The life of Vinny Paz is truly a testament to the human will to never give up. To look at life’s worst possible circumstance and to continue onward and upward.

One day while Paz, was riding in the passenger seat of a car, the car was struck head-on while traveling near his home in Warwick, Rhode Island. Paz suffered two broken and one dislocated vertebrae along with his spinal column.

He was told that he would be lucky if he could just walk, and as far as boxing was concerned, he was told to forget that idea.

But the doctors had no idea who they were dealing with.

Vinny Paz had to make a life or death choice, quite literally. The decision was to have an operation on his vertebrae and never box again or to have a halo spinal traction and make the boxing comeback of the century. Vinny chose the later.

The above image is Vinny Paz right after the accident.

After 13 months, Paz was back in the ring. Defying all reason and logic, and not only defeated the Dominican Republic’s Luis Santana in a 10-round unanimous decision but also would continue fighting for the next 13 years.

His life is a true inspiration, so much so that a movie was made about his life.

Of course, I was super thrilled and honored when I was given the incredible opportunity to interview Vinny Paz.

Here is the interview:

Could you tell us a little bit about how you got into boxing? Also what other types of training do you currently do?

Since I was six years old, all I ever wanted to do was box.  I was inspired by Muhammed Ali. To this day, I train with weights and hit the bag, you can see me at Twitter @5Xpaz.

You have inspired people all around the world, who has inspired you in your life?

Muhammed Ali was my all time favorite hands down. And I also go to fight my idol Roberto Duran, and now I corner his son, Roberto Duran, Jr.

If you could thank three people in your life who would they be and what would you say to each of them?

My Parents! They have always been there for me, for sure. They are great people! Another person I would thank would have to be Mauricio Sulaiman, the President of the WBC,  for always including me in the conventions and in the honorary WBC Belt. He is a good man and very good to many including myself!!

There are a lot of myths or just plain non-truths when it comes to boxing in general and what is one that you seem to hear over and over?

The only myth really is that you can have a long career in boxing, most of the time it doesn’t happen. Only a very few can have a long career, for the rest their careers are short, and you have to be a bit lucky really to make good money and fight at the top. Boxing has changed a lot over the years, and I’m glad I fought during the time I did in my day.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned in life either personally or professionally?

You have to stay tough; life is tough; things happen, you can’t quit!

In one sentence or phrase, how would you define success?

Everyone has their own meaning, I have to tell you, if you can get through the tough times that’s success.

What was the most challenging or difficult decision you had to make?

That’s really a tough one, obviously, it was the Halo and when I broke my neck. I had to roll the dice and rolled it big.

As an inspirational and motivational role model, what pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you have for those chasing their dreams?

Don’t quit! Its that simple just don’t quit

What was the best decision you have made?

Boxing because it really is all I ever wanted to do!

What question should I have asked you that I didn’t ask? Why is that question important and what is the answer?

The only question I would have asked me is what’s it like to have a movie made about you? It was a bittersweet situation I loved Miles Teller playing me, but I would have never allowed the way they put my movie out there. I didn’t like how they did it! It could have been a blockbuster, Miles Teller and the cast Aron Eckart and Katey Segal were great but I wasn’t happy with a few of the producers, they really let me down. So the question would have been about the movie and what I would have liked to happen? But that’s life! And if it inspired one person then I won. Thanks stay strong 5XXXVP

Thank you!!! Vinny for being an inspiration to millions around the world. You a true model of perseverance and not giving up.

For more information about Vinny Paz, you can follow him at his Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/5XPAZ

And here is the trailer to the movie about his life story:

Unfortunately, it easier to intellectually understand than to actually do.

In 2003, I attend a workshop on personal development, by the Landmark Education Group. The title of the workshop was, “Turning Breakdowns Into Breakthroughs.”

Intrigued by the titled I enrolled myself in the 2-3 day course.

I think the title of the course nowadays is called something like, “Breakthroughs: Living Outside The Box.”

Here are the two definitions of a breakdown and breakthrough according to the course:

A breakthrough is often thought of as a one-time event—a quantum leap that moves us “outside the box.”

The course really opened my eyes, and to this day I remember the 3 essential reason, we all have these supposed, “breakdowns”.

Here are the three reasons:

1. Thwarted Intentions
2. Undelivered Communications
3. Unfulfilled Expectations

In the course, the group leader, discussed how we actually look at problems and what we say to ourselves when a so called problem arises.

