Is Good Enough the New Perfect

True happiness...

 is not attained through self-gratification,

 but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

-Helen Keller-

Who can create anything when only perfect is good enough ?

Once you acknowledge you aren't perfect and that your life isn't perfect after all

it becomes acceptable to simply be you in all your glorious imperfection.

Embracing imperfection is a kinder gentler way to live.

I haven't given up on my quest for excellence but...

 I'm a strong believer that going for 'good enough' leads to

 alot more  happiness than going for 'perfect'.

Being a commission sales person and a perfectionist is potentially lethal...LOL

Perfection is not attainable,

but if we chase it we can attain excellence.

-Vince Lombardi-

Have you ever tried to repair a glass vase or something equally precious that had fallen and smashed on the floor? Those hundreds of bits and pieces form an almost impossible puzzle and it is only through hours of patience and determination that you can almost repair the vessel. Once repaired, it is never the same as it was before. Water leaks through the cracks, edges are rough and uneven. This is because you are trying to restore the broken item to its original state which is impossible. The good news is that with a little creativity you can do so much more! Each little piece, when examined alone is seen for its own unique beauty. Together they can be used to build a new work of art, different to the first. I've seen beautiful art works where bits of glass were used to make mosaics, collages, mirrors, picture frames, and much more. Who could even tell what their original purpose had been?

 Would I have been that impressed with the glass chip when it was still part of a plate or window?

 Yet I marveled at its beauty as it hung proudly on a gallery wall.

In the past 24 months, I've had to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and recover from a some of the most painful moments in my life. One by one I held broken pieces up to the light, trying to figure out where they belonged. Turning them this way and that, I struggled to fit them back into their original places to restore the person I once had been. Every now and then I'd spot a glint of sunlight reflecting off a sharp shard and I'd throw it away. Then at times, I'd find a piece that was different and I'd realize that this little piece was lovely. After almost a year of fruitless effort, I've come to the realization that the person I once had been can never be restored to his original state. But God has blessed me with a unique opportunity to take all these lovely little pieces and to build someone new. Little bits and pieces of me, that were invisible in the past, are now given a chance to shine.

It is painful to have your life shattered and it may seem impossible to pick up those pieces. Sometimes we don't even know where to start. Any form of repair and reconstruction is a long process. But friends, know that it is also an opportunity to re-invent yourself to become the person you would like to be. It is a unique opportunity to look closely at the beautiful bits of you. To hold them up to the light and appreciate the way they shine. Don't waste time trying to rebuild the past, rather appreciate this wonderful gift and build a whole new future! One that you would proudly hang on a gallery wall.

-John Hall-

The Tradition of Change...

The way you train is the way you fight.....

  the way you fight is because of the way you train.

This military pearl applies to every aspect of warrior arts.

 As modern day soldiers, we learn to adapt and modify our tactics,

 training, and procedures to address various combat and situational environments. 

 Warrior skills as outlined by Sun Tzu in the Art of War 

are as applicable today as they were centuries ago in ancient China.

 The situational environment often dictates  defensive/offensive focus

Traditional values in M.M.A. ?

More than 500,000 Americans are currently registering for lessons in  Martial Arts each year. The majority of these clubs and schools teach only fighting and self-defense techniques,  This type of training enhances the negative personality traits of already delinquent people.

Traditional martial art philosophy emphasises respect for others,

 humility, confidence, responsibility, honesty, perseverance, and honor.

 This philosophy is integral to traditional Martial Arts training sessions.

Looking back at the early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC),

 we can see some disgraceful performances by various TMA practitioners.

 Why do these legendary fighting-systems that served well for generations

  seem to have deteriorated into arts that will cause the average fighter to fail in the cage? 

Do "sport" martial arts have certain techniques that traditional ones don't? 

There are limiting "Rules" in sports that many say is the cause of this debate. 

What is the real reason for their losses?

         PROPER PLANNING  PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE

 Conditioning, Ground work, Sparring & Cross Training

are the keys to RMA and MMA success !!!

TMA have always had their own way of conditioning.

 To be a good overall martial artist you will need strength,

 endurance, flexibility and devotion. 

These can come from many forms of training.

 Calisthenics, running, heavy bag work, jump rope, swimming, 

and sparring are effective ways to get into shape. 

 If I do get taken down, 

I feel confident enough to survive on the ground.

 Try Judo, BJJ, Wrestling, Sambo, and Indian-wrestling.

 To be a better TMA fighter, expand your ground-fighting range.

 Think about to going outside your current art.

 Kickboxing, full-contact Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai and Sanshou are examples of how "traditional" martial arts have successfully trained for serious fighting.

 Sparring is essential for an artist's growth.

