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.

 

Fearless Fitness/Martial Arts: The Recipe

Fearless Fitness/Martial Arts: The Recipe: There are three ingredients in the good life:  learning, earning and yearning. -Christopher Morley- It doesn't matter whether yo...

The Recipe

There are three ingredients in the good life:
 learning, earning and yearning.
-Christopher Morley-

It doesn't matter whether your baking a cake, some gluten free brownies,
 (ha ha Susan)

or trying to develop a successful team with a sense of community.........

The blending of ingredients is the benchmark of success,
 not the ingredients themselves. 

 Grand Master George Mattson, Uechi ryu Pioneer

I've never known anyone to taste flour or baking powder

then smile and say "mmm boy is that gonna be a goood cake,,,,,,,!"

Often our vision turns out to be something  drastically different than we imagined.

Last night in Plaistow, NH...

 I watched 200 plus people celebrate their Black Belt Graduation.
The candidates were joined by an audience 1500 people from the community
These students had been mentored by Senseis' Buzz and Judy Durkin
 and the Butokukai  organization of outstanding teachers.
Associations and dojos have alot to learn from Senseis' Buzz and Judy.

Later during a brief conversation with martial arts legend, 

George Mattson I discovered an interesting lesson.

I said to George,
"It must be an amazing feeling to know your responsible for all this !"
He smiled and said he hadn't imagined this.

During a conversation about the release of my latest film project, 
'Anatomy of the Tide', originally due Sept 2012 now June 6, 2013.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1980038/

I told George I was a bad guy in the film and had used movements from the 
Uechi Ryu Kata Seisan in my fight scene then curb stomped my opponent.

He said sarcastically,
"That should be real good for Uechi Ryu..!

Each of us are merely ingredients in the recipe that is our art,
Our family, our style, our dojo .....our community.

Robb Buckland, Grand Masters George Mattson & Buzz Durkin, w/ Sensei Allan Azoff

 

Live life fully while you're here.

 Experience everything.
 Take care of yourself and your friends.

 Have fun, be crazy, be weird.
 Go out and screw up!

 You're going to anyway,
 so you might as well enjoy the process.

 Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes:
 find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. 

Don't try to be perfect; 
just be an excellent example of being human
 

Fearless Fitness/Martial Arts: The Sounds of Silence

Fearless Fitness/Martial Arts: 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 yourse...

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.

Fearless Fitness/Martial Arts: The I Team

Fearless Fitness/Martial Arts: The I Team: Goodbye Team Halo & DV365 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xuY84XPVCg I am a member of a team,   I rely on the team, ...

The I Team

Goodbye Team Halo & DV365

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xuY84XPVCg

I am a member of a team, 

 I rely on the team,

I defer to it and sacrifice for it,

 because the team, not the individual,

 is the ultimate champion.

-Mia Hamm-

Team JLFS Memorial workout Sept 2012

 I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment

 and life’s greatest rewards is 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-

 Team HALO Arlington Va. April 2012

I've been told that I have two lives...........
One of them is on the road with Team HALO.

We are a podium sales company ....

Road Warriors traveling 40 weeks a year !!!

Yesterday I lost one of my lives

We are only immortal in the moment we are in.

The moment we are in contains our past

and the potential and possibility for the future.

A future that may or may not arrive.

 Team HALO Ft Collins, CO. March 2012

The needs of the many

outweigh the needs of the few or the one.

- The Death of Spock-