Top 5 Investments

Everything I Invested in before the Pandemic / Quarantine that has not failed me and never will.

 

I’ve dedicated my life to being able to thrive in a worst-case scenario.

 

Power outage? No problem.

 

Stuck somewhere you don’t want to be? No problem.

 

You are your best investment. Invest in you! Put your money, time, and energy into yourself. It is an investment you will never go wrong with.

 

When I first heard of being quarantined, I truly, deep down wasn’t worried. Worry brings fear, and fear is crippling.

 

 

These are the things I personally invested in and they all paid out and always will. I have never been a chaser of fancy cars, watches, or destinations. If you are, that is awesome and I encourage you to go after whatever you truly desire.

 

 

My mindset is that as long as I am putting my energy into what gives me energy, I will always have the right mindset and the passion to chase and get whatever I want.

 

 

Here is what I went after years ago and I am very happy with my choices:

 

 

 

 

Since the start of all of this, I have noticed that gym equipment was a hot commodity! Every post on my social media was of people who were passionate about their health and fitness levels and on the hunt to either keep their hobby going, or people who had nothing but time and were ready to start their journey.

 

The problem they were running into was that the stores were closed! The internet was even letting them down! The dumbbells and kettlebells were sold out! And I even saw someone compare finding a kettlebell to finding a needle in a haystack.

 

At the age of 17 my family started collecting Kettlebells. Not all at once, but some here, some there. Odds and ends equipment as well. I was buying ropes, slam balls, Bulgarian bags, punching bags, weights, stretch bands, and everything else in-between (I have so much equipment it’s ridiculous).

 

I was a true collector of fitness equipment. And of course I let our members borrow whatever weights they wanted to work out with at home and to follow our online classes.

 

Bodyweight training will always be there for us, and I have been hitting bodyweight training hard even from the beginning. You don’t need a ton of fancy equipment or machines to get in amazing shape. But, man, is it nice to have a large assortment of equipment to change it up. And it’s all paid off because it’s not really that expensive.

 

I even went a step further to make a mini Freedom FMA in my home. I have rubber mats for flooring,

 

Suspension straps, Kettlebells, Bulgarian Bags, Hanging bags, ground and pound bags, weights, pull-up bar, stability balls, stretch bands, mats for grappling and solo drills, mitts and gloves, plus all the other fun things I have for outdoor training: sledge hammers, tires, chains. Name it, I got it. Over the last decade I’ve been getting everything I could because it was truly my passion.

 

 

The days will never be boring and it takes the excuses out of it. In one of the books I’m writing I even explain how to make your own weights with things you already have.

 

The Warriors Deadliest Weapon is his mind. Get creative. Your imagination is a true test of your actual intelligence. And how you act when times are tough is who you actually are. Staying physically fit will make it so you can handle stress, get things done, and keep you strong enough to handle anything that comes your way.

 

Get yourself some equipment. Make your spot where you will train. And if you’re away from home base, get creative.

 

 

 

I looked at many homes when we were shopping around. The single greatest investment we made for our family is our home and the land that it’s on. This was no easy feat. This took a long time of cutting and sacrificing a lot of things to be able to afford it. And it was so worth it. There is no cooped-up feeling when I am at the Funk Ranch. Our kids have a yard and woods they can explore and connect with nature. We can watch the wildlife, listen to the birds in the morning, and the crickets at night time.

 

We have a hill to sled on in the winter and roll down in the summer.

 

Our dogs enjoy the yard as well. All kinds of smells and room to run.

 

One of my favorite things to do on nice nights when everyone is sleeping is take my GSD for a walk around the property and just enjoy the moment and take it all in of how blessed I am.

 

I am a big believer in having a home base and putting work into it to be exactly what you want it to be. Take pride in your home. And set it up to what you want.

 

 

 

 

Scar. He is my best friend. The connection that dog and I have is something out of a movie and I’m pretty sure he understands the English language. The feeling of security that he brings to the table is amazing. If our little girl has that dog with her outside, I have no fear in the world because he would quite literally give everything to keep us all safe. As a believer in providing your own personal protection detail, he is the best. The training we have done with him has truly brought peace of mind and there is no doubt that he is the best dog for the job. You will never rise to your level of expectation, you will always fall to your level of training.

 

I’ve seen him go through all of his training and how he will react to protect his family. It’s not a false confidence of hoping for the best. Scar is the real deal. And I sleep better at night knowing that Scar is with us. He is another blessing and is like a gun with a personality. And soft ears.

 

 

 

Not audio books. Not on a tablet. Hard copies.

 

I’ve been through storms that left us without power for weeks. Literally weeks. And guess what, the tablets run out of batteries eventually. The hard copy books I have are one of the best things in my life. I can always come back to them. And as I write my books I plan on making them hard copy. They don’t need batteries or wifi to work. They are always there for you. I’ve had several of my books since I was a very young man and on a rainy day I love to flip through them or sit down and see what new information I will get out of them.

 

I personally enjoy audiobooks, and if I like what it is I purchase the hard copy so I always have it. From books about the mind and martial arts instructional to fiction… nothing will ever replace a good book.

 

 

Martial Arts. Firearms. Fitness. Survival.

 

No one can take my skills or my knowledge away.

 

All of the martial arts training is always with me. I might not have my gi and belt, but true skill will stay with you forever.

 

I can keep plenty busy and never get bored with all I’ve learned from my instructors over the years. Those skills are with me to practice and to keep with me for a lifetime.

 

Firearms training was another great aspect of skills and knowledge. When situations get hairy looking, everyone rushes out to purchase a firearm that they have no comfortable ability handling. I’ve spent more money in training than on any actual physical thing. And that is how it should be. I’ve sought out the best to learn how it’s actually going to be, not just standing in front of a paper target and making noise. But real training. Training to protect my family, my home, and myself. All while being safe and staying confident.

 

 

The knowledge from my fitness instruction has lead me to be creative on my own and develop my own systems of doing things (same as martial arts). They taught me how to be safe and do it properly. They also taught me how to eat right and how to heal injuries without rushing to a doctor. I believe this as a true security warrior that you need to be able to not only know how to train, but how to recover and eat properly. And how to adapt. The routines I have learned from them have kept me healthy and being all that I can be for my family, my people who train with me, and for myself.

 

Survival training is huge. I am an Eagle Scout and I’m damn proud of it.

 

I have no fear of having nothing. Because the motto is Be Prepared. Even if I have nothing, my mind is prepared to deal with it all. Come whatever may. I’ve stayed in the woods for over a month. I’ve slept on the cold hard ground with nothing. Know how to take care of yourself and carry the mindset that no one is coming to save you.

 

These skills have kept me in a great career of teaching others how to be wildly successful in anything they go after. How to develop the mind, the body, and the spirit of who they are.

 

Skills pay the bills. All the materials in the world won’t do anything if you haven’t invested the time, money, and energy to make them work.

 

 

 

 

You are your best investment. You are your front line. You are your backup. You drive success in your own life. You have to be strong and who everyone else needs you to be.

 

 

 

The time YOU put into yourself. The energy YOU put in to being all YOU can possibly be.

 

 

 

Invest in you and you’ll never be disappointed or down.

 

 

 

It’s on you.