 Cross-training is vital to increase your arsenal

 and to remove the limitations of your current perspective

- Bruce Lee-

Everything old is new again

We have been eating like  cavemen and training like Beasts for as long as I can remember. 

Funny how everything old is new again, training methodologies like H.I.I.T. and the Paleo diet have been a staple of 'serious' martial artists and athletes since I began training at age 9.

Please don't ask how long that is ....lol.

I guess fitness is like fashion,

 if you hold on to your bell bottoms long enough they'll be back in style with your skinny ties.

Funny, 'educated' opponents of both the diet and the training methodology

 will begin telling us soon  that they are dangerous and 'gym science'. 

The point ?

Train hard eat clean it's not a fad it's a lifestyle ....Nuff said !

Never , never, never forget

The Joe Lewis Legacy

The two best days of Joe's life were at age 48 

the births of his son Joseph Cameron Lewis,

 and two years later his daughter Kristina Ruth Lewis.

To Joe his kids were the most important accomplishment in his life.

Please suport their continuing education.

http://joelewisamericankaratesystems.com/

http://joelewislegacy.com/

To be yourself 

in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else

 is the greatest accomplishment.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

I wrote this August 30, 2012.....

Tomorrow I fly to see my Friend and mentor Joe Lewis for what is probably the last time.
 His courage, integrity, wisdom and friendship will live within me forever.

 I will take him with me to every class I teach or attend.

I will continue to honor his memory all the days of my life. 

I am who I am today because of his inspiration.
 Through me he will continue to inspire the hearts and minds of all who's lives I touch.

He asked us to
 'Innovate not Immitate'.....
That's what I will do !!

My mentor and friend Grand Master Joe Lewis,
 passed away peacefully at 10:45am on Friday, August 31st,
 with his family at his side as I sat on the runway in Portland, Oregon to go see him.

Mr. Lewis fought a valiant 13 1/2 month battle with brain cancer. 

His vision will live on in the hearts and minds of all whose lives he touched.

Good Bye and God Speed Joe Lewis
we love you Rest in Peace. 

http://fearsltd.blogspot.com/2012/08/mentor-master-friend.html

That hand is still on my shoulder.....

In the JLAKS (Joe Lewis American Karate System) ,

and NCCM (Non-Classical Combative Methodologies),

 there are no formulas, no recipes.

 In JLAKS there are a minimum of required skills,

 performed in an unlimited amount of ways.

It is conceivable that a long time ago a certain martial artist discovered some partial truth. During his lifetime, the man resisted the temptation to organizee this partial truth, although this is a common tendency in a man’s search for security and certainly in life. After his death, his students took his hypotheses, his postulates, and his method and turned them into law. Impressive creeds were then invented, solemn reinforcing ceremonies prescribed, rigid philosophy and patterns formulated, and so on, until finally an institution was erected. So, what originated as one man’s intuition of some sort or personal fluidity has been transformed into solidified, fixed knowledge, complete with organized classified responses presented in a logical order. In so doing, the well-meaning, loyal followers have not only made this knowledge a holy shrine, but also a tomb in which they have buried the founder’s wisdom.

-Bruce Lee -

We have been left with a great responsibility , let's not screw it up !!

In the mean time lets not forget.

It's said as long as the living still speak your name you continue to live.

A year and a day ago my Master, My Mentor, My Friend....

Joe Lewis lost his battle with brain cancer. 

Speak his name, do it today do it every day.......

Never, never, never forget it !!!!

Joe Lewis 

Legends are forever 

A Matter of Perspective

If you don't design your own life plan,

  you'll probably fall into someone else's plan.

 And guess what they have planned for you?  

  Not much.

-Jim Rohn- 

 

 

(A letter home from an Aussie soldier)

 

 

Dear Mum & Dad,

I am well. Hope youse are  too. Tell me big brothers Doug and Phil that the Army is better than  workin' on the farm - tell them to get in bloody quick smart before the  jobs are all gone! I wuz a bit slow in settling down at first, because  ya don't hafta get outta bed until 6am. But I like sleeping in now, cuz  all ya gotta do before brekky is make ya bed and shine ya boots and  clean ya uniform. No bloody cows to milk, no calves to feed, no feed to  stack - nothin'!! Ya haz gotta shower though, but its not so bad, coz  there's lotsa hot water and even a light to see what ya doing! 

At brekky ya get cereal, fruit and eggs but there's no kangaroo  steaks or possum stew like wot Mum makes. You don't get fed again until  noon and by that time all the city boys are buggered because we've been  on a 'route march' - geez its only just like walking to the windmill in  the back paddock!!

This one will kill me brothers Doug and Phil  with laughter. I keep getting medals for shootin' - dunno why. The  bullseye is as big as a bloody possum's bum and it don't move and it's  not firing back at ya like the Johnsons did when our big scrubber bull  got into their prize cows before the Ekka last year! All ya gotta do is  make yourself comfortable and hit the target - it's a piece of piss!!  You don't even load your own cartridges, they comes in little boxes, and  ya don't have to steady yourself against the rollbar of the roo shooting  truck when you reload!

