Beyond the Mic

My thoughts after performing "Labyrinth" & "The Cry" at the Slam Poetry Championship in my home City of Hamilton, Ontario...

Here is the full, unedited conversation behind "The Catholic Register" Article

Such valuable information I've learned. Relevant for you on Valentines Day!

-

Focus on the positive. Your partner is not God so don't depend on them to meet your needs. They will fail at some point, and that's not a stable foundation for your relationship (to expect/ need them to be perfect). Get your needs met by God so that you're not standing on your partner. Standing on your partner and seeing them fail at something that is not even their responsibility in the first place causes bitterness when you're depending on them for it. This is where we get the "I deserve better" & "You don't meet my needs" lines while on the other hand we get "What I do is never enough for you" & "You don't appreciate me".

-

If you both love each other and want this to work, give the benefit of the doubt. Don't immediately assume their mistakes are intentional and out of spite. Don't expect them to do an impossible task perfectly. Grow together. Heal together. Learn together. Lean on God together. If you don't let God be the need meeter in your relationship, you will eventually fail at the impossible task of always meeting each others' needs.

-

I learned this from John Kennedy Vaughan. Read his book "The Right Fight: How to Live a Loving Life" & Listen to his Podcast "The Right Fight"

Most of us don't really understand what LOVE is because for the most part our world fundamentally has a false understanding of love... this episode goes more in depth breaking down what REAL love is.

In Part 1 we go in depth in conversation about our attempts to control things in our lives. It is our fear that tries to control things & sometimes we need to let go & leave things in God's hands. When you're afraid and trying to control things, ask yourself why. Then put it in the context of God's Word: "Lean not on your own understanding." God is our provider. Lean on him and his Word. Submit your life to him. "Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you."

God Bless y'all, I pray this is fruitful and that the Podcast will give more context to what I stated above.

Kenny is a LIFE CHANGING Human. He's someone you could never forget about, who opens your mind to life changing realizations... And he does it all so humbly. Just listen and you'll see what I mean. I was honoured to record this Podcast with him.

-

Kenny is a husband, a father of three, a world-class athlete, and a servant of Jesus Christ. Over the years, he has been featured in a number of interviews with national media, and built an online following of 165,000 people just on Instagram alone, inspiring thousands upon thousands of people across America & the World.

-

Over a span of 7 years, he wrote the book, The Right Fight: How to Live a Loving Life (which my Girlfriend and I recently started reading after I got it for Christmas, and it's great so far!) In it, he expresses how the opposite of love is NOT hate, but FEAR; and in order to live out Godly and fruitful lives as Christians, we must learn how to act in LOVE through all of life's twists and turns. 

-

Recently, I've got to know Kenny personally and he is SO wise and worth hearing out and listening to. I can't wait to share more conversations with him!

-

In addition, Kenny founded Shields of Strength, a company that distributes inspirational scripture engraved upon dog tags and other jewelry. The necklaces are popular with professional and aspiring athletes-including Olympians, military personnel, law enforcement, students, and adults from all walks of life who find encouragement in Scripture to face life's challenges. Kenny lives in Texas, with the love of his life, Tammie, and their three children.

-

Follow Kenny on Instagram: @johnkennedyvaughan

Listen to his Podcast: The Right Fight (Out on All Platforms) *his Podcast is INCREDIBLY VALUABLE & LIFE CHANGING* I mean that. Episode 63 changed my whole perspective on my purpose in life

It's important.

Have you ever wondered why some people attract success, and others merely wish for it butalways linger in the "what if" stage? Find out why in today's episode :)

My late night thoughts on perspective (a story my Hockey Coach once told me), along with what I believe to be the 3 most Valuable Skills in today's World that you can learn in order to open doors and be an asset to anyone you work with.

Hint: the first one is "Speaking"... looking back, I probably should have put "listening" in there too lol but I think that sort of a given

Hear the Behind-the-Scenes of Speaking at a Youth Retreat for over 30 Minutes to more than 20 students! My thought process, some strategies I aimed to put in place, and how I don't eat before speaking because of nerves & getting in "the zone". Enjoy :) and feel free to head over to my YouTube Channel to checkout the full talk dropping at 3:00 pm EST Friday, December 8th, 2023