GTD #27: Una Limosna Por El Amor De Dios

Winter ain't coming, it's moved in. Didn't get any runs or bike rides in this month but a solid amount of yoga sessions. Best part is that after three years, I finalized the scope of the website and a game plan for the year ahead. The goals of the Sendō Challenge have been perfected, the goals of this organization are clear, social media strategy is in place and the roadmap is looking good. Now it's time to execute and turn this frail body into a running machine again.

I spent most of this month in the brutal cold of the northeast, which was necessary to lock in and think about what I want the future to look like. I've wasted a lot of time, and it feels painfully clear more than ever when I'm back home with friends and family. I regret what I've done (and haven't) but like the prodigal son, it makes the journey back home all the more meaningful. There's wrongs to right in Austin, Texas and New York, New York. We move forward into a brighter future, together.

December 1st to December 31st, 2025

Long story short: I'm training hard and talking about it. Hopefully you find this entertaining enough to subscribe, tell a friend and take on The Sendō Challenge.

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Several good sessions, decent amount of consistency until Christmastime. I'm proud of a solid 40 minute session and I could tell how the yoga helps after taking a few days off. Especially in the cold! My body has felt chilled to the bone since being here, but the few days I did yoga sessions helped get the blood flowing again.

I love Tem's voice. It's a mix of feminine and masculine, and the modern afro-fusion R&B she delivers is divine to me. Love Is A Kingdom is a continuation of the great work she did in Born In the Wild. A little short, but it takes the best parts of her previous work and refines it. The energy throughout the album is sustained and balanced, whereas in Born In the Wild, it ebbed and flowed. Looking forward to whatever Tems does next, and if she's ever in Austin, I'd love to see her perform.

One Battle After Another is one of the best movies I've seen in years. The entire cast is great and the story is painfully relevant. It's about a former revolutionary in hiding who is forced into action when an evil federal agent comes after him and his daughter. It talks about black power, lost people finding in purpose in chaos, and the never ending struggle of those in power and those in the margins. It made me angry, it made me sad, it made me want to join the revolution but also made me understand how futile it can be. It really is just one battle after another, but some fights are worth the challenge, even if it may not work out in our generation. We help the people of right now, move the needle forward a little bit, and pass it on to future freedom fighters. That's how we beat the system. Can't recommend it enough. I'd watch it again.

Great reads from around the world.

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Don't go anywhere! Sendō: GTD will be back after a short break.

Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff is one of the most important figures in the global history of reggae—not just as a musician, but as a cultural bridge between Jamaica and the rest of the world. Born James Chambers in 1948 in Somerton District, St. James, Jamaica, Cliff grew up in poverty and moved to Kingston as a teenager, where he became immersed in the island’s emerging sound system culture. From the beginning, his music carried a sense of urgency and uplift, combining sharp social awareness with melodies that felt hopeful rather than heavy.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Jimmy Cliff achieved international recognition early. His breakthrough came in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when reggae was still largely unknown outside Jamaica. Cliff’s voice—clear, bright, and emotionally direct—made his songs accessible to global audiences without diluting their Jamaican roots. He had a gift for writing music that could cross borders while still sounding unmistakably of the island.

His most iconic contribution to popular culture came through the 1972 film The Harder They Come. Cliff not only starred in the movie but also provided much of its soundtrack, including the title track, which became one of the most influential reggae songs ever recorded. The film introduced reggae, Rastafarian themes, and Jamaican street realities to audiences worldwide, laying the groundwork for later global recognition of artists like Bob Marley. For many outside Jamaica, The Harder They Come was their first encounter with reggae as a serious, politically charged art form.

Musically, Cliff’s catalog is vast and varied. Songs like “Many Rivers to Cross,” “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” and “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” showcase his range—from spiritual longing to motivational anthems to pure joy. His songwriting often centers on perseverance, dignity, and moral clarity, reflecting both his personal struggles and a broader post-colonial Jamaican identity. Even when addressing injustice, his music tends to push listeners toward resilience rather than despair.

Jimmy Cliff also played a key role in shaping reggae’s message-driven tradition. While not as closely associated with Rastafarianism as some of his peers, his work consistently emphasizes universal themes: freedom, equality, faith, and self-determination. This made his music resonate not only in Jamaica but across Africa, Europe, and the Americas, where listeners connected with its humanist core.

Over the decades, Cliff reinvented himself repeatedly, recording across genres and collaborating with artists far outside reggae’s traditional boundaries. His influence can be heard in rock, punk, hip-hop, and world music, and his songs have been covered by artists ranging from Joe Strummer to UB40. Even as reggae evolved, Cliff remained relevant, adapting without losing the moral backbone that defined his early work.

Recognition eventually caught up with his impact. In 2010, Jimmy Cliff was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, cementing his status as a foundational figure in modern music. Yet his legacy isn’t just institutional—it lives on in the way reggae is understood globally: as music that can be political without being preachy, spiritual without being dogmatic, and joyful without being naive.

Ultimately, Jimmy Cliff’s legacy is that of a pathfinder. He helped carry reggae from the streets of Kingston to the world stage, proving that music rooted in a small island could speak to universal human struggles and hopes. His work reminds us that art can be both a mirror and a map—reflecting hardship while pointing toward possibility.

Back to Sendō: GTD! Hope you learned something new.

Unedited ramblings, typically after a run.

Please feel free to skip to the end.

12/1/2025

A new month and my first yoga session locked in. Let's get this money New York!

