Rapha & Pablos | 9 of 16

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Rapha (left) and Pablos (right) were the two main guys that I spent the majority of my time with who were not from China. Rapha was from France, and overall, was a very smart kid. He was working within an international business program for his major and had a knack for finances. Pablos was a Master in training and had ambitions of someday opening his own training facility back home in Greece. Pablos studied philosophy and was also very smart. I remember feeling like I fell somewhere in the middle of the two and if I had to share one lesson that was developed with each of them during my time it would fall in between two main insights.

The first one was by way of a conversation I had with Rapha. We both enjoyed studying business, but I will admit, although younger, this guy was sharper than I. After countless discussions about entrepreneurship, business development, and pushing the envelope with new ideas,  we came to the conclusion that in order to be successful in the realm of innovation, one must not aim to beat their self yesterday, but aim to beat their self tomorrow, today. Rapha taught me two things: to always see beyond what is in front of me and strive to figure out how to create it, and there is always someone smarter and younger than you, so get to work!

As for Pablos, his main focus was on a path of discovery, searching for his own Taiji. The definition of Taiji can be rather in-depth, how he defined it to me was that Taiji is a mimicking of life and fighting. When life is hard, be soft; when life is soft, be hard. This primarily describes how we respond to life's circumstances. He was seeking his Taiji through martial arts training, as well as in philosophy.  Pablos taught me to see life for what it is and what it has to offer and from there, choose my response. 

The reason these lessons stand out to me is because I think they resonate with all of us. Rapha and I have a drive to push through and define our own success through our personal invitations. Whereas Pablos and I have a passion to find a balance in life by being an active participant, not just a spectator. Together we share a foundational goal of wanting to offer the best version of ourselves to the world. I wish both of these gentlemen well in their endeavors and I am fortunate to have shared these lessons with them. Every time I seek to apply these lessons, I will forever be bonded with these two brothers from around the world. 

​Talk soon & God bless, 
 MG

Edited By: DJ Williams
​Graphics By: Hand-Ability