The holidays are always a time of reflection for me.  I think back about the previous year, what I did right, what I did wrong, how I grew and very importantly, about the people that influenced me in my life.  Face it, you are a physical manifestation of how you think and act, and how you think and act is often a product of people that have influenced you in a certain way.  As I sit here at the keyboard, sore as hell from a previous mma workout, a family member named Vinnie Kern comes to mind.

Vinnie was a pretty amazing individual, and someone (whether he knew it or not before he passed away) who gave me a gift in terms of a way of thinking that has been a cornerstone of my philosophy.   He was an avid runner and actually had numerous high placings in the Boston and New York marathons before they were popular events when all you got was a trophy!  He was a popular distance runner of his day and as a kid viewing his trophy case, it was an inspiration that proved to me that you could be great if you worked hard enough at something.   Interestingly, however, this athletic mindset was not the main gift of philosophy that he gave me.

Vinnie, like myself, was a big baseball fan and he had an incredible baseball card, ball and memorabilia collection.  As a kid, I was very into collecting, but my best card couldn't come close to matching his worst!  He had them all: Mantle, Aaron, Mays, and signed memorabilia from the greats like Ruth, DiMaggio and others that people would only dream of (I cant even do it justice by writing a few names, but let's just say this is the collection people wish they could find at some sale in which the seller doesn't know what they really have).  The fact that he had this collection was not what affected me, it was what he did with them.  In violation of every rule of collecting, he had them tacked, taped, and glued up on his walls!!!  

Now for any collector, they would be mortified.  And although I was young when I saw this presentation, I was still wise enough to ask him if he cared how the cards and gear had been treated.  Here lied the gift.   Vinnie told me that this was HIS PERSONAL collection and he wasn't "SAVING" it for anyone.  He loved to be in his room surrounded by his collection and it was exactly as he wanted it.  Just like his running career, once it was over, he treasured having "done it" and surrounded himself with the memories.   He wasn't waiting for book value to increase or a rainy day or some excuse, he was enjoying what he had, when he had it and was doing what he wanted.   What a fantastic lesson.

This weekend I trained mma at American Martial Arts, in Whippany, NJ.  There were UFC vets on the mat and numerous other fighters with professional fights under there belts.  One might ask what the hell I was doing there, under skilled with my hands and definitely getting up there in age, but I just refer back to what Vinnie would say.  What am I "saving" it for?  If not now, when?

What are you saving your skills for?   What has been holding you back from enjoying what you have, when you have it and from doing what you want?  I am sure that there is not going to be a good enough excuse to stop you.  The clock is ticking people, and if you are always waiting for the "right time" I can promise that it will never happen.  Start today and maybe, just maybe the time will be right!

This blog has always been about sharing my philosophy and hoping that in some way this information can influence you to make a positive change in yourself and others.  My holiday advice is to stop "saving" yourself up, do something great to develop yourself and then start sharing that greatness with others.  I guarantee that method will bring you success and happiness much faster than sitting back and waiting for your own book value to increase!