When I was coming up in karate the topic of emotions was not reguarly discussed. If it was it was in the context of anger. I heard the classical tale of the fisherman and the samurai. The moral is, if your anger goes forth, withhold your hand, and if your hand goes forth withold your … Continue reading "The Role of Emotions: Debunking the Notion that Emotion is the Enemy"

In the early days of my Isshinryu journey, it was fairly common to hear references to Yin and Yang energy. For example, “Joe is aggressive, he has a lot of Yang energy.” Or, “Susan is very calm, she has a lot of Yin energy.” There’s more to the concept of Yin and Yang than I … Continue reading "Little known concepts to help you find balance"

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday’s in your own way. The new year is traditionally a time of reflection. It’s a time to think about the past, as well as the future. I was reflecting this morning on an old memory. Back in my community college days, I had a … Continue reading "Breaking the chains of self-sabotage"

I recently joined the 21st century and paid for a premium subscription to Spotify. I’m a Gen Xer. That mean’s I’ve long resisted paying for anything online that I can get for free. However, I think that’s a 20th century mindset. Even though I get frustrated with paywalls there are products that justify the money. … Continue reading "Unleash The Beast with Music"

A good self-improvement book is grounded in core principles and makes an impact. Impact is the key word I’m throwing out to y’all. You know what else makes an impact? A gut punch and a kick in the rear. A memorable self-improvement book should kind of feel like that. I love the scene in Kingdom … Continue reading "Integrating the Ego: Lessons from ‘Ego is the Enemy’ and the Martial Arts"