  

 

Some times ya gotta wrestle  with the city boys and I gotta be real careful coz they break easy -  it's not like fighting with Doug and Phil and Jack and Boori and Steve  and Muzza all at once like we do at home after the muster.
Turns out  I'm not a bad boxer either and it looks like I'm the best the platoon's  got, and I've only been beaten by this one bloke from the Engineers -  he's 6 foot 5 and 15 stone and three pick handles across the shoulders  and as ya know I'm only 5 foot 7 and eight stone wringin' wet, but I  fought him till the other blokes carried me off to the boozer.

I  can't complain about the Army - tell the boys to get in quick before  word gets around how bloody good it is.

Your loving  daughter,

Sheila

This letter made me laugh ,

 but also made me realize ....the women of Team Fearless have more

Courage, Commitment, and Consistency

 in training than any two of the men !!

 

 You must look within for value,

 but must look beyond for perspective.

-Denis Waitley-

A Question of Influence

Funny this started of as a story about Memorial Day and reflection..... 

If we miss certain events in our lives

 we were meant to experience

what happened instead..

-Dan Pachtman-

 Patriotism consists not in waving the flag,

 but in striving that our country shall be righteous

 as well as strong
-James Bryce-

Of the people, by the people, for the people.... starts with people.

The truest path to a strong collective is to strengthen the components.

So what does being a strong and confident individual mean ?

How do I achieve it ?

 

Lesson one you could take from my dogs Spiff and Meeka as I do.

Every day they are happy to eat, drink water and play in the sunshine.

 I think some times we get so wrapped up in our 'plan' or our schedule

that we forget the simple joy that is our life.

I don't mean become complacent and submissive......

I mean celebrate the simple things.

Lesson two comes from a little girl .

 

 She was acting in a local stage production.

She was to sing and also had several lines in the play,

 and had rehearsed tirelessly for months.

As opening night grew closer her speaking parts were taken from her

The lines were distributed among 'the older kids'.

When I  complimented her on her performance she told me about how

'local theater politics'  had caused her lines to be redistributed,

she said,

"If  I keep practicing I'll get the lines next time."

I was so proud of this little girl !!!!

I sure didn't have that confidence and perseverance at that age.

As a salesperson , teacher and a martial artist I watch people quit every day.

The first step to overcoming adversity is not to personalize it.

Peoples objections to your performance, your words or you personally;

 has to do with the noise in their own heads not with what's really going on..

A great leader sees things as they truly are, not worse.....

 then inspire others to do the same.

 

Transforming vision into reality requires strategic,

 incremental change to achieve radical results.

 

The Sounds of Silence

Never be bullied into silence.

 Never allow yourself to be made a victim.

 Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.

-Harvey  Feirstein-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1Dmrpt_CdI

The inner voice takes many forms but is usually not flashes of light,

life changing spiritual experiences or the result of rituals. 

It is usually just an inner gentle constant urging to change something.

Be willing to listen to the answers whether you like them or not.

Words have power and can choose the direction of our lives.

We can experience life positively or negatively .....

Our mind will create negative,

disempowering meanings whenever things are seemingly going wrong.

Success and failure are not overnight experiences.

 It’s the small decisions along the way

 that cause people to fail or succeed

 -Anthony Robbins-

As a young traditional martial artist

 my interpretations were often deemed questionable.

I remember once at Karate  College......

Joe Lewis said, "What are you going to teach ?"

Years later while evaluating a group of my students at an event in Boston......

Joe said, "Where did you learn that?"

I replied, "From you !"

Once Bill Wallace said,

 "How can you be a Joe Lewis Black Belt with a hook like that ?"

That same,....'hook...like that'.....

sent the Herman Digital Trainer.... Off the scale !!!

http://uechi-ryu.com/my-herman-digital-trainer/

In Uechi Ryu Karate, titles are awarded to teachers

who write or create things that further the art.......

Often the greatest lessons are not in the words, (spoken or otherwise);

But what's inspired from the sounds of the silence between those words,

 and what we choose to to do with it.

Solaced by Reflection

What is the ultimate goal?

 Perhaps it's aspiring to contribute something of real value.

 Helping others that we care about deeply can inspire us for a lifetime.

 There's always a place in the world for those willing to give their energy,

 time, creativity and commitment.

As I form new relationships, take on new challenges in my career,
 encounter obstacles, and celebrate accomplishments in life,
 I take the time to remind myself of who I’ve come to be on my own terms,
 not who other people have deemed me to be.

