Pat was a fun guest to have on. He is 15 years old, so right away that makes for an interesting conversation. Many of us listening to these types of podcasts are 30/40+ and think of life through a very narrow lens given our age and all the experiences we've had. It is hard for us to remember what it was like to be 15 and how we thought about life then. More often than not, we are dismissive of teenagers and don't put much stock in what they have to say. As I always say though, I think there is something to be learned from everyone. And to learn from someone with such a different perspective on life, given his age, is all the more valuable.

Pat's value was a little open at the onset, but it became clear as we spoke that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the main passion and focus of his life. That was the other thing fun about talking to Pat. He is only 15 years old but he could probably kill me if he really wanted to. Pat has been training since he was 7 years old (I've been fortunate to train with him for the last 3) and becoming great at jiu jitsu is something really important to him. It was cool to hear him talk about his mindset for training, competing, losing, winning, and his overall journey in the sport. My big takeaway was how impressive and methodical his approach to his craft is. It is likely in large part to the influences in his life (his dad, his coaches, etc.) but he seems to truly embrace the martial arts mindset of patience, hard work, humility, calmness, etc. 

My dream is to have Pat back on the show in a few years when he is an ADCC champion, but let's see where life takes us all. In the meantime, it was cool to get to know him a bit better and learn from someone in a very different point in life than I am. I really hope you guys enjoy it and thanks for listening.