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Bruce Lee.  Muhammad Ali.  Morihei Ueshiba. . .

Although each of the above listed Warriors were well known for their combative skills, it is their contributions to life philosophy and the transcendence of kicks and punches that makes them most fascinating.  Please enjoy the few quotes I have selected as well as my commentary below.

Bruce Lee:

“Do not be tense, just be ready, not thinking but not dreaming, not being set but being flexible. It is being ‘wholly’ and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.”

This state of relaxed readiness is difficult for many to achieve.  Whether it is the mental replaying of our mistakes from the past, or the constant checking of a cell phone in anticipation of an incoming call, staying in the present moment is a rare achievement.  Intentional time away from distractions, through practices such as seated meditation, walking in nature, and even playing with children and pets, can help us return to the moment of now.

Muhammad Ali:

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

We all have moments where we want to quit.  Where continuing down a path seems futile.  And perhaps the particular path we are on is futile.  But in our hearts, we know if the end result we seek is worthy and that is what we must not give up on.  The price of aspiration plus action always involves some degree of pain and sacrifice.  But it is these efforts of endurance that serve as gatekeepers for our worthy accomplishments.

Morihei Ueshiba:

“Progress comes to those who train and train. Reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere.”

There are no secret techniques.  There are no short cuts.  No magic pills, potions, or powders will give you six-pack abs.  No crash-course will bring you Internet riches.  Nearly all things must be learned through the School Of Hard Knocks.  The journey, the falling down and then getting up, is the reward.

Much of life involves conflict and the facing of obstacles – sometimes from external forces, and often from ourselves.  And this is why looking to those who turned conflict into art can provide lessons that go far beyond the realm of physical combat.

Who else has turned conflict into art and left valuable life lessons as a result?  Examples of historical figures or those in the present are all welcome.  What lessons have they conveyed?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

And for more quotes from Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, and Morihei Ueshiba, be sure to receive the free PDF report by entering your email address here:

“You should not have any special fondness for a particular weapon, or anything else, for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough.”

~ Miyamoto Musashi, The Book Of Five Rings

I didn’t bring much with me when I moved to Austin.  No bed, no couch, no furniture of any kind.  Just me and my dog in our 400 square foot studio apartment and an old camping bedroll to sleep on.  Admittedly, that might have been a little extreme.

I now have a bed.  And a stool to sit on.  I’ll probably get a couch in the not too distant future.  But my mind has shifted to where I consider these things luxuries and not necessities.

If we are existing with a base level of good health, then all of our necessities are being met. Luxuries for purposes other than the enhancement of health or our work hamper our fluidity of movement and thought.  Even the tools we use for health and our work can often be scaled back to a level of the “minimum effective dosage”.

Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman of Japan, defeated countless opponents with a wooden sword.  He didn’t need a steel blade when the wooden sword served his purpose.

I’m typing on a MacBook that is over three years old and has it’s occasional spurts and sputters.  But it has never failed me for my work of writing, processing refunds online, and audio and video editing.  As much as I’d like to scrap this plastic old laptop for a shiny new aluminum bodied high-speed latest and greatest MacBook Pro, it would be unnecessary while this computer still works.

“Do nothing that is of no use.” ~ Miyamoto Musashi, The Book Of Five Rings

Do you have a fancy home gym with pulleys and weight stacks and pieces and parts?  All you really need is a pull up bar.

Do you spend hours per day in your car for your commute to and from work?  Move closer to the office.  Maybe even so close that you can get rid of your car (I swear getting rid of my car was one of the best decisions I’ve made in years).

Do you have rooms in your home that you almost never use?  Relocate to a house or apartment that is just big enough for your needs.

Do you have more than one television in your home?  Why?  Of course my thought is to get rid of all of your televisions, but I know that will not be met receptively by many people.  But do you really need more than one?

Perhaps you feel the objections rising – perhaps even passionate objections – as to why you cannot reduce your “things”.  Let them go.  You don’t need any of it.  If you are existing with a base level of good health, then all of your necessities are being met.

What material possessions do you feel like you cannot live without?  Is there a happy medium without throwing out your television and getting rid of your car?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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“Fight!”

Fight.  That’s all he said.  No details on the level of contact we should use.  No clarity on the rules of engagement.  Just “Fight!”.  I was 17 years old.

I rushed the black belt with a forehand swing of my stick.  He parried easily and we ended up chest to chest – too close to swing the sticks.  I reached up with my off hand and grabbed him by the throat.  He stepped to my inside, dropped his hips, and tossed me through the air with ease.  But we were too close to the trophy case. . .

My left foot smashed through the glass of the trophy case.  I rolled onto the floor and landed on my stomach.  As I looked over my shoulder, I could see the bottom of my foot but not the top of my foot.  And the top of the foot is where all of the damage was.

I remained calm.  I didn’t get a visual on the true extent of my injury, so I didn’t panic.  Everyone in the room either helped apply first aid or reassure me that everything was alright.  We went to the hospital.

I left the hospital with my wound treated and my foot bound in a heap of gauze and bandages.  I still hadn’t seen the damage.  And I was still calm.

The next morning I had to clean my wound.  So I undressed my bandages and for the first time, saw the true extent of my injury.

48 stitches. My foot was swollen in hues of purple, blue, and green.  The laceration ran from my middle toe to around my big toe.  I was lucky I still had toes. It looked like the foot of Frankenstein.

I felt light-headed.  I got short of breath.  I panicked.

