Hey, I'm Chris.

On paper, I work in cybersecurity, trust & safety, and IT. I've spent years dealing with incidents, broken systems, bad actors, and the kind of problems that don't come with clean answers. I like solving those problems. I like building things that actually work in the real world — not just in theory.

But this journal isn't just about that.

This is where I document the process — what I'm learning, what I'm building, what I break, and what it teaches me. Some of it is technical. Some of it is just me trying to get better: at work, at life, at being consistent.

Current Focus

I'm currently studying at BYU-Pathway Worldwide, working to advance a 20+ year career in networking, systems administration, cybersecurity, and trust & safety. The labs and notes in this journal are part of that work — real problems, real configs, real mistakes.

• Networking — routing protocols, OSPF, VLANs, WAN configuration
• Systems administration — Windows, Linux, Active Directory
• Cybersecurity and incident response
• Trust & safety systems and policy design
• Documentation governance and automation

Motivation

For me, motivation isn't hype. It's discipline.

It's doing the work when I don't feel like it. Showing up when it would be easier not to. Running that mile when my brain is already negotiating excuses.

Progress isn't usually dramatic — it's steady, sometimes boring, and often uncomfortable. But it adds up. This journal is part of that system:

• A place to capture lessons so I don't have to relearn them the hard way
• A way to stay accountable to what I say I care about
• A record of growth over time — technical, personal, and spiritual

Faith

A big part of my life is faith. I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it's central to how I approach learning, work, and life.

I believe God is involved in the details more than we realize — not always in big, obvious ways, but in quiet direction, small impressions, and moments where things just click when they shouldn't. I'm not perfect at listening, but I'm trying to get better at it.

The gospel principle of stewardship shows up everywhere for me. Taking care of what you've been given — time, knowledge, resources, relationships — isn't just good theology, it's good engineering. You build things that last. You don't cut corners. You document your work so the next person isn't starting from scratch.

That's why this journal exists. And it's why the personal and faith sections are here alongside the technical ones. It's all part of the same story.

Why This Journal Exists

Good work gets lost. Notes scatter, fixes get forgotten, and lessons learned disappear into terminal history. I built this knowledge base to change that — to turn hands-on work into something durable, searchable, and worth revisiting.

If something here helps you solve a problem, think differently, or just feel a little less stuck — then it's doing its job.

And if nothing else, this keeps me honest.