Do you ask yourself what’s wrong?

Or

What’s missing?

The more empowering way to look at these breakdowns is to ask yourself what’s missing?

When you ask yourself this empowering question, you brain starts to search for the answer. And it begins to look for ways to mismatch and see where you are currently and where you want to go? In this case, what’s missing, in order to make it the way you want it to be?

Back to the three reason we all have breakdowns.

Reason 1: Thwarted Intentions

Many times we get upset or angry or frustrated because we wanted to do something and something or someone seemed to get in our way from actually doing the very thing that we wanted to do. In other words, you were stopped, or prevented or thwarted from doing something.

You in turn interpret that thwarted intention as a problem or breakdown.

The best way to get over this, is to identify that you were prevented temporarily or all together permanently from doing something and ask yourself what was your end goal? What did you want to achieve in the end by doing this thing that you were not able to do? It could be something as simple as you wanted to sleep longer and you weren’t able because a neighbor was making a bunch of noise. Or it could be you wanted to work out and you couldn’t for whatever reason.

Identify what it is that you wanted to achieve.

And find another way to possibly achieve that goal or result.

For example, in the case of sleeping longer, maybe you could take a nap for 15-30 minutes. Or maybe before you go to bed that evening you make a special note to get ready to go to be 30-60 minutes earlier than you normally do.

There are always alternatives to achieving that goal you set out for. Always. Look for that new opening to get what you want to get done.

Reason 2: Undelivered Communications

As you can probably imagine, I love to communicate, that’s really the main reason I love to write these blog posts, is that communication is really high on my list of priorities. So you can imagine, when I want to say something and I am unable to, how I might get. I get livid. It really bothers me.

All communication falls into one of two categories:

1. Opportunities to Teach
2. Opportunities to Learn

We are either learning or teaching when we speak with another person or a group of people.

When you want to say something and feel you cannot get what you want to say, either through speaking or writing and in this case texting, you may feel upset.

Again it depends on what you focus (Mental Focus) on and what you say to yourself (Language). Physiology (Physiology & Posture) is important as well.

But as this is all about communication, language and mental focus are critical when it comes to undelivered communications.

You may feel ignored or not appreciated or just not important that no one is listening to you.

Those are all normal emotions.

The way to get over this, is to realize that yes, you wanted to say something either by speaking or writing and you were not able to. And then find a new possibility, a new way, to get what you want to say delivered.

It may have to wait. But just be patient and then do communicate your message.

Reason 3: Unfulfilled Expectations

This last reason, is a biggie, because we all have expectations of how people should act or be.  We have our rules of how the world should be and we might even be right but we don’t have to make others wrong. And what’s worst is when you have an expectation of how something should be and it doesn’t play out how you wanted.

Then what happens.

All hell breaks loose. We feel robbed or cheated. We feel less than and not satisfied. This dissatisfaction can do more harm to ourselves than to anyone outside of us.

What we need to do, is to realize that we wanted something or someone to be, do, or have a certain way and it just did not show up how we wanted, and well, deal with it. Get over it. And move on.

Expectations are our own rules but they are not the rules for everyone.

We can not go around imposing our rules on everyone else.

Life will get really stressful, really fast if we continue to act this way.

So there you have it folks, the three main reason we all have breakdowns.

As a person who has connections to Las Vegas, I am somewhat rooting for this home-town favorite to excel in a sport that is unrelenting.

What most people may underestimate about Nelson is that he is the amount of real training he has.  He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Black Sash in Kung Fu, trained in boxing by Jeff Mayweather (a member of the Mayweather boxing family).

Here is a bit about his mixed martial arts career. Nelson currently competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), there holding a record of 22-13. He won Season 10 of Spike TV‘s The Ultimate Fighter. He was the first and the last IFL Heavyweight Champion, competing for Ken Shamrock‘s Nevada Lions, and has also fought for EliteXC and BodogFIGHT. As of April 15, 2016, he is #10 in official UFC heavyweight rankings. He holds notable wins over Brendan Schaub, Matt Mitrione, Cheick Kongo, Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Roy Nelson announced his presence in the IFL by winning the IFL Heavyweight Belt. Roy is known primarily as a submissions specialist and ground technician, Nelson also has a growing reputation for his “ground and pound” and striking skills, knocking out both Bryan Vetell and Antoine Jaoude en route to becoming the league’s first heavyweight champion.

