Two Real Revolutionaries (Part 3)

Monday morning email

Two Real Revolutionaries (Part 3)

“In every passionate pursuit, the pursuit counts more than the object pursued.”– Bruce Lee, the Tao of Jeet Kune Do

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts; put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!” – Bob Marley

July 7, 2008

Dear JKD friend,

Today it’s back to work for most of us after the long Independence Day weekend. I hope you had a great time and I hope you had a chance to reflect on just what it means to be independent.

So since it’s back to business as usual, it’s highly appropriate to finish up our discussion on Bruce Lee and Bob Marley with a look at their approaches to business.

Rita Marley has been quoted as saying that when it came to the business of music, Bob was the quintessential task master.

For example, he hated it if anyone was late for rehearsals. To him that meant that you weren’t serious about your profession as a musician.

I believe this is what may have led to tension between him and other members of the Wailers.

“If three ah we sing de record and den you cyan go work wid it, then you ah waste my time and you nah defend nuhting” was Bob’s way of saying that it wasn’t enough to just make a record, you also had to do the necessary work to make it a success.

To anyone who’s read any of my stuff, you know that “doing the work” is a reoccurring theme in everything I write.

Way too may people give up on their dreams the second they discover that success requires work.

Whether it be music or martial art. A lot of people come to the Academy with an intention of losing weight, getting in shape and learning self-defence. But when they discover that we take these things very seriously, and that we intend to help them achieve their goals, they relapse to their default setting of making excuses about the costs or the schedule or whatever.

They’re just afraid of doing the work.

Bruce Lee was not afraid. He trained everyday. Everyday! Even while driving in the car, he was punching the little hand pad he’d had made for just that purpose.

When I first heard that Sijo Bruce had told my teacher Dan Inosanto to close the Chinatown school and take only the most dedicated students to his backyard, I thought it was a high-minded idealistic thing.

Only years later did I find out that it was primarily a financial decision. The Chinatown school wasn’t making any money and Bruce Lee did not want to continue an unsuccessful commercial endeavour!

When he targeted a market, Bruce Lee quite astutely went after people for whom he knew price was not an obstacle. He knew they could afford his prices.

By the time of their passing, both Bob Marley and Bruce Lee had started to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Bob with his new BMW (which he said stood for “Bob Marley & the Wailers) and Bruce with his Rolls Royce.

Neither of them would have achieved success without paying attention to what needed to be done and neither will any of us, in any sphere of human endeavour.

Have a great week.

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW
305 877-6143

P.S. This Saturday afternoon I’ll be making 3 to 5 minute calls to Academy members at random to interview and record feedback on their Academy experience. If you’d like to ensure that I call you, please mention it to me next time you’re in class.

 

Bruce Lee Exposed! (Part 3 of 3)

Friday morning message

November 27, 2015

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey

“The last thing, and the only one that you cannot physically train for, is the psychological preparation.” – Philippe Perrin

Dear JKD friend,

Had he lived on physically, today would have been Bruce Lee’s 75^th birthday. In the hearts of many he does live on and today we say, “Happy Birthday, Sijo Bruce!”

In my two previous essays I’ve shown my interpretation of Bruce Lee as an entrepreneur. Amongst my reasons for doing so is a desire to illustrate Bruce Lee as an inspiration for more than just physical martial arts excellence.

When it comes to the “business” of Jeet Kune Do, I wonder how much of his approach was intentional and how much, if any, was serendipitous.

For example, did Bruce Lee know that writing a book was one of the vehicles to be used to establish authority? Could be, since the publication of Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defence occurred very early in his career, its photo sequences being shot in the parking lot of Ruby Chow’s restaurant.

Also, it’s reported that Bruce Lee met his future wife Linda Emery while he was lecturing at Garfield High School. Did Bruce Lee know that public speaking was another vehicle leading to authority?

And he certainly did a lot of “preparation” to present a high degree of competence to the public.

