CHOICES (Episode #2) – Chris Cyr

Martial artist, dog whisperer, all-around craftsman talks about the value of stress, balance, success versus happiness, self-talk and getting started.

Chris Cyr is a martial artist from Central Florida who I met early last decade in my hometown of DeLand. He impressed me early on as much as he does today in his constant attention to detail, and his calm devotion to doing everything to the absolute best of his ability.

He’s also fearless, in the sense that he regularly takes on new endeavors without even the slightest hint of inhibition.

To give you an example —and he elaborates on the show — when I first met Chris, I was pretty involved in my yoga practice. The teacher of the Yoga Shed in Deland, Emma Tranter, had just begun dabbling in acro-yoga, the physical practice that combines yoga and acrobatics. For her sister’s wedding, Emma asked Chris to help her create and perform a short acro yoga routine to music for about 100 wedding guests. Talk about something that would elicit huge inhibitions in me! Chris didn’t balk. And the performance was absolutely stunning.

In this episode we talk about the value of competition and stress in our lives, the meanings of success and happiness, finding the balance between a full-steam-ahead mentality and a more pragmatic one, the importance of self-talk in accomplishing your goals and, as Chris mentioned in the intro, the importance of getting started with any endeavor sooner rather than later.

In a world that, to me, seems busier and more hectic than I can ever remember, Chris radiates calmness, presence and a wisdom that speaks to almost any ear. I invite you now to give an ear to some of Chris’ grounded insights.

Enjoy!