Faith, Jiu Jitsu, and Crude Oil: My Non-Negotiable Morning Stack
Most people’s morning stack is: hit snooze, scroll their phone, rush to work. That’s not a morning — that’s surrender.
My morning stack has three anchors that are non-negotiable regardless of travel, time zone, or business pressure.
First: Faith
Every morning starts with prayer and scripture before I look at a screen, a phone, or a market. Five minutes minimum. This is not religion for religion’s sake — this is anchoring your identity in something bigger than the day’s outcomes. Men who start from a centered place make better decisions, stay calmer under pressure, and lead with more clarity.
Second: Movement (and Jiu Jitsu)
I train jiu jitsu in addition to my lifting program. BJJ at 50 does things for your mind that weight training alone can’t replicate. It requires total presence. You cannot think about the quarterly report when someone is trying to choke you out. That forced presence translates into sharper focus all day.
Training notes for men over 50 in BJJ: prioritize technique over strength, tap early, recover properly. The ego is what gets you hurt.
Third: Crude Oil Markets
I run an energy trading company. The crude oil markets don’t sleep and neither do the fundamentals. Every morning I review overnight price action, EIA data, geopolitical developments, and position my team for the day. This is a 30-minute discipline that keeps Ikon Midstream sharp.
The Stack Effect
Faith + Movement + Market Awareness = a man who walks into every meeting calmer, sharper, and more prepared than anyone in the room.
Identity Reinforced Three Ways
Faith, training, and business aren’t competing for the same morning slot — they build the same identity from three angles. See the full framework in The Faith Element: Why God First Makes Everything Else Work.
FAQ
Why include all three in one morning stack?
Because none of them are separate from who you are — treating them as one identity, not three schedules, is what makes the stack sustainable.