The Las Vegas native has helped train some of the top fighters in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world. As someone who says he was motivated to learn martial arts after watching “The Karate Kid” and classic American Ninja. Nelson is quickly making his mark in the sport with devastating finishes and an ebullient personality. Despite what many think of his physical attributes by looking at him, Roy has suprising speed and agility for his size and has the endurance necessary to finish fights even in later rounds.

A decorated grappling champion, known for his skills on the mat, Roy also has heavy hands and impressive striking technique. From his early days studying Shaolin Kung Fu. He has spent many years developing his stand-up game and has finished off just as many opponents with his devastating right hand and ground and pound as he has with his punishing submission skills. He is truly a mixed martial artist, well-rounded and capable of bringing the fight to any range and skillset. He is one of the most exciting fighters who can finish the fight standing, or on the ground.

When I had the opportunity to interview Roy Nelson, I was absolutely both thrilled and honored.

I would like to welcome, Roy “Big Country” Nelson.

Thank you Roy, to begin….

Could you tell us a little bit about how you got into Calisthenics?

I think the first time I ever did calisthenics was the first time I played organized sports to warmup for my sport.

You have inspired people all around the world, who has inspired you in your life?

The people who inspire me are simply anyone and everyone that makes me a better person.

If you could thank three people in your life who would they be and what would you say to each of them?

Three people in my life I want to thank are:

My wife Jessy I want to thank you for pushing me and focusing on the things that mean the world to me.
My mother I want to thank you for showing me what is important in life and what to do and not to do. “The Golden Rule”
The last one is more of the universe, I want to thank you for all the failures you gave me and forced me pick up and move on to be a better person.

There are a lot of myths or just plain non-truths when it comes to Calisthenics what is one that you seem to hear over and over?

I think the biggest myths is they say you can’t really build strength, but body weight exercise can make you really strong and explosive.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned in life either personally or professionally?
The most important lesson is failure it is the building block to the house you want to build called your life.

In one sentence or phrase how would you define success?

Success is how many lives you have touched and how many people loved you back.

What was the most challenging or difficult decision you had to make?

The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was as a child having to decide which parent to live with.

As an inspirational and motivational fitness star, what pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you have for those chasing their dreams?

The simplest thing to chasing your dream is being persistence and being consistent.

What was the best decision you have made?

Best decision is marring my wife, who is wonderful & who also gave me my baby boy Jaxson.

What question should I have asked you that I didn’t ask? Why is that question important and what is the answer?

The one question you should have asked, would have been where do you go to get more information about Roy “Big Country” Nelson?
You can check out more information about Roy “Big Country” Nelson at his website: Roynelson.com
Also you can find him at twitter: twitter.com/roynelsonmma
Here is his Facebook page: facebook.com/roynelsonufc
And you can check him out at his Instagram page: instagram.com/roynelsonufc

Here is a great behind the scenes interview with Big Country (Time: 5:49 Minutes):

Quite literally if you do not have problems in your life, then you are either dead or catatonic.

I remember hearing a quote from Eric “ET” Thomas, it went something like this, “Problems are a part of life, you are either in a storm, you are coming out of a storm, or you are going to a storm.”

So if we all face problems, then how are we to overcome them?

What are the tools necessary to get through the proverbial “storms” of our lives?

I am not sure I have the “answer” but I may have something that can help. For the past month I have had a renewed interest in Tony Robbins.

It might help to give you some context. In 1996, I took an audio course by Tony Robbins, entitled, Personal Power II. It was very instrumental in shaping the direction and course of my life now.

Living in San Diego during the 1990s and 2000s I was privileged to be in one of the capitals of self-help. With some of the top self-help authors living in and around San Diego, like: Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Lousie Hay, Ken Blanchard, Brian Tracey, Denis Waitley, John C. Maxwell, the late Debbie Ford, and many more, the list goes on and on.

Growing up in an area such as that, it only made sense to have a small interest in self-help.

Fast forward to the present.

For some reason or another I had a desire to spark up my interest in Tony Robbins and I have been listening to his audio tapes.

In one of the audios, Tony teaches the 6 questions to solving any problem. Here are the questions and I will follow-up later with some context:

1. What can I learn from this?
2. What’s great about this problem?
3. What is not perfect yet?
4. What am I willing to do to make it the way I want it?
5. What am I willing not to do to make it the way I want it?
6. How can I enjoy the process?

