Take control, don’t take what life gives us, instead we dictate what we get from life. There is no point waiting around for something to happen, its time to get out and make things happen. it’s our choice!
Life is not the same as yesterday, it is no longer last week, we are living in the now. We cannot treat life as before, we face it as our reality at this moment. Good or bad it is so, our energy can be wasted on complaints or we can improve on our current situation. We can build now, so that when the opportunity comes we are ready, if not we can watch as others reach their goals.
We have all the tools we need to succeed at life if we do not seek, we will never find, if we spend our time making excuses we can never do. We all have a choice, no matter what happens in life on the way we choose to live, if we let bitterness or laziness guide us, it leads no place, but the bottom. If we live by doing what we know is right, put all our effort into the smallest details, success, and opportunity will follow.
We are all given gifts, they differ from person to person, it is what we do with them that counts. If we waste them or don’t use them for a good purpose, things never seem to fall into place. We all know what is good for us, we don’t need someone to take charge, nobody can do it better than we can for ourselves. Step up and take responsibility for our own lives.
When we are constantly racing towards a destination, what happens to the moments we are living right now? Fast does not always mean better, many times we are in such a hurry we fail to do the necessary work it takes to build a strong base. In life details matter.
Becoming an expert in anything is never quite as simple as taking a weekend course to get certified by an organization. The journey for knowledge is never-ending. Many people expect to go to school, take a class or two and become a master at something. In reality, a true master never stops their quest for knowledge.
With martial arts, in particular, I’ve learned that when you teach others you quickly realize how much you still do not know. You realize what faults you have, and if you take the right steps to remedy your faults, it helps you grow.
No matter what you do well, there is always someone who does it better. If we become so conceited that we believe our own hype, we will never continue to grow.
Even if you receive the highest award in your field, you cannot relax and quit working on your craft. If you do not consistently grow, you will soon be outdated.
There is a documentary I have watched a few times called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It is about a man who found something he loves to do, make sushi, and he works tirelessly to perfect it. He is never content and is constantly looking for ways to make better sushi. That is why his small restaurant is rated the best sushi restaurant in the world.
In life, we must constantly keep learning in order to stay relevant. If we want to stand out in any endeavor we must keep learning and it must be quality knowledge that we gain.
We must change our mindset. Instead of doing something to win, we instead will choose to do something to gain knowledge and grow. It can be humbling to work at things we are not good at, but in the end, it is a valuable lesson. To grow, we must let go of our fear of failure, humble ourselves and often it means forgetting about what the rest of the pack is doing.
I encourage you to pick something you are not good at, and start learning, growing and developing new skills. Each of us has at our fingertips a vast amount of knowledge, why not use it?
When it comes to our faith, the same thing is true. We can never just sit back or coast on our faith. We must constantly strive toward growth. As a Christian, it is up to me to put in the work to continuously grow and become more like Jesus. None of us is without faults. I need to realize what my faults are, and work on them.
Proverbs 18:15
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
2018 is here! What changes will you make? The new year is a great time to commit yourself to better health. Sadly, New Year’s resolutions to get into better shape and go to the gym rarely last out the month of January. I encourage you to make a commitment to yourself to make fitness a regular part of your life and stick with it.
There is no use getting a gym membership where you either have no real idea where to start or you get into something that’s not a good fit for you.
Fitness is not a quick fix. Instead, it is all about the steady, long-term, day-to-day training. If we all take an honest look at our lives, we can all get an idea of how long we have been abusing our bodies. The changes for the negative did not happen overnight, and it is going to take some time to get it healthy again. There are no shortcuts. If something promises a quick fix, run away from it.
It will be hard to stay committed. You will be tired and sore and there are many days you will not feel like training. Excuses are a dime a dozen, but those of us that stick with it will find that reward worth it.
There will come a point where you will be amazed at how great you feel. You will eventually come to the realization that you accepted feeling bad as normal.
Life is short. We have no guarantee for tomorrow. Take care of your body while you are in it.
This could be the year that more of us come to the realization that food is fuel for our bodies. It’s purpose is not to make us happy or comfort us. Good food, unlike medications, has no negative side effects. Proper diet is important to our health and can keep us functioning at our best.
You have heard it before,“Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.”
Eat smart, train smart, make it fun and stick with it. You will be amazed at the difference it will make in your life.
What drives you? If you are driven by money, you are setting yourself up for a disappointing life. No matter how much money you bring in, the temporary happiness of success will wear off, and it will never bring lasting fulfillment. I lived that way for many years.
Maybe you are driven by relationships. If you are looking to another person to make you happy, you may find yourself jumping from one person to another as each one lets you down.
So should we lower our expectations? Never! We just need to adjust our goals. If we place all our hope on the people in our lives, or on material goods, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Life is not about raising or lowering our expectations, it is about making sure our expectations are in line with our God-given purpose. Each of us has a purpose. We have special skills that will enable us to make an impact on the people around us.
Get to know who YOU are. What makes you tick? Dig deep, find that inner passion, because it will show. When you find things you are passionate about, dive in. Keep growing and strengthening your skills in those areas. Become the best that you can at it. Then use it to make a positive impact on the world.
I spent so much of my life searching for fulfillment and yet wherever I turned, for so many years I never found it. I had a lot of high expectations of myself. I was willing to work hard, put in the time needed to move up in the world. I became successful in many areas, but it never brought me peace or joy. At one point I even spent a period of eighteen months all alone working on myself – focused solely on building my mind and body. Even then, I was left looking for something more.
Fast forward a decade. I was living in Los Angeles, working in Hollywood. For most of my life I had been a guy who thought people who needed “religion” were weak. Yet over that decade, people kept coming into my life who I respected, and they would talk to me about their faith. They would give me a Bible or tell me they were praying for me. They would share their story with me. They were not weak. They were not pushy. They made an impact on me and they got me thinking. Thinking about things I had learned when I was a very small kid in church but had not thought about since.
I decided I wanted to look into the matter a little deeper, and I started attending a local church. Immediately, I realized I had it all wrong. I became a believer and slowly started changing my life as I learned about what it meant to be a Christian. Instead of living my life for myself, I needed to live it for my creator.
Soon after that big change, I was headed for another big change. I was driving away from Los Angeles, leaving behind the life I knew and was comfortable in. I had always been a city boy. Now, I live in the Midwest. I wake up in the country each morning. It is peaceful and beautiful here. I have a new perspective on how I want to spend my days on earth.
Training Rock Steady Boxers with Parkinson’s disease has also changed my way of thinking. I see first hand their struggles. I also see how they respond to my encouragement, how they learn and push themselves to be stronger and sharper. I get to share in their triumphs. It is so rewarding as a trainer to see them fighting back, and winning, against something like Parkinson’s that will take over their lives if they let it.
The money-driven younger self I once knew would see my life at this point as a failure. But the funny thing is, I am much more fulfilled using my strengths to help others and living my life in faith than I ever was when I was moving “up” in the world.
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.
Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Motivation, Inspiration and Change 