His personal library consisted of over 2,000 books with titles on one shelf ranging from The Essentials of Zen Buddhism, The I-Ching and The Koran Interpreted to another shelf with The Waste Makers, The Age of Analysis and On Aggression.

There was another shelf on which was (Napoleon Hill’s) Think And Grow Rich, (2 copies of) The Master Key To Riches, (J. Paul Getty’s) How To Be Rich as well as (Norman Vincent Peale’s) The Guide To Confident Living and The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking.

And still yet another shelf on which sat sales classics like The Knack of Selling Yourself, 1000 Ways A Salesman Can Increase His Sales, The Power of Creative Selling, How To Talk Your Way To Sales, Big League Salesmanship and The Treasury of Surefire Selling Tips.

This third shelf I think it’s safe to say was definite preparation for learning how to “sell”.

Finally, there’s the aspect of unique positioning through the use of frameworks and proprietary language.

According to internet marketer Brendon Burchard, frameworks, (I believe he got the term from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) are the “organizational building blocks” for the material you teach. Add to that the use of a “new” and proprietary language and you have a new school of learning.

Since I wasn’t in Seattle, Oakland or Los Angeles in the early to mid 1960s, I can’t say for sure, but I do know that in my personal experience before Bruce Lee, I’d never heard anyone break down martial art training using terms like “the Five Ways of Attack” or the “Four Ranges of Combat”.

All of the training I’d done and all of the approaches I’d seen consisted of learning specific techniques, perhaps first singly then in combination and finally in longer sequences as katas or forms.

After those training methods we went right into free-sparring. There was no bridge connecting the two to illustrate the practical application. There was no explanation or discussion of the principle behind the techniques. I didn’t experience that until I joined the ranks of JKD training under Sifu Dan Inosanto in 1983.

And though it would take more than 10 years before I came to a fuller appreciation of his (Inosanto’s) and Bruce Lee’s genius, I can now say that Jeet Kune Do has always had everything needed to be a “total development package” containing the physical, mental and professional teachings needed for today’s martial arts entrepreneur, all spearheaded by Bruce Lee!

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 877-6143

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them here on the Academy blog: https://sifudw.wordpress.com. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on the Facebook! Click here and like the UMAA Facebook page. While there, search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2015 Unified Martial Art Miami
c/o 8015 SW 40^th Street
Miami, Florida 33155
305 877-6143

Bruce Lee Exposed! (First in a series)

Monday morning message

November 16, 2015

“Put your foot upon the neck of the fear of criticism by reaching a decision not to worry about what other people think, do, or say.” ― Napoleon Hill

“I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself.” ― Napoleon Hill

Dear Academy friend,

To most of the world Bruce Lee is the phenomenon who, in the short span of three years and with (only) four completed movies to his screen credit, catapulted to the stratosphere of fame and popularity in the film world in the 1970s.

Likewise in the world of martial arts Bruce Lee is responsible, beginning also in the 1970s, for the explosive growth of interest in the martial arts of the Orient.

To many people Bruce Lee was “the King of Kung Fu”, “the King of the Nunchaku” and if you were truly an ardent fan, to you he was also “the Little Dragon”.

Today almost everyone has heard of Bruce Lee. To some he was a great action star. Some others are aware that he was a real martial artist. Some others even know (incorrectly) that he “created his own style” of martial arts by “taking the best techniques from all the styles and combining them into his own.”

Those who delved more deeply past the common knowledge, regard Bruce Lee as the radical innovator who turned the traditional martial arts world on its head by doing things differently and challenging the status quo.

But perhaps there was an aspect to him that heretofore has remained shrouded in a cloak of secrecy or if not actual secrecy, a cloak of invisibility. In any case, it’s not a topic that’s much discussed.

To introduce you to this idea, let me ask you: Did you know that Bruce Lee read, studied and believed in the works of Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale, J. Paul Getty and other legends of personal and professional success?

Several years ago, when I started seriously studying the business of martial arts, I heard many people refer to author Napoleon Hill’s classic Think and Grow Rich as the most important book they’d read to build and develop their entrepreneurial mindset.

