The Master Key

An innocent girl asks a Chinese master:

Master, why is it that when a man has sex with many women he is 

considered a champion,but when a woman has sex with many men

she is considered a whore ?

The master responds,

"Listen well my child.....A key that can open many locks is a master key.

A lock that can be opened by any key is USELESS."

During a recent trip to Walmart there was a belligerent man 

berating one of the employees about something.

Normally I'd ignore it and keep walking but this was one of those times 

that as you walk away, you get THAT feeling.

The guy was big , 6' 6' built like a' brick shit house' .

I asked him to calm down lower his voice and stop picking on poor girl.

As the last words were coming outta my mouth he hit me.

He threw a big left hook by my ear and cracked my wisdom tooth.

Funny, the 'Sunday Punch' is the most common of all punches.

We practice with it in every drill, yet I got drilled.

Regret is such a terrible feeling, but I don't regret the pain, 

 I just regret I didn't see it coming.

If you've ever had the 'pleasure' of training with Art Rabesa,

 you know what happened next.  Wuke' strike to the torso !

Art, thanks for 'The Master Key to Self Defense' !!

This man flew back 6 feet taking an entire aisle display with him.

He did not get up right away, when he did the police were there.

The officer asked me if my 'hands were registered'.

Always a wordsmith I replied, "No sir, but my truck is, and inspected !

A persons actions tell you everything you need to know.

Whether your fighting or loving, be a tiger.

The opinions of sheep don't matter.

To a tiger the sheep are just 'the meat' !

We must all suffer one of two things:

 the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.

-Jim Rohn-

Regret is such a terrible feeling,

One of the worst moments,

 is when you lose respect for someone you used to 'like',  or yourself.

I regret that .......

  I don't regret the pain, the love or the moments.

 I just regret I didn't see this coming.

Color is the keyboard, 

the eyes are the harmonies

the soul is the piano with many strings.

The 'wordsmith' is the hand that plays,

 touching one key or another,

 to cause vibrations in the soul.

Uttering a word is like striking a note

on the imaginations keyboard.

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"

I can see clearly now

People may have certain knowledge,

but remain totally unaware of how to use it.

 

I see this in both martial arts marketing and in fighting.

 

To me it is all about two things, attitude and approach.

If one is off, this can automatically defuse or negate the other.

 

 A great system of marketing or fighting is only as good as the implementation of a proper psychology (with its practice) behind it.

 

-Joe Lewis-

Fitness First

If you look good you'll feel good.
Learn to be proud of your own body.

If you allow the judgement of other people to affect the way you view your own body you will quickly become just like them.

 Take your health and fitness into your own hands,
 be proud of your accomplishment.

You’ve got to be satisfied with your body and building a great physique has to be a positive and motivating experience.
You only get one body and the effect it can have on your life is too important to leave your satisfaction up to the feedback of others.

Visualize yourself the way you want to look,
or employing a skill your trying to learn.

This really does make all the difference.

 Believe that you can do it.

Visualize a real-life situation where you are using the skill.
  Imagine the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel.
It's a great way to motivate yourself when you feel like giving up.

In fighting violence is rarely the answer,but when it's the only answer physical preparedness is paramount.
 
If you are truly threatened your technique must produce injury.
An injury can be to the sensory system or a structural destruction.

You need to be psychologically prepared to assert the authority of your will with violence of action.

 The two worst strategic mistakes to make are acting prematurely and letting an opportunity slip;

 to avoid this, the warrior treats each situation as if it were unique and never resorts to formulae,
 recipes or other people's opinions.

-Paulo Coelho-

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 -