Referrals, Refrences and Testimonials

Opinions are like body parts some stink some don't.

In today's business,  and the world of love and relationships, references are key.

Identify what other people are saying or feeling about you or your business,

 and take steps to ensure that the general consensus is in line with your goals.


I just want the money and the fame and the adoration, and I don't want any of the other stuff.
-Mathew Broderick-

Each day you have a choice to create references as you reinforce,

 inspire or create positive change in others.

How would you like to inspire others to.........

• Take greater initiative at home and school?
• Take more responsibility for their actions?
• Value togetherness as a family?
• Consistently treat peers, adults and themselves with respect?
• Be honest even when the truth is difficult to share?
• Courageously face fears and persist through challenges?
• Be less influenced by negative peer pressure 
• Be more able to stand up for what they believe in?

In relationships 'he said she said' is not uncommon .

It's even more common when one side feels scorned !

Expect conflicting reports from two or more parties on most issues
between men and women when there are no other witnesses. 

Celebrate Those Who Inspire

Echo of greatness

I made an oath to Joe Lewis that his profound influence on my life,
training and personal development would echo in eternity.

Mr. Lewis,
 beyond being the greatest fighter of all time was a self developed intellectual.
He understood that the cognitive / meta physical produced the physical.
He shared that attributes must be aligned with thoughtful expressive purpose.
Above all else in life through his personal development journey,
 he focused on producing intellectual fighters.

Joe Lewis   &   Dennis Nackard

He expressed through action, writing, and conversation his distaste for individuals 

whom were unable to express themselves from the trapping

s of regimented activities and groups.

This theme carried through his coaching, political discourse and friendships.

Joe Lewis was an independent individual,

 this made his greatness by example that much more powerful.

There is no need to connect his legacy through comparison.

He was his own shining beacon as much as any other legendary

 Martial Artist / Scientist.

Mr. Lewis studied, 

lived and expressed his spirit at a level only reached by a few contemporaries,

Bruce Lee, Mike Stone, Chuck Norris and Bill Wallace.

Joe Lewis was a proud Marine,

 He often paid tribute to his training in the Marine Corps and 

traditional Okinawan Arts.

From this foundation he built an independent process

 by which he and others he mentored from could launch themselves

 into an expression of self through their own independent intrinsic spirit.

-Ian Marshall-

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 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

Blinded by our Passion

 

In our desperation not to face our challenges
 we tend to hide behind people and things

 all the while knowing
 it's much easier to face them head on
 than to run and hide.

We were given hearts to love and be loved,

 sometimes they break.

 

Over time they mend,

the way to mend a broken heart is to love more than ever.

There are people who touch our lives trying to break us down,

but everyone who touches our lives is a teacher.

Trust, like respect is earned not just given.

 The road back to trust and respect is not an easy one.

 It is paved by taking chances, letting someone in,

 giving them a chance to love the hurt away

and reignite our passion.

Some will hurt or disappoint us anyway.

We need the courage to persevere, 

taking every chance to find our passion.

One day someone or something will touch our life,

 inspiring us with their willingness to give us more love,

 more passion than we ever thought we had to give in return.

-Denise Lora Webster Davis-

 ('Sissy') holding her daddy Joe Lewis' hand as he died. 

 

Our passion is sometimes 'birthed' in tragedy.

 

People are always blaming their circumstances,

for what they are.

 

 I don’t believe in circumstances.

 

The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want,

and if they can’t find them, make them.

 

 ~George Bernard Shaw-

 

Find mentors and get advice when pursuing your dreams.

Mentors and pain birth your dreams.
-Dr Mike Murdock-

 Don’t place too much value on family and friends advice.
 Though  well intentioned they're
 advice is more often than not.....wrong for you. 

Draw the line with friends or with an ex
 who's too emotionally needy.

 Professional/personal setbacks feel like the end of the world.
 They don't mean you’ve failed.

 It  means you’re forging a new path.

Joe Lewis said,

 We need to sense whether we've  been motivated by fear

or by confidence.

 One will lead you to being the martial artist you admire,

 the other will lead you to avoid challenges

 by allowing you to continue to hide in fear of being exposed.

 

Feelings are the keys to our motivation and our desires.

 Our spirit is our energy and our pathway.

 Our mentors and/or instructors are our guides and our escorts.

 

 

 

 

 

Heffalumps Revisited....

Some story's just beg for a sequel.........

(in case you missed part one)


http://fearsltd.blogspot.com/2012/08/heffalumps-and-woozles.html

 

Is it REALLY our failure as a coach when a client quits,

loses there passion

 and let's their (BB&T) grow out of control ? 

It is never too late to be
 who you might have been.
 -George Eliot -



Excuses are like body parts: some stink, some don't.

We all have the same number of hours in each day.

