We give good gifts......

    'Sorrow doesn't come without seed'.         T.D. Jakes

 This seed, is a message that something needs to change, It's a gift.. If we listen to the message we receive the gift. We get strength through our sorrow. Don't suffer the pain without receiving the benefit. Change your mind.

    Nothing is as powerful as a changed mind. Like a computer we're governed by our 'default settings'. We operate from repeated behaviors that hurt us and those whose lives we touch. Changing our mind or changing our 'default settings' allows us to create lasting change in ourselves. With these changes the lifestyle you create becomes a life long journey or  a mistake.

And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.                   

   Hebrews  12:13

   Value is determined by sacrifice With fitness and nutrition it means portioning, cleansing and regular exercise. Adhering to this even while occasionally slipping or cheating will send a message to your body, your friends and will change your metabolic 'default settings' .

 Value is determined by sacrifice Every gift has a weakness. In relationships  it's the strengths that are advertised and not the weakness. Be careful not to say 'I do' to the strengths cause it's the weakness that you have live with. She wants to workout, he wants to get high. He gets mad at the amount of time he spends in class because he puts no value your training. She gets mad at the amount of time he spends getting high because she values her time as a currency for creating lasting change.

 Value is determined by sacrifice. Communication is key. As you navigate life make sure to communicate your desires and priorities to those who touch your life. If your sacrifice goes unrecognized it will be unappreciated. Communication is key.

We give good gifts

For me giving good gifts is not a seasonal thing or a holiday thing, I aspire to honor my mentors by giving consistent quality gifts like confidence, courage, loyalty and self esteem.

We give good gifts, a Christmas story.   

Once upon a time while trying to 'give good gifts' our subject driven by love and perhaps a little crazy braved 'white out' weather conditions in a near antique vehicle to ensure timely delivery of a Christmas gift and message. The vehicle died and the tow never came that snowy night. The gifts  went unappreciated and the sacrifice unrecognized.

Value is determined by sacrifice

Sometimes a gift, given without expectation, is taken for granted and goes unappreciated even when given at great personal sacrifice. We would do well to remember that gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation stem from grace and not all of us have an unlimited supply of that. Gifts and love are like seed and often require time to be recognized and their true value appreciated.Never steal a heart then break it.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son

John 3:16

Take your time, breath deeply, give without expectation, love yourself and your 'team', look to the stars and imagine yourself running with them. Be thankful for what you have and you'll have more; not what you had and lost or don't have. The hardest part on the journey is having the patience to wait  for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed by the result we encounter.

Merry Christmas

And so this is Christmas

  Christmas has always been a holiday celebrated carelessly.
 Pagans, Christians, Jews are swept away in the season’s festivities, 
few ever consider the celebration’s intrinsic meaning, history, or origins.

Named a saint in the 19^th century,  Nicholas was born in Turkey in 270 CE and later was among the most senior bishops who created the New Testament. 
 He died in 345 CE on December 6^th.  

     In 1087, a group of sailors who idolized Nicholas  gave each other gifts during a pageant they conducted annually on the anniversary of Nicholas’ death, December 6.

  The Nicholas cult spread and was adopted by German and Celtic pagans that worshiped  Woden  the father of Thor.  Woden had a long, white beard and rode a horse through the heavens one evening each Autumn.  After the 'merger'  he shed his Mediterranean appearance, grew a beard, mounted a flying horse, rescheduled his flight for December, and donned heavy winter clothing. 

  The Catholic Church adopted the Nicholas cult and taught that he did (and they should) distribute gifts on December 25^th instead of December 6^th.

In 1809, the novelist Washington Irving wrote a 'Knickerbocker History'. 
 The satire refers to the white bearded, flying-horse riding Saint Nicholas 
by his Dutch name, Santa Claus.

   Dr. Clement Moore, published a poem,“The night before Christmas" in 1822 portraying a Santa with eight reindeer who descended through chimneys.

In 1931, the Coca Cola Corporation contracted the Swedish commercial artist to create a coke-drinking Santa. modeled on his friend Lou Prentice, chosen for his cheerful, chubby face.  The corporation insisted that Santa’s suit be
 Coca Cola red.  And Santa was born – a blend of Christian crusader, 
pagan god, and commercial idol. 

Many who are excitedly preparing for their Christmas celebrations would prefer not knowing about the holiday’s real significance.  If they do know the history, they often object that their celebration has nothing to do with the holiday’s monstrous history and meaning.  “We are just having fun.”

Now ya know, dont believe everything you hear when it comes to LIFE, LOVE & MARTIAL ARTS or FITNESS for that matter , do your homework. 
Taking the easy road generally is just 'convenient truth' .


Your real friends know whats being said 
even when no one is talking.

I can only show you something real, 
I can't make you appreciate it.
Keep it real !!!

-Buckland- 

https://robbbucklandffma.sites.zenplanner.com/sign-up-now.cfm

WE TEACH AND TRAIN USING CUTTING EDGE METHODS THAT WILL SHAPE YOUR BODY, SHARPEN YOUR MIND AND EXPAND YOU CONCIOUSNESS. TRAIN WITH US AND LEARN METHODS THAT TEACHERS AND TRAINERS WILL BE IMMITATING FOR YEARS TO COME !!!