Tony recommends that the questions must be asked in a great state or at the very least in a positive state. You are to come up with different answers and write them down. Writing the answers down is critical because it gets out on to paper what is oftentimes not seen.

Why This Matters?

Last Sunday, my wife and I went to the hospital to visit the godfather of my son.  He has been in the hospital for the last 2 weeks in critical condition.

Early this year he was diagnosed with brain cancer that eventually spread throughout his entire body.

He is now living on an oxygen tank to sustain him as his lungs have collapsed and no longer function.

It was a trying time to say the least.

Here is a man that is still a youngster at only 65 years of age who has been extremely active his entire life working in construction. He is a father and grandfather. He has 3 grown sons. A wife of 50 years.

Now this vibrant and active person is confined to a hospital bed where his wife and nurses have to serve all of his basic needs like going to the bathroom and eating.

This Sunday, he was visited by all of his family, from his 3 sons, to his cousins, nieces/nephews, etc.  Not knowing whether he was going live or die we all paid our respects.

The hospital that he was admitted to was a hospital where patients go when the doctors have given up all hope and have no way to help the patients. In other words, it is a hospital for the incurable.

(Photo: Hospital Provincial, Toledo, Spain)

Walking the halls of this hospital and passing room after room, I saw patients in comas, others attached to life preserving machines, other curled up in a fetal position almost waiting to die.

It was a very sad and dark place to be.

Remember the teachings of Tony I began to put into practice what I had been studying for the past 30 days.

I can honestly tell you that I did it more subconsciously than consciously, but looking back on it, I can definitely attribute last Sunday to going through these 6 questions.

Question 1. What can I learn from this?

This question, directs your mind to look for the lessons to be learned.  And lessons learned typically mean progress and forward movement. Immediately I learned the value and beauty of life. Upon seeing the godfather of my son, lying there going in and out of consciousness, I thought, “Life is too be lived.” And it was then that I decided to do all with my life that I can. I learned also, just how great of a man the godfather of my son is. Every person that came to visit him, only had the most upbeat positive praise for this man. And I learned that when I go, when take my last breath I want to live a life that is extra-ordinary and honorable.

2. What’s great about this problem?

This is a brilliant question because it forces you to look for things that are great in an otherwise pessimistic or negative situation. It can help you to change your outlook. This sort of ties into the first question, but I realized that I am not dead yet. And that I have tons of life still left in me. And that I am going to live it. Hell or high-water I am going to do, be and have all that I possibly can. Also I saw a beauty in my wife that I had never seen before. She was so attentive to the needs of everyone. She was in such high spirit, she was like an angel, a light in a place of darkness. It was truly great to see. Later I shared with her just how proud I was of her for keeping up the spirits of everyone and staying positive. Truly great.

3. What is not perfect yet?

This question is, as Tony states,a presupposition that is basically presupposing that things will be perfect in the future. I used this question to focus on what can be improved upon. I thought about the future and the importance of health. I thought about how I can improve upon my own health and the health of our family. In addition, I thought about my relationship with my wife and all the silly and unimportant argument we had and how life is just way to short. I thought about how I want to improve our intimate relationship. I have a renewed interest in making the ideal relationship with my wife and improving our health as a family.

4. What am I willing to do to make it the way I want it?

This question will help you to uncover the steps or things that you can do in this very moment to change your life for the better and make it the way you want. I decided that I was committed to loving my wife and to focus only on the good. I was willing to stay positive and optimistic and most of all be grateful.

Great extra video (Time: 14:49 Minutes)

5. What am I willing not to do to make it the way I want it?

This question is a great question to look at those things that you might do that are not in your best interest. We all have bad habits and this question sort of brings them to light. I was no longer willing to complain about my wife, my son or my circumstances. I was no longer willing to look at the negative in life. I was no longer willing to let me lower my own high standards for living.

6. How can I enjoy the process?

This question will show you how to move forward and have fun doing so. For me, I was willing to be more lighthearted and just relax and enjoy the ride called life. I can enjoy the process by spending time in nature, time with family, being grateful.

These six questions are short but sweet. When you apply these six questions to any problem in your life you may just find that new shifts in your way of thinking and being open up. You may notice an entirely new point of view that you did not have before.

I know that I did. From applying these six questions, I have a renewed interest in my family and being a better man.

Here is a great Infographic:

For more information on solving problems, here is a great video/audio (23:09 Minute):

As long as you believe and you are determined, you can be or do anything you want to.