Though...it's cold as hell today. Hate that, but new weather brings old clothes out of the wardrobe so it's fun. Forgot I had the Carhartt.

12/3/2025

25 minute yoga session today which was nice. Going smoke free for the rest of the month, starting today. I'll still hit the gummies but this is the bare minimum change I need to make to get out of the vortex again.

It's getting cold in Texas - nothing compared to the northeast, but I don't love it. But it's motivation to bundle up, lock in and enter the winter training arc.

12/5/2025

Late night in the lab working on the website. I have to remember that it's all about those weird late night hours where you've just got headphones on and you're just jamming. Sometimes I have that magic during the day, but it really is about getting into that weird late night groove. Different times of day for different types of work, and last night I was able to edit tons of the Research articles, and I got the right version of the logo after all of these years. But the new tagline, "Worldwide", feels right. I just don't know what I want the back of this first collection to look like - currently I've just got the logo blasted across the back in an oversized look. Still needs a graphic or something though. But we're close - now that I know how to make mockups, I really could start the store with a couple samples. Maybe I just say that they're pre-orders so I don't have to scramble. But anyway, Research Library is cleaned up - I got rid of a bunch of useless tools now that I could look at them with some clarity, and linked some articles together. Still needs way more focused work, not the surface level crap I've been surviving on. Anyway - the format of the GTD posts is better too - I'm going to keep editing #26 with all of the ideas that I have. Maybe once the preorder shop is ready, I'll put it on my profile and just share a story every couple days. I'm realizing that my other Instagram has a thousand followers, no point letting that go to waste.

12/8/2025

I feel very conflicted in life, but I know that part of it is being too much of a people pleaser. I have to make ruthless choices and commit to them, and be willing to explain myself and be proud of my choices. You know - I still don't know what the hell this website is, but it's all I've got so I have to keep swinging. Right now I live in Texas, but I was born and raised in the Northeast. I didn't necessarily choose to move down here, but I always wanted to leave the Northeast. I hate the cold and I love nature, so places like California always attracted me. But now I'm at this crossroads - I guess in all aspects of life. Now I'm finally considering to double down on myself instead of just going with the flow and accepting what others tell me to do.

12/11/2025

Yoga numbers are down this month but it's been a little hectic lately. Setting that aside, things are coming together nicely on the site. Finally figured out this first version of shirt designs and totally accept that I'll need help for the next collection. Interlinking content in the Research Library was much needed. Now I just need to refine the content so its good enough for V1 of the books. Outside of that, it's about refining my writing skills for reviews and such - would love to get like six strong reviews that I can share around to drum up some interest.

12/15/2025

Got some new weights so I can finally hit my Dumbbell training program with some oomph. I quit the YMCA over a year ago so it's been a while since I've been in a gym. Probably the longest stretch of time since I was 18, now that I really think about it. The boulder shoulders are gone and I just look much slimmer. Kind of like Jotaro in Part 3 versus Part 4 and Part 6.

On the other hand, the site is the closest it's ever been to something that I'm proud of. There's three sections of the site that I'm keeping on the backburner but I'm building it out now; once the site becomes successful these pages will be crucial.

Then there's the challenge itself - I readded the Triathlon goals and added one cycling goal. This feels right, it feels interesting and it feels obtainable. This feels like it can become multiple NYT bestsellers. Like my story, training books, photo books and then we can talk about TV shows and movies after that. The TV show and movie will be fictional because we'll probably have documentary crews filming all of the IRL stuff.

Yes, I know this all sounds nuts, but this truly is the vision I've had from the beginning. The final piece of the puzzle will be hosting races on our own multi-purpose properties. After that, I'll let someone else take over the reins. I'll leave the corporate machine to the next generation.

12/19/2025

Traveling across the country again. Took the gas car this time which made it so much easier - shaved off at least three hours of charging time. I can confirm electric cars are good up to about a thousand miles, any more than that and it becomes a pain in the butt to keep charging.

The country is beautiful though - Virginia and eastern Tennessee are always the prettiest because of the rolling hills and mountains, though east Texas has it's own charm with those tall, skinny pine trees everywhere. But by the time you pass Washington D.C., whether you're near a city or not, the world becomes a grey mush of concrete buildings everywhere. I love New York, and maybe because I'm still poor that I struggle with coming home, but man the grey skies, the cold weather, the general ugliness of the streets and the buildings...it all bums me out.

But it's good to be home as stressful as Christmas is. And someday I'll get the big bag so I'll be in more comfortable situations here. Patience is key.

12/26/2025

Christmastime is nice in New York, and it's a reminder that family really is everything. You learn with them, grow with them, live with them. Seeing my younger cousins get older and my aunts and uncles get older puts in all in better perspective. Helps me to see where I'm at in the story and how much harder I need to work. I can't deny that I feel overwhelmed with the challenge ahead of me, but at least I know the way I can get there - through building up these website and eventually writing great books that become NYT bestsellers. Shooting a bit high but I feel like it's a path through life that's authentic to me.

Another good thing I've noticed is that I'm drinking less and I feel the need to drink less during these social events that used to give me real anxiety over the last few years. I didn't feel like a 'winner', so I didn't want to be around anyone, but the lesson is that regardless of how you feel about your current situation, you can still connect with your family. you can still provide something to others other than your economic value. Don't get it twisted - money matters in this world, but it's not everything. It's actually true, and it took making a lot of money to realize that.

See you for the next one.

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Have a tip, story, or idea? It could end up in a future post. Email me anytime with questions, thoughts, or even confessions — we're all in this together.