 We all have the potential to use them to do what we want.



I've returned to Maine to fulfill my responsibility
 to my students, my clients and to Team Fearless.

A former client,
 who had suffered signifigant weight gain since quitting training pulled in at a gas station,
recognized my vehicle, saw me, u-turned and sped off.

Fear of judgment and negative body image are not an easy burden to bear.

 You're not disappointing me.....

The only person you let down when you fail at fitness...
is YOU !
True courage and self esteem don't come from first time successes but from failing or falling and getting back up and never , never , never quitting !

Running from the mirror and hiding from the world behind your sunglasses and keyboard will not solve your problems.

Don't Fear the Mirror

What we can do is decide that our dreams are important

 and then leverage our passion to honor them.

It may be that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away,
 so that when I've gone and come back,
I'll find it at home.
-Rumi-

 Following the death of my mentor and friend Joe Lewis,
I returned from Ft Lauderdale, Florida
to reestablish my Fearless Fitness / Martial Arts
Northeast Training Centers.

One cannot avoid problems in this life.

 No sooner is one resolved, than another one presents itself.

The solution is not found by focusing on the problem!

 Focus on the desired outcome.

The Solution

As a trainer, you must count rep speed for your clients.

Varied rep speed creates muscle confusion
 and better results.

To trigger muscle building and lose fat,

use a greater time under tension.

 To increase strength and target the central nervous system,

use explosive motion  (less than 20 seconds under tension.)

That's the Body,
Now the Mind and the Spirit...

Calmly and consciously,
give yourself the opportunity to express what needs to be expressed without hiding or holding back.

It’s scary sometimes.
 Take lots of deep breaths!
When we share our thoughts and feelings,
whether it's negative body image, fear, hate or jealousy,
 we experience a sense of,

“Clarity and Self Love"

California Dreaming

 
The effort of the struggle to simply maintain,

and not quit is more meaningful than the victory.

 

You only lose if you fail to learn something.

 If your stamina ain't bendin' ...you're just pretendin'.

 

- Joe Lewis-

 

During  Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace seminars, he would distract us from the screaming pain in our legs by making us sing the song, "California Dreaming".

 

 The song distracted us from the 'negative mental chatter' that occurred during the stretching regimen.......

 

Accepting your fears doesn’t happen overnight.
 It takes time and practice.

When you first address fears,

 your mind will tend to fight you.

This also occurs when you are close to overcoming challenges of any kind.

Fear is more intense when it pertains to the unknown.

    Atheists say that God doesn't exist and that death ends individual existence.

There should be nothing to fear from death,

 since your brain just shuts down.

 Christianity says that death brings judgment to the unrepentant.
 
If you go by the odds,
 either death brings the cessation of existence or some kind of paradise that is open for everybody.
 It is irrational to fear this kind of uncertainty.
 
The only uncertainty that should be feared is whether or not Christianity is true.
Get informed and make a rational decision.

At the Joe Lewis Memorial banquet the most powerful message was given by Joes' lifelong friend
Bill 'Superfoot ' Wallace.
Bill told us of a visit with Joe at the V.A. hospital.

 Joe had spoken very little in the final days and was slumped in a wheel chair as they walked outside.

 

 Bill said to Joe ,

"Joe we're gonna sing 'California Dreaming'....
 com'on Joe your gonna sing with me."
 

Bill started as always.....and Joe Lewis, who as early as Tuesday, Wednesday and now again Thursday had been given only a few hours to live ......... began to sing !! 

He sang the whole song with Bill,
 ( I'm sure Joe was thinking 'Ha got you fucker !')

 

 Joe passed away peacefully two days later with his loving children at his side.

At the memorial banquet Bill Wallace had all of us sing 'California Dreaming'.

This time we didn't sing to forget our pain or to mourn the loss of our friend and mentor,
we sang to celebrate his life.......


Courage is Staying One Step Ahead of Fear

"Legends are Forever."

Joe has gone in search of the yellow moon,
 

in search for his relatives, their daughters and their sons,

gone to the land where buffalos graze in clover fields
 without the sound of guns,
 

where the red sun sinks in the mountains filled with gold,

 

peace for this warrior is where the healing waters flow,
 

the time has come to unstring your bow.

 

Rest in Peace

 

-Jim Maloney-

 

 Since August 31st, my daughter Alli has sent me a daily text reminding me that

 'Legends are Forever'

 and that my friend and mentor Joe Lewis would live on through me. This message was echoed at the 'Memorial' and the 'Memorial Workout' that preceded the full military funeral in North Carolina.

Joe Lewis was laid to rest in Knightdale, N.C. last Saturday, ending a journey that took him around the world and back to North Carolina, one punch, one kick, one knockout at a time.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/09/08/2325681/decock-the-knightdale-man-who.html#storylink=cp

"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love."