Happy Holiday Depression

Here Today Gone Tomorrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tg49PhBhTI

If depression is creeping up and must be faced,

 learn something about the nature of the beast: 

You may escape without a mauling.

This time of year emotions are very close to the surface.
Leave' yesteryear' in the past and look toward the future.
Life brings changes.
Don't set yourself up by comparing today with 'the good ole days'.

I find anger and depression is usually conjoined with emotional investment.
Change takes time, and allowing change takes patience.
Music can change perspective,
 to see things differently,
to see things like hope

Don't confuse a winning move with a winning game.
In the game of life, the skill one must have above all else is patience.

The art of the 'game' is knowing what is most valuable
 and then being willing to sacrifice it.

In the vacuum that is created by the loss of what is most precious,
 opportunity abounds, influence is maximised and desire becomes destiny.  

We all have the most extraordinary gifts,
 the only one we were denied is knowing it.

Merry Christmas  !!

The Double Edged Sword

The holiday season for most people is a fun time of the year filled with parties,

celebrations and social gatherings with family and friends.

The First Santa

Odin was the god of wisdom, magick and occult knowledge, runes, poetry and war.
 His name means “the inspired one”.
 Like a shaman he could travel in other worlds to gather more insight.
  Odin was depicted as a tall, old man with a white beard and wearing a cloak.

Odin rode the skies and the seas on his fast white horse Sleipnir with his 8 legs
 (the number of transformation) .
 He carried his never missing spear Gungnir (clear and focused intent) in his hand.

He had only one eye.

He had offered his other eye in exchange for wisdom at the well of the Mimir.
Odin became a shapeshifter, seeing in the outward world with his normal eye,
  understanding the inward worlds with his black, removed eye.

The holiday season has come a long way since then......

 It's just not the same without the festive skulls and entrails decorating the tree.

Christmas can be hard for many reasons.
 Mostly I think its the uncertainty.

 Losing love, not knowing if you can ever find a love like it.

Remember what this season really means.

Having love in your heart for someone
 will change your outlook for the season.

 It's not about the gifts.

 It's about having  love inside
 and sharing it with everyone that comes your way.

 Giving a helping hand
or a kind word to someone in need without expectation.

 Do this,
You'll receive more than you've ever dreamed of.

-Denise Lora Webster Davis-

 The Holiday Spirit

For many people, it is a time filled with sadness, self-evaluation,

loneliness, and anxiety about an uncertain future.

Depression is a lack of feeling.

When you’re depressed you can’t access feelings of self-love.

 Since the love you feel for others is a reflection of the love you feel for yourself,

there's a disconnect.

When you’re depressed you misread situations;

you perceive others as being critical of you.

Because you don’t understand what happens when you’re depressed,

 you listen to everything your depressed mind says,

and it causes havoc on relationships.

This year anxiety and depression can be a double edged sword,
12/21/12 
Not only are we depressed but ...

'The End is Near'

Hopi Prophecy

"The Fourth World shall end soon, and the Fifth World will begin."
This the elders everywhere know.
The Signs over many years have been fulfilled, and so few are left.

"And this is the Ninth and Last Sign"

 You will hear of a dwelling-place in the heavens,
 above the earth, that shall fall with a great crash.
It will appear as a blue star.
Very soon after this, the ceremonies of my people will cease.

Mayan Prophecy

On Christmas Eve 2012,

The sky is divided by the sun and all dry land begins to rise.

The oceans respond to the tectonic shifts and the great flooding of the Earth begins.

New York is washed away by a tsunami ten times greater than the Indian Ocean wave of 2004.

 Chicago returns to its swamp roots from the melting ice from the North Pole .

 The Pacific and Atlantic Oceans collide in Nebraska.

For me the world is ending on 12/21/12........

 The World of Kings and Liars

The 'Kings' are the dictators,
those who would dictate to us what we are and are not capable of.

The 'Liars' are those who misdirect us for the sake of their own agenda.

In this brave new world we are the sculptor and the clay.

 As human beings we all develop emotional patterns.
These are mental or emotional states that tend to filter how we look at our lives.
You can change your emotional mood by a radical change in your physiology.

Tough training is exactly that which keeps me motivated.

Few people are self-motivated;

they need some outside stimulus like the right atmosphere
 or a personal trainer to push them.

Some people are motivated by fear and others by love of something.

Some are motivated by the fear of looking inadequate
 or of being exposed as an imposter.

They lack self-esteem; they fear any emotion that makes them feel on the spot.

So, they go through life or their “workouts” being emotionally blind folded.

They are the ones who quit first—they have become emotionally numb.

Your feelings are the spirit behind your motivation-

don’t leave home without them or pretend you are feeling something you’re not.

 Martial arts are about being in touch with your greatest strength, your spirit.

 You cannot endure tough training without it.
 It is that sub-energy that triggers your will power.

 Without this, anyone’s search in martial arts lacks vision -

they simply wonder around lost,

 unsure of themselves and always looking for answers.

-Joe Lewis-

On 12/21/12 I'll be doing and activity that keeps me focused motivated and inspired.
I'll be at the gym on 12/21/12