Every wall is a door.  

Emerson 

​ As a teenager, my goal and mission in life was to win a New York State High School Wrestling Championship. 

I committed myself to a lifestyle, I made the sacrifices, I put in the time, I starved myself, shaved my head, I had the hunger, the desire, and the determination, but I came up short. 

For many years after it seemed like I got nothing out of my six years of total dedication to the sport,  

that the trade-off of what I gave and what I got in return was way out of whack. 

I hated wrestling for it. 

To put every ounce of my soul into achieving something, and to get nothing out of it in return,  was beyond my comprehension and unreconcilable to me. 

I couldn’t justify it in my head. 

I felt this way for twenty-six years. 

And then one-day adversity struck my life. 

And slowly but surely, I started to realize just how much the sport of wrestling had given back to me.  

Much more than I ever knew. 

When life throws you to your back, you need to know how not to get pinned, get off your back, and do enough to make up the difference to win. 

“There is an open circle.” 

This mantra is what my high school coaches would say to me during wrestling practice when they knew I was physically exhausted and was about to rest for a moment.  

There was an open circle on the wrestling mat, and if I was interested, I could get out there and do more. 

This mantra keeps ringing in my ears. 

To achieve the results you want, you need to do the things others are not willing or able to do. 

“There is an open circle.” 

Meaning there is still more that you could do.  

Don’t rest now; this is where the difference is made.  

To work when you are mentally and physically exhausted gets you to the next level. 

“There is an open circle.” 

When I heard those words back in high school,  I would immediately ignore my fatigue and realize there was still more I could do. 

“There is an open circle.” 

Today, when I reach the point of physical and mental exhaustion in my daily battle verse life,  

I silently say to myself,  

“There is an open circle.” 

And my wrestling muscle memory kicks in,  

“There is no time for rest. 

It is time to get back to work. 

There is an open circle.”