Have you ever heard anyone describe Bruce Lee as an “entrepreneur”? I doubt it.

In case you are unfamiliar, the text of Think and Grow Rich is founded on a previous Hill work, The Law of Success, subtitled The 16 Principles of Human Development. Depending on the version you might encounter, Principle #1 (or #2) is known as “Definiteness of Purpose” other times expressed as “A Definite Chief Aim”.

The astute Jeet Kune Do reader just had the same experience I had when I learned that. I thought to myself, “I’ve heard this ‘definite chief aim’ phrase before.” And then it hit me!

A quick Google search confirmed it. Bruce Lee’s handwritten note “My Definite Chief Aim” resides at the top of the online search results for those keywords.

Again, in case you’re unfamiliar, it says: “I Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental superstar in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward ‘til the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10 million. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness.”

Sijo Bruce’s note is dated December 1969 so fully 37 years before I heard how important the concept was, Bruce Lee had already read, studied and implemented Napoleon Hill’s teachings.

So to those who see Bruce Lee as merely an actor, as merely a top-notch martial artist or a pop cultural icon, I submit we have in one person, a role model and virtual mentor for how to be phenomenal martial artists, how to develop our human potential and how to achieve our dreams.

In other words, how to “become Jeet Kune Do”!

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu Dwight
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 877-6143

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them here on the Academy blog: https://sifudw.wordpress.com. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on the Facebook! Click here and like the UMAA Facebook page. While there, search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2015 Unified Martial Art Miami
c/o 8015 SW 40^th Street
Miami, Florida 33155
305 877-6143

“Is It Real Or Memorex?”

Monday morning message

March 23, 2015

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” – Albert Einstein

“I sometimes think that so much of our life takes place inside our heads – in memory or imagination or interpretation or speculation – that if I really want to change my life, I might best begin by changing my mind.” – Pico Iyer

Dear Academy friend,

Depending on your age you might remember this morning’s title as the caption in a TV ad for Memorex recording tape?

This morning I’m not going to talk to you about old-school recording technique (tape… what’s that?) vs. new school (iTunes… now that’s real!) technique.

No. this morning I want to probe your mind with a situational proposition.

Here goes.

To use your sense of smell requires what’s known as “chemical contact”; agreed?

In other words, in order to smell something, its odour must be in the air… there must be “chemical contact”.

And now, can you stop and imagine your favourite smell? Cologne, perfume, food, flower, etc.?

Can you do the same with touch? Can you imagine feeling the difference between a football, a tennis ball and a piece of silk?

So if these things are not actually present, why are their sensations present in your reality?

Now ask yourself: in what sphere of human endeavour does Man have absolutely no limitation?

Physical? Emotional? Spiritual? Or mental i.e. imaginational?

The last one, right?

If you train in UMAA’s adult JKD program then you’re aware of the recent rash of creativity that’s brought a renewed excitement to the training.

If you’re not, you don’t know it but you’re benefiting from that creativity because everything that happens in one Academy class invariably ends up affecting the others.

When I embarked on my own informal study of the use of imagination I certainly did not expect to find a Jeet Kune Do connection.

I should’ve known better!

Remember that Bruce Lee is well known for his rendition of Definite Chief Aim, the famous Napoleon Hill Think and Grow Rich principle.

Well in the material I’m studying, they begin by saying that you must first know what you want in life; you must have a “definite aim”.

And then we come to Bruce Lee’s design of the Jeet Kune Do symbol in which one of his captions says, “Having No Limitation As Limitation”.

I doubt that Sijo Bruce was including the use of imagination when he was talking about that aspect of JKD but I am enjoying my surreptitious discovery.

So, as I’m prone to do, I’ll leave you with a question: what do you make of the fact that you just proved that “chemical contact” is actually not necessary to create “reality”?

What does that compel you to think about the power of your mind?

