Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Monday is personal development through Jiu Jitsu…

Jiu Jitsu is very much like a chess match. In each match, you are constantly positioning yourself to capitalize once all the pieces are in place. However, unlike chess, there is a very brief moment of time that those pieces will be in place. In fact, as you become more and more advanced at Jiu Jitsu, the shorter that window of opportunity becomes.

I can not tell you the countless times in my BJJ career that I have seen a perfect opportunity and failed to react to it. The majority of time is when I am rolling with someone who is better than me. When I am better, I am much more patient, and trusting in my abilities, but when the opposite is true, I tend to not trust my instinct as much because I am expecting to fail.  Read more... (935 words, 2 images, estimated 3:44 mins reading time)

“Into this house we’re born
Into this world we’re thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out alone
Riders on the storm”
–From Riders On The Storm Lyrics, by the Doors

Opening a door is a great way of describing what it means to create an opportunity in life. In business, they say it is not what you know, but who you know. Well, I say it is a little of both.

One of my favorite bands growing up was the Doors. Now, I was born in 1979, so I was no hippie child crowd surfing at the Whiskey Bar.  However, I became enamored with Jim Morrison after studying him for a biography. I was amazed at the incredibly intelligent individual he was, as I always thought of him as just a wild, drugged-out hippie.  Read more... (1357 words, 2 images, estimated 5:26 mins reading time)

Look to your right.

Now look to your left.

Look up above you.

Now look under your desk.

Look all around everywhere you can see.

That is where you’ll find opportunity.

-Peter James

I guess I am feeling a bit poetic this Friday.  My company just finished another great commercial yesterday.  For all of those relatively new to YinvsYang, I will fill you in.  A little over 6 months ago (wow, time flies), my partner and I started this blog to mark a big change in our lives.  We had just started a New Media production company Reimagine, and soon after began writing.  Read more... (721 words, 2 images, estimated 2:53 mins reading time)

The other day, I ran into a person I went to high school with.  We both looked at each other and had that five seconds of an awkward moment when you are racking your brain trying to remember where you know each other from.  To break the awkwardness, I smiled, and put out my hand.  Immediately, he shook my hand and we began the routine ‘how have you been?’ convo.

I tend to run into a lot of people because I have known them through my family and businesses.  One of the things that I always find strange is that moment of awkwardness that happens on these chance run-ins.  You know, you have just left your home in a hurry, not looking your best.  You enter the super market all frazzled just trying to grab the necessities and get on the shortest line possible.  Read more... (860 words, 1 image, estimated 3:26 mins reading time)