The re - broken cup, a parable 'redux'

  Several years ago a Kyoshi saw pieces of a broken cup scattered on the floor. He walked by them many times until one day as if the beautiful broken pieces of lacquer mixed with silver and gold called to him. He believed when something is broken and has suffered damage it has a history,
 a story, and becomes even more beautiful.

  He carefully reassembled the fragments and as he did the light from the cup began to warm his heart.t. He specialized in the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery so this task was not new, but this time some how more significant than others. He poured his heart and soul into the fractured vessel like ‘water’ and there were tears that both cleared his eyes and cleansed his soul. He so loved the cup he wrapped it in silk to protect it from possibly falling again.

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  One day after a rigorous day of training the Kyoshi poured tea in the cup as he did after each workout and it nearly fell from his hand. He felt a knot rise in his stomach, for if he’d dropped his precious cup it might have broken on the hard stone floor and that would have been terrible.

And then the Kyoshi smiled .He changed his mind or default 'settings'

Held out his hand and deliberately dropped the cup and it shattered on the floor.

Why?

He’d realized that the things you possess actually possess you and being attached to objects or negative behaviors is a barrier to the spirit.

And so he let his beloved tea cup go and gained freedom from it.

  Don't be a imprisoned by your goals, be empowered by them. Portioning, cleansing, regular training are a habit. Change your 'default settings'.....it'll change your life.

Life is like Sanchin ;
We draw our breath down from heaven and up from the earth grasping and releasing and grasping again hoping to find balance at our center, a balance of the warrior, the monk and the scholar - ’Mushin’

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The boy and his dog

    Our story begins in 'The Historic Triangle'. Linked by the scenic 23-mile Colonial Parkway, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown were stops on our nation’s journey from the first settlement to the final battle that secured independence for the citizens of the new nation.
More than a nation was born here, it's also the birthplace of the story of a boy and his dog.

Shiva reminds us that endings are beginnings

   The beginning of a new year is seen as a time for for new beginnings, we make resolutions for our transformation and restoration. Despite good intentions, success is hard to come by, behavior change requires a 'change in your default settings' or you'll simply repeat your old destructive behavior.

    The chances of success increases when an incentive is added.

Humans like lab rats will go through a maze in one direction to find sugar water at the end..

More than punches and kicks 'the dojo' offers a lifelong lifestyle choice for health and fitness for the the mind, body and spirit.. Most see the black belt as an end but for a few it is only a beginning. When you reach the end of what you should know, you will be at the beginning of what you should sense. The martial journey is like a story with three beginnings. One for the audience, one for the teacher, the third is the student who has decided to pay for pain.

Beginnings and endings are just random pieces of the middle that happen to stand out, the value of your story is in your willingness to sacrifice.

     Gripping the wheel his knuckles went white with desire. This was how the boy would reset his 'default settings'.The wheels of his Mustang exploding on the Colonial Parkway like a slug from a 45. His mother scolded him after he quit college pointing out that he "never completed anything". This car  was a symbol of his willingness to sacrifice. 440 Horsepower of maximum performance screaming down this historic road was more than his therapy, it was a dark shadow grey metallic, air ram inducted muscular middle finger to her..... He even named it Annabelle after her.
    He veered off the road and the gravel sapped the momentum from the tires., he then rose from the car and lit a much needed cigarette. While scanning the tree lined shore he heard a whimper and saw what looked like a wet furry ball struggling by the water. He approached the shivering little wet bundle and carefully picked it up wrapping it in his t shirt someone had beaten, abandoned and left for dead a Lab/Wolf hybrid. For several years he nurtured, taught and loved the pup and he named it 'Shinjo'. One day 'Shinjo' jumped a fence and was 'taken' by a large truck. He was gone.

Shiva reminds us that endings are beginnings, and that our world is constantly undergoing a cycle of birth, death and rebirth

Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one. Change 'your default settings' and sacrifice the unnecessary, Sacrifice comes in many shapes, time, passion and money... don't forget your worth it.Your Championship is forged in the passionate fire of your will and gauged by sacrifice and  'the willingness get up' not the number of victories, titles, pounds lost or pounds lifted.

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THE SIGN POST UP AHEAD

On your last day on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.

-Anonymous-

The New Year is coming , time for resolutions change and rebirth.

The most common is the elimination of bad habits and a commitment to get fit.

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.

- Jim Rohn- 

Healthy diet and physical activity are the first two steps 

The difference between a short term habit and a long term goal is really,

 a matter of goal setting, writing them down and most importantly sticking to it. 

Life is like a card game; it's not so much the cards your delt but how you play them. 

Overnight success is a myth . Slow and steady wins the race.

Think smart not hard.

Coach Tony Blauer talks about reverse engineering a fight or an ambush 

to create a more accurate training model. This method is called science. 

If we reverse engineer our own life experience we are more likely to succeed

than hoping for a magic bullet or a first responder to sweep us from

 the arms of danger or failure. Fear of failure, success or even the unknown 

is the single greatest cause of failure, in life, love or self defense .

Fear is a normal human emotion. It is not in itself a killer. We can learn to be aware when fear grips us, and can train to operate through and in spite of our fear. If, on the other hand, we don’t understand that fear is normal and has to be controlled and overcome, it will paralyze us and stop us in our tracks. We will no longer think clearly or rationally. We prepare for it and control it; we never let it control us.

-Gen Colin Powell-

Knowing what you can and can't control allows focus on one task with laser precision and see it through rather than 'shotgun blasting' all the obstacles at once, leaving most unfinished.Along the way you'll sacrifice some things that in the end will seem insignificant compared to the achievement of your goal. In other words , you'll sacrifice little to achieve much.

The Haters

This year I learned a valuable lesson about all successful people,they have haters.
Having a growing number of haters means your doing something significantNo matter what not everyone is going to like you especially if you are authentic.

The only way to avoid pissing people off is to do nothing. My friend Allison is constantly 'Banning the snowflakes' on her FB page.

The future is a blank page, there are no secrets or guaranties  for success only hard work, preperation, dedication and the willingness to get back up seven times after failing six.

-Buckland-

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