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW for TeamUMAA
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 595-2892

P.S. Sihing Yahve Montalvo will be covering Muay Thai and JKD classes on Saturday, March 28^th while a contingent of us is attending the Inosanto seminar in Jacksonville.

P.P.S. A couple weeks ago I rented the picnic deck at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park for the annual UMAA Memorial Day picnic. Details to follow.

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them here on the Academy blog: https://sifudw.wordpress.com. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on Facebook! Click here to sign into your Facebook account (you do have one, don’t you?) search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2015 Unified Martial Art Academy
13260 SW 120^th Street
Miami, Florida 33186
305 595-2892

Three Feet From Gold – Becoming Your Best You

Friday morning message

November 8, 2013

“The most common cause of failure is quitting.”

“Before great success comes, you will surely meet with temporary defeat.”

“There is a difference in being interested and being committed.” – Three Feet From Gold by Sharon Lechter & Greg Reid

Dear Academy friend,

I came into in Wheeling, Illinois on Wednesday to be at the GKIC Info-Summit for the next few days… And I swear to you when I got here I tried to be socially normal and went downstairs to the hotel restaurant…

But alas, there were more than 10 people, I didn’t see any martial artists, plus everyone looked like sophisticated adults with drinks in hand, so I fled back to the relative security of my room!

But not before I walked by the exhibitors’ displays where I ran into my old pal Vince Palko of Adtoons.com fame.

Vinnie’s so cool he gifted me a copy of one of his advertising pieces which is tailor-made for the martial arts industry.

It’s a big coincidence (if you believe in them) that the story outlined in his magazine is the quintessential story of pushing through your fears to success.

I say coincidence because on Monday I was asked what’s my biggest disappointment in life. My answer was my inability to convince people of the importance of follow-through in whatever they do.

By that I mean when an Academy member drops out or a prospective member doesn’t join… Many times the main underlying reason is they found out that this thing we do requires hard work.

So they run away making various excuses for why they can’t/won’t continue at this time.

And that’s actually a very common theme which Dan Kennedy teaches in all his marketing… Which is why he also teaches that you must follow-up with people so that when they are ready, you’ll still be among their choices.

All of this “pushing forward” reminds me of the lessons taught in the great book Three Feet From Gold.

In case you haven’t read it, essentially the message is don’t be like the gold prospector who stops digging in the goldmine when he’s only three feet away from the richest vein he could ever find.

In other words, don’t give up. No matter how hard things/times may seem, if you really want something, keep on keeping on.

You never know what might be on the other side!

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW for TeamUMAA
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 595-2892

P.S. We’ll be closed next Monday for Veterans’ Day. Morning classes only.

P.P.S. We’ll also close Thursday, November 28^th, Thanksgiving Day… Morning classes only Friday, November 29th… Let’s vote on Saturday class schedule, okay?

P.P.P.S. The Academy Christmas Party is set for Sunday, December 15^th. Announcement flyer is posted on the sliding door. PayPal link is on Facebook and the Academy website.

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them below. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on Facebook! Click here to sign into your Facebook account (you do have one, don’t you?) search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2012 Unified Martial Art Academy
12580 SW 88^th Street
Miami, Florida 33186
305 595-2892

To Drift Or Not To Drift

Monday morning message

July 8, 2013

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours”. – Henry David Thoreau

You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight. – Jim Rohn

Dear Academy friend,

Last week I told you I’d started re-reading Outwitting The Devil, Napoleon Hill’s 1938 book. This morning I thought I’d share with you a little about what the Devil calls his “most clever trick – the one I use to ensnare the greatest number of people.”

“My greatest weapon over human beings consists of two secret principles by which I gain control of their minds. I will speak first of the principle of habit, through which I silently enter the minds of people. By operating through this principle, I establish (I wish I could avoid using this word) the habit of drifting. When a person begins to drift on any subject, he is headed straight toward the gates of what you earthbound call hell.”

