Loyalty to Your Cause

Iron Mantis Martial Arts Association 2023 

California - New Mexico - Texas - Arkansas - New York

Mindset
Whether at home, out and about or on the job, if you have work to do don't think about it just do it. - 24 Taoist Essentials

Work:  "Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it."

Wisdom:  "To know the road ahead, ask those coming back."

Truth:  "Men are disturbed not by the things that happen, but their opinions of the things that happen."

Training:  "A drop of sweat spent in a drill is a drop of blood saved in a battle."

Teacher:  "Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."

Success
It's easy to get caught up and let focus get off course.  The difference between a pro and an amateur is that the pro will re-focus immediately after getting off focus.   Amateurs allow themselves to be off focus for long periods of time and end up with low performing days and low productivity.  Taking what you do seriously and understanding that a lot is at stake due to your level of performance and focus is how a pro thinks and acts.  Each day is another opportunity to sharpen your performance and overall production for your school, team and of course, yourself.  It's a simple as this, "when at work, WORK!"  don't waste time doing things that bring small results.  Example: How will this help me reach my goals? 

Love what you do and do what you love!

If you allow your school to look dirty, sloppy and cluttered, it will eventually affect how people see you, the teachers and the dojo as a place of practice.  If you allow respect and discipline to slack, it will affect one's reputation and begin to hurt the goals of the association.  So, you see, everything has a ripple effect.  This is why as instructors we must be excellent at what we do in all areas.  Little room for error.  Like a surgeon who can't make mistakes because it causes lives to be at stake.  We follow a similar premise.  It's important to take pride in yourself and all aspects of your life.  How we act, present ourselves, teach, learn, talk and listen should be that of a professional.  Our level of excellence is what influences our students to live the life of a martial artist.  In a martial arts school we all help each other whether you're a teacher or not, it's our way, like a big brother or a big sister.  So, we do have a good weight on our shoulders, this is what we refer to as "good pressure".  

"Truth, like surgery, might hurt but it cures." - Han Suyin

Warrior Lesson
As warriors, we surround ourselves with others like us.  We do not waste our time with people of low moral character or who waste time with nonsense.  Say what you mean and mean what you say, choose your words wisely, be articulate, your word is your bond.  We talk about what we expect to achieve and we motivate each other to achieve it.  We don't hold back on what we want.  We express it and go after it.  We live with the idea that life is meant to be lived fully.

Loyalty

Having loyalty is a virtue not fully understood by all.  To me a real friend is not one who jumps off a bridge because his friends jump, but one who stands at the bottom to catch them as they fall.  Loyalty is being totally honest no matter how painful it may be.  It is about doing the right thing and doing it for the right reasons.  True loyalty is when one stands by you no matter what.  Your close friends challenges also become yours because your loyalty is to your friends.  You have friends, you have acquaintances, you have family and you have loyalty to yourself and your practice, to your sadhana.  Loyalty is a type of discipline, discipline yields skill, discipline yields freedom, freedom yields peace of mind.

When the Master stays loyal to the Art the student stays loyal to his teacher.   

Teach what you most want to learn.  

Sadhana / spiritual exercise by which the practitioner evokes a divinity, identifying and absorbing it into himself / herself.

Treat others as you would hope to be treated.  Be the change you want to see. 

I hope these blogs can somehow help you or a loved one, we do what we do because we love it, we are all in this together and together we win!

Train Hard, Train Smart, Finish Healthy,

Sifu Jeff Hughes and Yogi Amanda