April's Close Calls & Clutch Moves!

Hey Guys,

This month of April has taught me a huge lesson in patience. Here’s the rundown:

Websites and AI

I was surprised to see that nearly 1k people from specifically Poland (probably bots, but who's counting?) visited my michaeljamesshaw.com site. I’ve also been using AI for school (by learning, not cheating BTW) and making music.

Jiu Jitsu Breakthroughs

Hit new moves in Jiu-Jitsu this month. I actually managed to pull off a wild move by swinging my leg in a backward 360 and caught my opponent (a 6ft pure-muscle giant) in a chokehold and armbar. His shocked "Muy Bien, Bro!" was the highlight of my day. Plus, sparring with my coach after a while, he’s impressed with how much I’ve improved, which feels good!

Prepping for a Big Talk

Had another practice interview with Dad—getting ready for a real talk with a financial businessman soon. I’m an intern who is working with a Financial Advisory Company and my role is to interview them for the Advisor Advantage Podcast. It's still strange to interview but I'm getting the hang of it.

Road Trip Close Call

The real adventure was our road trip. Driving a manual here in Argentina after not driving for a while was interesting, to say the least. My first time driving, I stalled the car in the middle of the road. With a semi-truck flying down, I kinda freaked out but managed to restart and go barely a few feet forward—being able to pull off the road in time. There I learned a lot about "trying to" stay calm under pressure. My dad says this quote which is “Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast.” So with that, I kept driving and got better each time.

Lessons Learned

This month taught me about facing fears and just diving back in. Whether it’s a backflip or stalling a car, the only way through the mental block is to keep trying.

Thanks for following. More stories and less stalling next month!

See you then,

Michael

michaeljamesshaw.com