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Fighting the Hard Battles

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  Humbled… I am always in awe of the people who train at the academy. They come from all walks of life. Each brings their own unique baggage. Some crushingly heavy. Others much lighter. All are important to us, the porters of that luggage. I am continually humbled by the every day people who come through the doors to expose their throats to their own demons in effort to overcome them. Yes, it’s more transparent in some than others, but make no mistake, we all have them. It can be an outright battle confronting them and letting go. I know, it’s not easy. I, like you have my own that I have fought. It’s an on going, never ending process. However, if you learn to keep feeding the right wolf inside of you, the one of courage, resilience, love, persistence, and faith, the battle lessens. If you keep going you begin to realize that the demon guarding the gate to where you want to go, is of your own creation. You created it to deal with some pain, it seemed to help, but later, it no longe...
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In Front, Beside or Behind

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  The importance of leadership is largely overlooked today. It probably always was, but that’s neither here, nor there. We live now, in this day-and-age, so it’s a good place to begin. We are all leading someone, if only ourselves. So, do it well. MENTORS: Look for those who are a little (or a lot) in front of you. People you respect and resonate with. The folks who have been there before you. They are blazing the trail that you haven’t reached yet. MENTEE: You are one of these mentors as well. No matter where you are at, you’re ahead of some folks in something. Be sure to set a good (if not great) example. At our Krav Academy the new folks go through intro and sometimes if someone has missed a day someone who is just one day ahead of that person will help them out with the lesson they missed. You don’t have to be some wizened master to be a mentor. You already ARE one to someone in some way. COMPADRES: Find someone who will walk beside you. Someone on the (relative) same level as ...
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Happiness is a Full Tank

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  [Almost] Daily email I was just thinking about when I go training out in New Jersey with a friend and mentor of mine.  There’s a pic (above) of the beach…  A little yoga and swim before a seminar... Ah, good for the body and soul! Stoking the Fires… It’s been a minute since I was out there training. The stars have not been in my favor… A lot of conflicts have gotten in the way this year… Excuses?! Hardly. I make training a priority and part of that priority is going out to see Jack and the crew… However, sometime Life does get in the way. Sometimes even the best laid plans don’t work out. I’ve been going out to train with Jack for just shy of 20 years. Religiously I would make the trek from Michigan to Spring Lake, New Jersey to train. Easy?! Nope. Expensive? Yep. Worth it? Absolutely! Bragging Rights?! No, I’m not bragging about it. Believe it or not, I’m trying to encourage you… How?! By sharing the insight that you are worth it. It’s important to dedicate the time to...
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Empty Tank?!

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I’m just sitting here listening to some Jimmy Buffett (still hard to believe he’s gone…). I’m no parrot head, but I did get a chance to see him a few times in concert… Quite an experience if you ever got the chance. I thought I’d sneak one more email out to you before the weekend closes in. Empty Tank!? One of the negative patterns that I see in a lot of leaders out there is that many themselves last. They take care of everyone else, but they don’t take care of themselves. And that, my friend, inevitably leads to burn out. You’re no good to anyone if you burn out  (not to mention it’s a miserable place to be too!) YOU have to stay healthy. If you don’t have anything left, what are you going to give? It’s hard to be a Protector if you don’t have any fight left in you. If you’re tired, frazzled and burned out, you’re a easier target and sometimes maybe even the instigator. You have to feed your body… Your mind… Your soul. You have to be able to recharge. Most folks are operating from...
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It's a Circus...

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  Things just keep getting more and more crazy, don’t they?! It doesn’t matter if it’s politics, work, your family, or yourself… Life’s a bit of a circus and if you’re not careful, you’ll get so caught up in it that you’ll stress yourself right the f*ck out… Before you even realize it, not only are you miserable, but you’re part of the problem. With your buttons pushed, boundaries breeched, and nerves frazzled, you can easily become one of those monkeys or clowns that you complain about. One minute you’re the cool, calm, collected ring leader running things with the greatest of ease…The next * poof * you find yourself flipping out over things that you never thought you would. Next thing you know the monkeys are running rampant, the clowns take over, and the Big Top is burning to the ground. Whaaaaat?! No Wonder You Need a Vacation! So, how do you even have a snowball’s chance of keeping yourself together?! It’s not just about keeping your poop in a group (although that’s a good sta...
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Did They Miss the Point All Together?!

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  Some May Have Missed My Point Yesterday my email was about you being in charge of yourself, w/o excuses. You having the courage to live Life on your own terms… A free-range human, so-to-speak. However… A few of you out there in our community missed all of that and seemed to focus on the comments I made about the good ole’ US of A. The main point of yesterday’s message wasn’t whether or not this is a great county to live in  (I think it is)  or anything about this or any other party or system,  (flawed or otherwise)… No, no, the point of yesterday’s email was about YOU TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR OWN LIFE! (period) I don’t personally have much control over the weather, the government, world policies or otherwise. Yes, I vote, I fill out surveys, signed petitions, I have written letters to some of our representatives of various positions, I even went to some rallies and a protest or two… No, I’ve never ran for office or started some gigantic protest or movement (other than...
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