Those words sent a chill down my spine because I can remember as a kid growing up in Barbados watching American cowboy movies and finding the “drifter” who went from town to town a very appealing character.

I think that was probably why as a teenager in school I was more interested in the locations for the upcoming weekend’s parties rather than focused on what I wanted to do with my life.

In spite of this early lack of direction, I did okay ending up in a job that I loved and that allowed me to develop other aspects of life.

But I was lucky and thank God I’ve lived long enough to grow wiser in spite of my early “drifting”.

The Devil tells us what to look for: “I can best define the word “drift” by saying that people who think for themselves never drift, while those who do little or no thinking for themselves are drifters… [A drifter] doesn’t know what he wants from life and spends all of his time getting just that. A drifter has lots of opinions but they are not his own. Most of them are supplied by me.”

Bu there’s one definition of drifting which hit home with me and hit really hard!

in answer to another question from Hill, the Devil says, “Any habit which causes one to procrastinate – to put off reaching a definite decision – leads to the habit of drifting.

I hated hearing that because it reminded of all the procrastinating I’ve done in the past and that which I continue to do today.

So on Wednesday let’s look in to the causes of procrastination and what we can do about it, okay?

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW for TeamUMAA
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 595-2892

P.S. Look for Evaluation results on Monday. Jr. and Adult JKD and Muay Thai Graduation will be on Friday, July 12^th at 6.00pm. Lil’ Dragons Graduation will be on Thursday, July 11^th at 4.30pm.

P.P.S. The Saturday Summer Seminar Series happens this Saturday 7/13 with an exploration of Muay Thai and JKD Combat Grappling methods. Seminar fee is $30 per person. Next seminar scheduled for 8/03.

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them below. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on Facebook! Click here to sign into your Facebook account (you do have one, don’t you?) search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2012 Unified Martial Art Academy
12580 SW 88^th Street
Miami, Florida 33186
305 595-2892

Post-Independence Thoughts

Friday morning message

July 5, 2013

“Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right…and a desire to know; but besides this, they have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean of the characters and conduct of their rulers.”  – John Adams

“If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight!” – Patrick Henry

Dear Academy friend,

I’m late because as I was telling the Kali class this morning, I’m about to violate the basic laws of article writing. My writing “coach” Sean D’Souza says never write about more than one idea in any one article.

So I’m just going to tell you about the three or four sources of the thoughts I’m having right now and on which I may expand over the next few days.

I’m re-reading Napoleon Hill’s Outwitting The Devil and have reached the part where the Devil is telling Hill how he leads humans even from a young age into the pernicious habit of “drifting”. Really interesting.

I’m also reading a new book Conscious Capitalism by Whole Foods’ CEO, John Mackey about his conversion from “ideological progressivism” to “free enterprise-minded businessman”.  Again very interesting. Need to do some research on his methods, though.

I also listened to his audio program Passion and Purpose. I like what he says about integrating the two. Very enjoyable.

Yesterday Dan Kennedy wrote his annual article about the difference between “Fourth of July” and “Independence Day”.  If you read this you’ll see why he’s called “The Professor of Harsh Reality”.

I’m sharing them with you in case you have the time or inclination to check them out.

Sorry I didn’t have more to talk about but I promise I’ll develop poignant ideas from these sources or others in time for next week’s messages, okay?

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW for TeamUMAA
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 595-2892

P.S. Enter PS here.

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them here on the Academy blog: https://sifudw.wordpress.com. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on Facebook! Click here to sign into your Facebook account (you do have one, don’t you?) search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2012 Unified Martial Art Academy
12580 SW 88^th Street
Miami, Florida 33186
305 595-2892

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Friday morning message

July 5, 2013

Post-Independence Thoughts
click the link above to read this email in your browser

“Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right…and a desire to know; but besides this, they have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean of the characters and conduct of their rulers.”  – John Adams

“If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight!” – Patrick Henry

Dear Academy friend,

I’m late because as I was telling the Kali class this morning, I’m about to violate the basic laws of article writing. My writing “coach” Sean D’Souza says never write about more than one idea in any one article.