And then I regained my composure, cleaned the wound, and dealt with reality.  I walked with a cane for several weeks.

Often, we ignore the extent of the damage we have done to ourselves.  Whether that be from poor diet, lack of exercise, drug use, or being a workaholic.  And ignoring the facts serves us – it allows us to soldier on.  It allows us to not panic.  And it allows us to keep going in pursuit of goals that beckon our attention when we really need to pause.

But eventually we have to look at the wounds we have created.  We have to see the harsh reality.  And then we have to get a grip, clean the wound, and deal with it.

No matter how far down the wrong path we have gone, we can always turn back.  It’s never too late to change.  It’s never too late to start cleaning the wounds.

We might need a cane for a while.  But eventually, if we deal with reality and change course for the better, we’ll walk with a spring in our step that we never had before.

We’ll be better than ever.

Have you ignored pain and damage in pursuit of a goal?  Did a temporary ignoring of physical, mental, or emotional injury serve you, or did you allow it to linger into permanency?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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“Don’t dwell in the past. . .”

The above statement reminds us to keep pushing forward as opposed to slipping into stagnation.  No one wants to be the former high school quarterback who still wears his old letterman jacket with his receding hairline and beer gut.  But to say there is not value in the past is short sighted.  The past holds triumphs we can return to that bolster confidence.  It holds failures that we can evaluate as we plot a course to future success.  With no past, there is no experience.  And I’ll take experience over theory any day of the week.

But what is confidence?

Confidence is nothing more than a belief that you will succeed at a task or event in the future based upon results you have previously achieved.

Sometimes this belief is based on an apples-to-apples comparison: I tied my shoes yesterday, so I believe I can tie them today. In this case, repetition (often called practice) fortifies the belief of success.

Sometimes confidence is based on an apples-to-oranges comparison: I learned how to play the piano, so I believe I can learn how to work on automobile engines. Here both are intricate skills (like both apples and oranges are fruits), but the knowledge and dexterity required for the respective activities does not transfer from one to the other.

And sometimes confidence is based on an apple sauce to apples comparison: I made a mess of things before, but now I see how to avoid the previous mistakes and understand the path to success. Mistakes and “apple sauce” are often unavoidable, and it’s usually best to get them out of the way as soon as possible and fail faster to success.

Regardless of the fruit combination, artifacts from the past such as old pictures, diplomas, and even rejection letters can give us the surety that only comes from a been-there-done-that path.

Two years ago, I got into the best shape of my life.  A year ago, I slipped out of shape as I allowed my self discipline to wane under financial and relationship pressures.  Now I’m back on the path of being in top shape, and it is the pictures and videos from two years ago that are driving me on to success today.  In reviewing these old pics and videos, I ask myself, “How much better I can I be this time?”

Although my “Failure” video tends to get the most attention, it is the video below that I return to when I need a little extra fortification in my belief of success:

Reviewing the past is different that getting stuck there.  It is practice, comparable experience, and mistakes that forge confidence and blaze the trail to future success.

How do you build confidence?  Do you reflect on symbols or records of the past to bolster your belief in future success?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Sensei Clarence West

Sensei Clarence West was killed on Sunday November 23rd.  He died trapped in his dojo as it burned to the ground.

I began my training with Sensei West when I was 15 years old.  I received my first black belt under him at age 20.  I continued to visit his school and train with him through my time in college, law school, and the Army.  I ended my relationship with him at age 32 when I opened my own school.

Sensei West was “old school” by many accounts.  When I started training with him, his school was in a rough part of town where kids who couldn’t afford tuition washed his van in exchange for lessons.  His training methods were often unorthodox (what else do you call throwing metal chairs at your students?) and sparring was full of hard contact, sweeps, and take downs.  I wear a scar on my left foot from being tossed through a display case at his school that earned me 48 stitches.  His training instilled in me a street-sense and self-confidence that was sorely lacking for this momma’s boy.

He was a master of self promotion.  With his loud suits and louder personality he was the center of attention where ever he went.  I sometimes called him the Don King of karate.  But never to his face.

Despite his often overbearing nature, he had a good heart.  When my mother, sister, and I had to move out of my stepfather’s volatile home, Sensei West was there to ensure the safety of my family from any potential outbursts.  And to help carry our stuff to the car.

When I was ready to open my own school, I scheduled a meeting with him.  I told him my plans and how I wanted to teach many things that I had not learned from him.  He was not happy and did not try to hide his dissatisfaction.  He requested that I wear a neutral belt, with no indication of training under him or of my other styles of study.  And that is why to this day my belt, and the belts of the Black Belts promoted under me, bear no fancy embroidery or stripes.  That meeting, over five years ago, was the last time I spoke to Sensei West.

I often thought about trying to mend our relationship.  Especially after being a part of the Ultimate Black Belt Test with the test requirement of mending relationships.  As a member of Team 4, I thought about contacting him.  And think about it is all that I did.  As a member of Team 6, again I considered contacting him.  But hey, the test doesn’t “officially” start until January. . .

Now I will never mend our relationship.  I will have to live with knowing that I failed to do something my heart knew was right, but I did not do because I was overcome with fear.

To honor Sensei West, this past week I taught all students Yellow Belt and above the one form that I transferred from his system to mine without alteration.  It is our Brown Belt form that he called Sohn Hak Que.  You can view it by clicking here.

We are sometimes reminded that life is short and hesitation of action is almost always a mistake.  May Sensei West rest in peace.

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