A Matter of Intent

Here's to bad judgment, questionable morals and a brutal hangover

that'll result from yet another night spent trying to create memories 

we'll be to drunk to recall.

I've spent years attending every martial arts confrence and seminar

 I had enough gas money to get to.

Slept in cars to save on hotels...whatever it took.

It was my avenue to overcoming low self esteem.

now when I look back on the past,

I smile and say to myself,

"I never thought I could do it, but I did.

I overcame all the people who tried to bring me down"

There will always be a reason why you meet people,

either you need them to change your life,

or your the one that will change theirs.

The journey is not easy, it is wrought with pain and disapointment.

 if you are a slave to your emotions.

Emotions are the slaves to your thoughts,

and you are the slave to your emotions.

Bruce lee would talk about emotional content.

Joe Lewis, about having an attitude technique.

I tell my people to 'Act as if'......

and 

'Move with authority'

On the sales floor I am a master manipulator.

a ruthless wordsmith with a bottomless 'toolbox' 

and the tenacity of a rabid dog.

The intent though is not merely to create revenue for my company,

but to bring a lifetime of great memories to my customers and their families.

In the end all any of us has is our memories.

In Life, Love, Martial Arts and Business whats important is intent not illusion.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer

Create REAL memories, cherish the time with friends and family,

train till you puke ....then train more

A plant doesn't grow from ambition

 or to satisfy good intentions

 They thrive because someone expended effort on them.

Bulletproof

Have you ever been a victim of an emotional shakedown ?

Someone you know or trust questions your integrity,

and it shakes your confidence.

Self-worth comes from one thing,
thinking that you are worthy.
-Wayne Dyer-
Joe Lewis taught me that we defeat opponents on different levels.
Mentally defeating an opponent by creating self doubt.

Physically defeating opponent is a matter of
victory through superior firepower, tactics or strategy.

Defeat a fighters spirit or 'heart' by analyzing a fighter, 
keeping him off balance by taking away his strong points.
This will erode his confidence. 

A fighter that embraces their inner awareness
 will become unstoppable
-Joe Lewis- 

In our lives we must embrace change and personal awareness.
or
We'll work tirelessly to cultivate an external environment that we lack inside.
We'll use superficial benchmarks to validate our existence grades,
 jobs, money and degrees from schools.

The road to rebuilding confidence begins with finding success.
Success in meeting your most basic and heart-felt needs.
 The black hole of needing will begin to be appeased,
 one nourishing meal or cup of coffee or honest conversation at time.


 If you don’t nurture the spirit and become self aware
 you will never be a real champion;
 in the ring, life, family, friendships, sports, school or on the job.

 

Trial by Fire

Trial by fire or ordeal
is a judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused is determined by subjecting him to an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience.
 Classically, the test is one of life or death and the proof of innocence is survival.
 The accused is considered innocent by escaping injury or if his injuries heal.

'Ordeal by Red Hot Iron'

According to modern evolutionary theory, 
different emotions evolved at different times.
 Primal emotions or fears are associated with ancient parts of the brain.

They evolved among our pre mammal ancestors.

If you always put limits on everything you do,
physical or anything else.
 It will spread into your work and into your life.
 There are no limits.
 There are only plateaus,
 and you must not stay there,
 you must go beyond them.
-Bruce Lee-

It's said that failure to act or laziness is a sin...............

Sloth...... is defined as physical laziness or spiritual laziness.
Sloth has also been defined as a failure to do things that one should do.
 In Christian faith the definition is evil exists when good men fail to act.

In martial arts the trial by fire is the Black Belt test.
  Joe Lewis told us that for 11 minutes he wanted us to give him all of our heart.
This was probably one of the most pivotal moments in my life .
Did I experience fear....yup ...............Pain ....Hell Yea !

When I was experiencing intense pain,
 just on the other side of the suffering was an intense connection with life.
 and with being embodied, having a body and feeling sensations.
 It’s almost as if the pure experience of it was all that mattered.

I recently had the honor of watching two of my students 'trial by fire',
The pre-test for Black belt.

I know intimately the commitment and sacrifice they've made.
And
I am blessed to have shared this experience with them.

In what ways might you be avoiding the pains of daily life? 
How can you engage on your lifes' journey while saying “No” to the parts that feel difficult?

We numb ourselves by constantly pursuing achievement and in doing so, 
we miss out on the true joy that comes from actualizing our truest and deepest desires.

Fire is the origin of stone.
By working the stone with heat,
I am returning it to it's source.

-Andy Goldsworthy-

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"

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. 

.



Here Comes the Judge

Here come the Judge...

Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge,  you will be judged; and with the measure you use,  it will be measured back to you. - Matthew 7:1 - When I was first starting to compete.  I never went to a tournament just to win I went to leave an impression.  I wanted everyone to remember I was there  and hope I wouldn't  return.

- Joe Lewis -

The real reason one fights is to preserve and to dignify those values representing that for which he stands.
 We fight to demonstrate the standard of excellence all black belts should subscribe to:
  physical conditioning
  an indomitable will
  impenetrable defense
 undetectable pain tolerance

  the two “essential components” of high self-esteem...... a high level of SELF-RESPECT and SELF-EFFICACY.

 In life as is in the ring the good guy doesn't always win...............

Fear Of Judgement

In the world of relationships,
 martial arts and fitness there is alot of ego and insecurity
It’s taken me years to realize,
 but now I choose not to assume that people are judging me

or thinking they’re better than me.

 I can assume people see the best in me,
 as I’m able to see in them when I stop obsessing about myself.

'Someone I used to know'  would say,
 "It's not always about you !"

I realize now that when people do feel superior or judge

 they’ll be standing behind their own heap of insecurities,

 wanting to feel more assured but knowing no other way to do it.

 Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the judgment that something else is more important than fear

 - Ambrose Redmoon -