So I’m just going to tell you about the three or four sources of the thoughts I’m having right now and on which I may expand over the next few days.

I’m re-reading Napoleon Hill’s Outwitting The Devil and have reached the part where the Devil is telling Hill how he leads humans even from a young age into the pernicious habit of “drifting”. Really interesting.

I’m also reading a new book Conscious Capitalism by Whole Foods’ CEO, John Mackey about his conversion from “ideological progressivism” to “free enterprise-minded businessman”.  Again very interesting. Need to do some research on his methods, though.

I also listened to his audio program Passion and Purpose. I like what he says about integrating the two. Very enjoyable.

Yesterday Dan Kennedy wrote his annual article about the difference between “Fourth of July” and “Independence Day”.  If you read this you’ll see why he’s called “The Professor of Harsh Reality”.

I’m sharing them with you in case you have the time or inclination to check them out.

Sorry I didn’t have more to talk about but I promise I’ll develop poignant ideas from these sources or others in time for next week’s messages, okay?

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW for TeamUMAA
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 595-2892

P.S. Look for Evaluation results on Monday. Jr. and Adult JKD and Muay Thai Graduation will be on Friday, July 12^th at 6.00pm. Lil’ Dragons Graduation will be on Thursday, July 11^th at 4.30pm.

P.P.S. Looks like the Saturday Summer Seminar Series will happen on 7/13 and 8/03. Details available next week from the TeamUMAA office.

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them below. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on Facebook! Click here to sign into your Facebook account (you do have one, don’t you?) search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2012 Unified Martial Art Academy
12580 SW 88^th Street
Miami, Florida 33186
305 595-2892

“What Do You Want To Talk About Now?”

Wednesday morning message

May 29, 2013

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business. – Michael J. Fox, 1961-present

To have respect for ourselves guides our morals; and to have deference for others governs our manners. – Lawrence Sterne, 1713-1768

Dear Academy friend,

Fans of Aaron Sorkin, Jack Nicholson, Rob Reiner, Demi Moore, Tom Cruise or Kevin Bacon (from whom I’m one degree-separated) will recognise the above quote from A Few Good Men.

I ask the question because on Monday we came to the end of our dissection of Napoleon Hill’s Seventeen Principles of Human Achievement and I’m wondering where you’d like to go from here.

For new readers of this newsletter it might seem strange that we seem not to talk much about martial arts in general or even Jeet Kune Do (JKD), in particular.

But that’s a misconception. Here’s why.

All of my interest in human development comes from being influenced at an early age by Bruce Lee and his teachings.

In case you were not aware JKD is for me not just a martial art method but also a martial art philosophy.

Unlike other athletic activates, like football for example, the philosophical aspects of Jeet Kune Do are built into the practice.

Sijo Bruce himself said that the philosophical aspects of JKD must be taught right alongside the physical aspects.

So as I matured as an instructor I came to realise that the greatest lessons I could impart through the teaching of the art were more along the lines of self-development and not just self-defense.

And that’s why I’m so passionate about teaching Jun Fan, Kali, Muay Thai and FKB… because when I was younger no one taught me these all important lessons and I’m going to make sure I don’t let the same thing happen to the people I care about most.

In recent weeks I’ve coincidentally come across so many people who are emphasizing the “inner” aspects of their lives and work that I know it’s a topic of interest for many.’

Even last Friday during our JKD teleseminar, there were a few questions of the more “esoteric” nature.

As a renegade I, unlike others, do not believe we should stay away from talking about important topics which affect us all.

If you’re with me let me know by commenting in Facebook or on the blog or replying to the email, whichever way you get this message.

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW for TeamUMAA
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 595-2892

P.S. Evaluations will be held on Saturday, June 8^th beginning at 10am with Lil’ Dragons, Jr. JKD at 11.30am, Adult JKD and Muay Thai at 12.30pm.