Johnny Hollywood Case  is not your typical mid west person. What stands him out from the rest, is his mental fortitude to win and excel in a sport where it seems pretty common for the proverbial bar is always pushed higher and higher.

For those that follow the UFC, it is clear that mental toughness plays a significant part and Johnny Case separates himself from the pact.

He has an impressive record of 22 wins and only 5 losses, with 12 of his wins coming from knockouts and 6 from submissions he clearly is a formidable competitor in one of the toughest sports on the planet, and he has done so by his own sheer will.

In addition, he is also a business man, having purchased Midwest Cage Championship (MCC) based out of Des Moines, Iowa.  MCC is where he first got his start in MMA by fighting for MCC where he eventually become the MCC Lightweight Champion.

What I like most about Johnny Hollywood is his down to earth attitude. He is a super humble person solely focused on being the best version of himself that he can possibly be.

As a father of two boys, he puts his family first, and as a father myself, it is great to see the outstanding balance between home life and work life he is focused on maintaining.

When he is not training or in the octagon he also is an avid motocross rider having raced since he was 12 years old.

Here is a great inspirational video (Time: 4:12 minute)

So it is my huge honor to present our interview with UFC Figher,  Johnny “Hollywood” Case.

Thank you for being with us Johnny, to begin….

Could you tell us a little bit about how you got into mixed martial arts?

I wrestled as a kid and naturally liked to fight and watch fights. So once a senior in high school, MMA was getting popular and I knew I was going to give it a try.

I was raw and didn’t know a thing the first couple years and I kept learning a little bit more at a time, without having any regular team or coaches.

I quickly realized it was more mental than physical, and I seemed to be a lot stronger than most fighters in the mindset.

So I didn’t even have full-time coaches and team until 2015 despite being 3-0 in the UFC with an extensive MMA background once I finally got a real team (Power MMA).

You have inspired people all around the world, who has inspired you in your life?

There is a wide range from athletes to corporate employees that have inspired me throughout the years.

There’s been so many people that have inspired me along the way that I don’t know where to start.

If we’re talking pro athletes, I love Ali’s story and how he handled himself throughout the years.

Every person I come into contact with inspires me in way one or another. Everyone has something to learn and I want to learn from everyone.

If you could thank three people in your life who would they be and what would you say to each of them?

There is way too many I would say thank you too, and no way I could limit that to only three. But here’s my best shot…..

1- My family- without them, nothing is possible
2- Past friends / supporters – every person played an important role in my life that helped me get where I am today
3- Current friends, business partners, loved ones and supporters- They are the ones that push me to be better in every way and a huge piece of the pie to my success

There are a lot of myths or just plain non-truths when it comes to mixed martial arts what is one that you seem to hear over and over?

That you need a super camp with a ton of elite training partners and a long list of elite coaches. That is a huge misconception.

What you need is a couple coaches and training partners that believe in you, you believe in them, trust them and everyone is all in 110%. With that small army, you will get everything needed and can take on the world. MMA is 90% mental and most fighters are mentally weak. That’s why they have to have these super camps to make their mental weakness stronger. The funny thing is…… The mental weakness is the first thing I exploit in my opponents.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned in life either personally or professionally?

As long as you believe and  you are determined, you can be or do anything you want to…. As long as you truly believe and prove it by showing it.

In one sentence or phrase how would you define success?

Happiness, love, completing goals and living a positive lifestyle

What was the most challenging or difficult decision you had to make?

Every time I drop my kids off or wake up without them, presents the most difficult decisions as I want them by my side at all times.

As an inspirational mixed martial arts athlete, what pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you have for those chasing their dreams?

Surround yourself with the best people and never allow any room for weakness with negative people or people not on the same path. Write down your goals and work on them every single day and make sure you get at least 1% better every day.

Looking over your accomplishments thus far, is there anything you would have done differently or that you possibly regret?

I don’t live with regret. Everyone makes decisions they wish they could change, but the important thing is not making the same mistakes twice. So no, regret does not play a part in my life.

What was the best decision you have made?

Setting goals on making a career in the UFC

11) What question should I have asked you that I didn’t ask? Why is that question important and what is the answer? I’m not a journalist, so no idea.
Here is a great spotlight on Johnny

To learn more about Johnny Hollywood Case, check out his site johnnyhollywoodcase.com

You can also check him out at his Facebook page.

You can check him out at Twitter