughts more and more. I tend to magnify positivity like an optimist, but not blindly - I think that rational pessimism has it's place too, so I tend to be a realistic optimist. Sometimes I want to be a silly goose and jump around at a concert, but I also like sitting quietly outside with a book. I get a lot of satisfaction from prioritizing nutritious meals but I also enjoy a pile of Taco Bell.

 

It's called balance.

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My Twist on Fitness

I use fitness to change people's lives, but I don't do life coaching. I've just seen how fitness is a concrete entry point for significant life transformation. Over the years, my service has developed to focus on wellness and health more than just physiques and performance because I wanted to feel like I was really helping people. I have moved past the dick measuring contest that comes with much of fitness and performance. Now, I leverage my hobbies (fitness & sports rehab) to funnel people into my purpose (improving peoples quality of life). This approach is significantly more satisfying for me.

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Rest assured that I am not in this field for the ego gratification that comes from being the guy who has all the right answers. In medicine, people die over the details. In fitness, details are grey and lead to circular arguments. I blend the details of medicine with the art of fitness coaching to create an experience that is more than movement.