-1 Corinthians 16:13-

A hundred years from now
 it will not matter what degree Black belt I was,

the number of World titles I had won,
or how much money my martial arts school had grossed…

 But that the world may be different because I was important in the life of a student…
 What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

- Joe Lewis -

Whenever we think of success in Martial Arts, sports, entertainment or sales we tend to think of the stars in the spotlight. However, behind every great athlete is a great coach.

 

What I find to be the hardest thing about doing martial arts is giving up on trying to be the greatest and to simply begin working on just being yourself. Being yourself is what makes one great. The main purpose of being a good Martial Artist is sharing w/others the things you have acquired yourself and to achieve a sense of accomplishment.

 - Joe Lewis -


Joe Lewis taught us that we are worthy of receiving or achieving anything we can imagine.
We are only handcuffed by our willingness to allow success.

Take the brakes off your thinking and your imagination,
believe that everything you can imagine is possible.

 'My Joe Lewis Experience' is like peeling an onion.
 Each day as I peel back another layer,
I will uncover another lesson and probably shed some tears.

I will not let you down Joe Lewis,
 I will

 "Aspire to Inspire "

 

Aspire to Inspire

I believe life is constantly testing our level of commitment.  Life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve.

This level of resolve can move mountains

 but it must be constant and consistent.

 As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who

 live their dreams from those who live in regret.

- Anthony Robbins -

A professional is dedicated to a career regardless of the field.
It’s the opposite of an amateur.

I have been a professional Martial artist since the mid 80's.
 The biggest step was committing to being a lifelong student.

 In sales situations and in life,

 the way you present yourself plays a big role.

In your training and in your life a professional approach is a must.

No one aspires to be a professional at breaking up but handling it like a pro sure helps if you’re struggling to get over a breakup.

 Negative triggers will keep you stuck.

Both
 looking at old pictures
 and talking to mutual friends are anchors to the past.

 Plan to avoid these triggers.

Lets face it diets suck !

If you’re having a hard time changing your diet,

  steps in the direction of diet perfection are to avoid having the wrong foods in the house and portion control in a resturant.

Water over diet soda is another wise choice.

Studies also show that diet soda actually sabotages your diet !

Joe Lewis taught me that many martial art styles practiced today lack a structured philosophical base. This is why the majority of those involved in the arts will eventually resign from any lasting, active participation. It's unfair to call them “quitters” because in the sacred core of their spirit, they never really started.

 

They were motivated to start but not inspired to continue.

Mentor , Master, Friend....

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,

while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

-Lao Tzu -



 I first met Joe Lewis at a seminar in 1984.

 Joe asked my instructor why I had been a brown belt for 6 years.

 (I was tested for Shodan a month later.)

While teaching at Karate College, John Maynard, Ian Marshal, Mike Allen and I

discussed the concept of forming an association of Joe Lewis Black belts.

   

 Joe Lewis said,

 'The purpose of creating Joe Lewis Fighting Systems Black belt Association

was too dignify the student’s efforts and pursue a common vision based on courageous leadership. Happiness as a martial artist is not attained with self-gratification

 or the greedy pursuit of ego centered values, but through fidelity of a worthy purpose.'

We simply wanted to share a weekend with our mentor, coach and friend sharing his philosophy, wisdom, tactics and strategies without the encumbrances of style,traditional secrecy and the political agendas prevalent in other Martial Arts associations establishing

a 'Fellowship of Valor' for future generations wishing to share Joes' vision.

'The Monkey Dance'

  Following the 1991 death of Kanei Uechi,

 son of Uechi-ryu founder Kanbun Uechi there was an organizational split.

 The directors of the Okinawa Karate-Do association officially created the name Shohei-Ryu,

 their organization's version of the style.

Upon the death of Bruce Lee on 20 July 1973

 there was a split between Lee's direct students.

Some used the JKD and Bruce Lee names for marketing and commercial purposes.

The two main divisions are Original/Jun Fan JKD and JKD Concepts.
 Proponents of both branches include Lee's direct students.

 Have we learned nothing from these lessons of history..?

 Associations fragment upon the death of their founders...!

and so it begins.....

( I received this email the other day.....)

Mr. Buckland:
I understand you are trying to promote your business and know fellow Joe Lewis Black Belts will continue to support your endeavors.
  However, it would seem appropriate to avoid promoting on the Joe Lewis Fighting Systems Facebook page or using Mr. Lewis' name to assist in these promotions.

I thank you for your time and consideration as I am speaking for my self and not on behalf of the JLFS Association.

Of course you don't speak for the association.

 We are a 'Fellowship of Valor".

 We promote the philosophy,
tactics and strategies of our friend, mentor and teacher

Joe Lewis

and

WE DO IT IN HIS NAME !!!

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. 

.