Wolf among Sheep

IRON MANTIS MARTIAL ARTS ASSOCIATION / 2023

CALIFORNIA / NEW MEXICO / TEXAS / ARKANSAS / NEW YORK

Purpose
Your Purpose is the thing you want to achieve, especially something that you are determined to do or get.

Wolfpack
Striving...always striving to do and to be our very best!  It's amazing how we place this kind of good pressure on ourselves when so many others do not.  In our environment there are two kinds of people, there are sheep and there are wolves.  The sheep tend to follow one another and look for wolves to lead them.  The wolves control their own lives by planning, setting goals and taking action.  The sheep tend to allow life to pass them by and allow others to control their destiny.  For every 10 sheep there is one wolf.  We are wolves.  In Chinese culture we are a combination of the Tiger and the Dragon.  The Tiger is the external who acts to get things done and the Dragon is the internal which is full of humility, patience and wisdom.  The world would be in a heck of a lot of trouble if it didn't have wolves like us.  We are the creators, the ones who build and lead by our example.  We are the teachers, mentors, heroes, entrepreneurs, warriors, coaches and masters.  We only know one way to live and that is as wolves.

Go Big or Go Home

Intensity always outdoes duration.  Let me explain this...  You will get a lot more done by applying 100% intensity into the task for say 10-20 minutes than you would if you apply 25% in two hours.  This applies to exercise, training and work.  The same intensity you put into your Martial Arts, Yoga and Fitness training should roll over into business and life.  Martial Arts becomes a life lesson only if you apply it's teachings to your life.  Martial Arts is not only on the training floor.  Being intense is not about overdoing or about being out of control.  It's actually about being in total control of yourself and the outcome that you are after.  In bodybuilding there is an old saying, "Intensity for Immensity."  Apply this to what you do and watch how your performance will grow and results will too.

Manifest
A postulate is a conclusion, decision or resolution about something.  A postulate is a person saying "I am going to do something."  That is postulated action.  "I am going to be something," "I am not going to be something," or "I am going to change something on some dynamic (urge to survive along a certain course) or other" these are postulates.  It is a statement directed wholly in the future.  Though the future may be only a split second from that postulate, it is still the future.  A self-created truth would be simply the consideration generated by self.

Ability:  "Behind every able man, there are always other able men."

Change:  "If you don't change direction, you're likely to arrive at where you are headed."

Decisions:  "A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion."

Knowledge:  To attain knowledge add something every day, to attain wisdom remove something every day."

Optimism:  "A clever man turns great troubles into little ones and little ones into none at all."

Warrior Lesson
In combat the warrior cannot be concerned with loss or injury because to have such thoughts simply creates a weakness that the enemy can attack.  To be successful, the warrior relies on his instincts developed through his training as if with no mind.  The combat experience reflects back the spirit you put into your training.  It mirrors the dedication and the hard work placed in the physical, mental and spiritual practice.  Your training should be as tough as the real combat experience or you will not have a chance.  It is said, "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat."

We all have challenges in our life.  It's these challenges that test our strength and our character. Many will brag about being warriors and having courage, etc.  Well, all that is truly tested when "sh*t hits the fan," as they say.  You have to look at challenges as the test life gives you so you can evaluate how much you have grown.  This is why you see so many people break down when a big challenge is put in their path.  They have not put any time and focus into training their emotional content to be able to withstand the pressure of a challenge.  Daily you must look at those little set backs as a quiz to see how you are doing.  When the big test comes, you will be ready to get that big "A+"

Many times you will find excuses for not doing things because you can't get everything done exactly as you would like.  Yet, the bold get in the habit of doing something positive each day.  Small efforts done continually can yield significant, positive results.  Do it now while it's on your mind.

"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble.  Courage is the foundation of integrity."  - Keshavan Nair

Train hard, train smart, finish healthy & have fun!

Sifu Jeff & Yogi Amanda