Is it a rite of passage to burn off some eyebrows as a kid playing with fire? Serious question but not so serious. When I was a kid, I was fascinated by fire. I snuck matches from my parents’ fireplace mantle and ran to the backyard to experiment. I learned on my own how to light them and experiment …

I’ve been a boater for a long time and there is nothing like getting out on the water. When I was a teenager, I picked up canoeing and kayaking as a hobby that grew into a summer job for years. Later on, I took my powerboat license and spent a lot of time on the Connecticut shore on my family’s boat …

“There are many correct ways; not one way.” I’ve heard this expression as a student in many courses and have used it myself as an instructor countless times. It is an excellent way to offer others multiple solutions to a problem without prescribing only one. I started thinking about this approach an …

If you ever spend enough time around me, you’ll likely hear me bring up the concept of weakness and strength. It comes up, almost daily, in my conversation and frequently in my inner monologue. What drives my decision making process is the concept of being stronger today than yesterday which usually …

“Want to know how to catch fish, learn from poachers.” I’ve said it over and over in my survival courses. There is a direct correlation between what is illegal and what is effective. Think of the most extreme cases. In my younger juvenile years, I watched a guy tape a M80 firework to a rock and thro …

“Organization is correlated to efficiency and efficiency is correlated to productivity and productivity is correlated to success”. I recall saying that as a teacher to my students over the years both in an academic classroom and in an outdoor setting as a survival instructor. You probably know so …