Calming my inner critic is a work in progress,
but there is one tool that I have found invaluable for being more productive;
 Researching for,  and writing this blog and teaching KickBox Fitness.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my journey so far,

 it’s that people can only take from you what you allow.

 If you allow others to define who you are,

you give them the power to dictate where your path will lead.

All adversarial activities are won by those setting the agenda

-Angelo Dundee-

Our inner critic helps us live in a way that’s true to our values,

 questioning decisions that we might regret later.
The inner critic can also bring down our mood,
self-esteem, and sense of self-worth.

Having strengthened my own nurturing inner voice through this blog, 
and through KickBox Fitness
I can now access that voice internally when my critic appears.

I am solaced by striving to be a reflection of my mentors example.

What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.
All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.

  – Helen Keller-

The consequence of condecension

Whaaaat?

How many times have you read , said, or written something and then said ....Whaaaat?

Interpretation of text, talk or otherwise is magnificantly and sometimes detrimentaly diverse.

Everyone has an internal dialogue going through their heads.
 Just because you hear these “voices” it doesn’t mean you are crazy.

Most of what these voices tell you is negative.
 If you hear these negative things often enough, you come to believe them.

So often, we choose to just accept our limiting beliefs,
 not because we truly think they are correct, but because it’s easier to do so.
Rarely do we consider the impact that our limiting beliefs have on us.
All we think about is how our beliefs let us take the easy way out.

Fortune has rarely condescended to be the companion of genius
-Isaac D'Israeli-

Archie Moore 'The Mongoose',
 was the oldest fighter ever to hold a world championship.

 He lost 26, 7 by knockout !
 Moore was generally considered a light heavyweight contender.
 Until he began a public relations campaign on his own behalf,
he couldnt get a title shot !!

In 234 recorded bouts, he knocked out 145 opponents, a record.
 (more known knockouts than any boxer in history).

 He won 54 other fights by decision.
 He lost 26, 7 by knockout
  and also fought 8 draws and 1 no-contest.

Moore's early boxing career is still being researched, as of 2011 !!

  In his career 'The Mongoose' fought legends of the ring;
Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Floyd Patterson and Yvon Durelle.

Moore trained George Foreman and James Tillis.
 Shortly after his professional debut,
 Ali's management sent him to be trained by Moore.
 Ali refused to do the chores that were part of Moore's training regimen,
 and the two parted ways.

When power becometh gracious
 and descendeth into the visible:
I call such condescension, beauty.
- Nietzsche -

 By age 15, Joan Jett created The Runaways.
The Runaways were.. Lita Ford, Cherie Currie, Kari Krome, and Sandy West.
 Jett sang lead vocals for the band,
 played rhythm guitar and also wrote many of The Runaway’s songs.

The Runaways eventually split up in 1980 and the girls went their separate ways.
 Joan formed a new group, The Blackhearts.

 They were rejected by 23 labels in the United States

 After their rejection, she decided to create her own label.
The group toured for a year and then released their first record I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll.
 Reaction to the new album was immediate.
  “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” went to the very top of the Billboard charts.
 It remained the number one song in America for seven weeks.

Don't live to be judged for what you haven't done.
 Live to be judged for what you have done.
   -Stephen Richards-

I remember Joe Lewis telling me.... 
 If you don't quit, if you look like you know how to fight,
 and you desire to stick around and learn from me and my black belt fighters,
I'll give you a black belt. 
 Give me 11 minutes of your life with all your heart, and I'll teach you for life. 

The Truth

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.

Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

-Marcus Aurelius-

 

 

Successful or not,

 we tell our stories the way we wanted them to be,

 not necessarily as they actually happened.

 Our stories have certain events removed, certain interactions re scripted,

 and certain motivations adjusted,

 so that the story in its retelling more closely aligns with our world view,

 and how we want others to view us.

 

 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge;

 the ears of the wise seek it out.

 

Proverbs 18:15

 

  In the fight game........

 the basics are very complex for someone who has never done them before.

  Failure is eminent without the intent and knowledge of how to employ them in a

 combative environment.

 

 NO BATTLE PLAN SURVIVES CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY

 

-Helmuth von Moltke the Elder-

 

McDonald's sells junk food, we all know this.

There is NO nutritional value,

  were not going to see McDonald's going out of business any time soon.

  Women's self defense programs in many cases, seem to be on the same path.

 Make money giving people what they think they want: fast results with little effort.

 

There are three types that would bring violence to our lives.....

 

The severely disturbed

 

Those in great need

 

Those who enjoy acts of violence

 

 These mindsets are important to understand, they don't reflect normal thinking.

Most people pretend such thought process don't exist.

If you deny this reality you cannot understand or empathize with the threat.

 

- Rory Miller -

 

 

The more you sweat in the gym 

the less you bleed on the street

In the 'REAL World' the trophy is your life !