The Martial Spirit is much more than the blocks, kicks, punches and patterns. The spirit of a martial artist is what actually sets him or her apart from the crowd. The quotes and thoughts on this page are food for the Martial Spirit. Enjoy. Think. Grow.

Want or Need?

In our world we are surrounded by things we think we want. We want those $100 sneakers. We want a wider screen TV. We want a bigger house. We want a fancier car. We want a Rolex. We want that new cell phone with the extra functions that our almost new cell phone doesn't have.

We want all these things because we think they will make us happier. But, acquiring things is not the same as achieving happiness. No matter how much wider your TV gets, it's still the same old you sitting there staring at it. No matter how fancy and prestigious your new Lexus, somebody is going to pass you in a Jaguar that's fancier and more prestigious. The person who has $10 wants $100. The person who has $10million wants $100million. As long as you equate acquiring things with achieving happiness you'll never be happy. It's a treadmill or hamster wheel with no end.

True happiness comes from a life that is fulfilled, not just filled up with things. It's not bad to acquire those things, but it is bad if you let wanting them and chasing after them distract you from your real goals,or lower your integrity and you hurt others to get them. You'll never enjoy life that way.  The truly happy life is a life of action, not distraction. True happiness comes from mastering and polishing your life. It comes from self-respect and self-confidence and from developing harmony and balance so that you can savor this moment, here and now, for the beautiful gift it is. Happiness is spreading peace and love the people around you. That's the warrior's way!



Personal Power and Limitations

Volcanoes are everywhere - the islands, the mountains, the plains, underwater, everywhere. Some are active, some are dormant. Volcanoes have an enormous power. Most would say it's destructive. I would invite those people to consider that we simply haven't discovered a way to harness the power of the volcano...yet.

The same can be said for many people. They have an enormous power inside them. They haven't figured out how to harness that power and like the volcano, the power inside the human being can also be destructive. In the same line of thinking, the power inside the human being, inside you and I, can be harnessed to do incredible things. It's a power that has no limit that we can see.

There are those who say that we can't do certain things because we're not sure if we have the power. I look at things a little differently. I would say that we don't know that we can't do certain things because we don't know the limits of our power.  In my years in the martial arts I have seen some amazing things. I have seen people break boards, bricks, ice, iron, pump handles, roofing tiles, beer bottles, arrows, rebar and more. I have seen people walk on glass, walk on fire, lay on a bed of nails, stand on samurai swords and the like. I have seen Shaolin monks do a one finger hand stand! One finger!

There is an entire cadre of examples that are seemingly impossible until you see them done. Then it seems everyone and his brother is doing it (except maybe the one finger push up).  My daughter speaks English and Spanish fluently. The naysayers out there question how well she speaks either because she's only 3 1/2 years old. But, her vocabulary in both languages is ahead of most kids 2 years older than her. Not because she's my daughter, but because she doesn't know what she's NOT capable of. You may be asking, " Don't you mean she doesn't know what she IS capable of?" No, I don't mean that at all. You see, she doesn't know what she can't do, so she tries to do everything. Sometimes it can be a challenge because she's like the Energizer Bunny. But, you know what? All kids are like that, at least at some point in their little lives.

That is, until we teach them to become dormant volcanoes. Trapping all that power inside and when it tries to escape, adults tell them to quit causing trouble, stop it or else, don't make me mad, you're gonna get it if you don't shape up, etc., etc. Many times this is because it's more convenient for the adults or parents. 

Then these kids grow up to be adults, with a lot of their energy bottled up inside them. This often leads to many people never fulfilling their potential and some times even worse.

I invite you to take this time to look for the hidden power inside you. Remember, "If you seek you will find." And I promise you that if you invest the time in searching for this internal energy source, the creativity that you had as a child, you will discover a force within that will launch you toward your dreams.

David Martin



The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists

Japanese proverb







Be Successful

"Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously and never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop this picture!"

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale


Where Are YOU Going??

An American investment banker was on the dock of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with only one fisherman docked. Inside the boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. He replied that it only took a little while.

The banker then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish.  The fisherman said that he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. Then the banker asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The fisherman replied, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor."

The banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.  Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

"But senor, how long will this take?", asked the fisherman.

"15 to 20 years", replied the banker.

"But then what, senor?"

"Well", the banker laughed, "that's the best part. When the time is right you would announce a public listing and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions"

"Millions, senor? Then what"

The banker said, "Then you could retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids and take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings, where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos"


Treat Failure As Fertilizer
Experience provides growth. Failure is only in the mind and if you realize this, you can't fail. Only when you give up, only when you quit, will you have failed. The majority of people never begin to act on their dreams, because they fear they will fail in advance.

A's, B's and the Three R's

Our beliefs and abilities can make or break us.

Everyone knows that the three "Rs" - "reading, (w)riting, (a)rithmetic" - are critical skills to develop. But there are other abilities and beliefs that are equally critical if you are going to live a successful life.

You must believe that you are a capable person, you contribute in meaningful ways to your relationships and society, and that you have the power to influence what happens to you in your life.

You must have the ability to understand your own emotions and use that understanding to develop self-discipline and to learn from your experiences. You should be able to work with others and develop friendships through communication, cooperation, negotiation, sharing, listening and empathizing.

And you should be able to respond to the limits and consequences of everyday life with accountability, adaptability, flexibility and integrity. Finally, you should be able to use your wisdom, judgment and experience to evaluate situations according to appropriate values that you have chosen to live by.

What do you suppose the world would look life if you kids came out of school with these abilities and beliefs as well as the usual "Three Rs?"

Lou Tice