P.P.S. Last Friday the 24^th we recorded the return of the popular Ask Sifu Dwight teleconference series. The replay link can be found here.

P.P.P.S.  If you have any suggestions for topics we should cover in the Summer Seminar Series, please get them to me or Sihing John ASAP. They don’t have to be only martial art topics. (See next P.S.)

P.P.P.P.S. If we don’t run a regular summer camp, how about we do some extraordinary training sessions for kids and adults, for Academy members and their families where we expand on the Napoleon Hill principles?

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them below. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on Facebook! Click here to sign into your Facebook account (you do have one, don’t you?) search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2012 Unified Martial Art Academy
12580 SW 88^th Street
Miami, Florida 33186
305 595-2892

Principle Seventeen – Use Cosmic Habitforce

 

Monday morning message

May 27, 2013

Dear Academy friend,

Here we are finally at the last of Napoleon Hill’s Seventeen Principles of Human Achievement.

And it’s a great one: Use Cosmic Habitforce. But what the heck does that mean exactly?

Well, keep in mind that you are where you are and what you are because of your established habits.

And sometimes you’re not even aware of your “habits” because you’ve been thinking all along, “this is just how I am.”

But no, you didn’t end up this way by accident; you chose to be this way whether or not you realised it!

Let me explain. Cosmic Habitforce is the law which makes every living creature and every particle of matter subject to the influence of its environment.

It can work for or against you… the choice is yours. (There’s that word again!)

Look at Nature for the grandest examples of this principle in action. Stars and planets have done their thing day in and day out for a very long time. They don’t suddenly veer off and collide. So precise is their clockwork that Man has been able to accurately predict their movements and positions for thousands of years.

Out of the skies and onto the Earth, you see the same thing. Lions give birth to lions not giraffes. Sunflowers don’t grow from turnip seeds.  Everything does that which is its nature to do.

This reflection of universal order is what you must put to use in the science of personal achievement by taking control of your habits.

Realising that Cosmic Habitforce always happens, you make sure that your thoughts and actions will become as much a part of your nature as the Moon’s orbit is part of its nature.

If your habits are negative, their results will also be negative. If your habits are positive, the results will also be positive. There’s no simpler way to express this.

Habits become a part of your nature through repetition.

If you create thought habits by repeating certain ideas in your mind, Cosmic Habitforce will take over those patterns of thought, make them more or less permanent and put them to work.

The same thing occurs with physical habits.

If your life is not what you want it to be, it’s because you have drifted into your present circumstances through Cosmic Habitforce. But you can change all that.

Go back to Principle Number One, Definiteness of Purpose, backed by the power of Cosmic Habitforce, enforced by self-discipline and personal initiative and you will have the life circumstances you desire.

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW for TeamUMAA
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 595-2892

P.S. Last Friday the 24^th we recorded the return of the popular Ask Sifu Dwight teleconference series. The replay link can be found here.

P.P.S. Many heartfelt thanks to all of you who showed up for this year’s Memorial Day Picnic earlier today. Thanks for taking the time to show your support for your UMAA community.

P.P.P.S.  If you have any suggestions for topics we should cover in the Summer Seminar Series, please get them to me or Sihing John ASAP. They don’t have to be only martial art topics. (See next P.S.)

P.P.P.P.S. If we don’t run a regular summer camp, how about we do some extraordinary training sessions for kids and adults, for Academy members and their families where we expand on the Napoleon Hill principles?

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them below. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on Facebook! Click here to sign into your Facebook account (you do have one, don’t you?) search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2012 Unified Martial Art Academy
12580 SW 88^th Street
Miami, Florida 33186
305 595-2892

Principle Sixteen – Budget Your Time & Money (Part 3)

Wednesday morning message

May 22, 2013

“The battle is all over except the ‘shouting’ when one knows what is wanted and has made up his mind to get it, whatever the price may be.” – Napoleon Hill

Dear Academy friend,

Good morning. In this last installment of principle sixteen, I’m going to introduce you to a concept which has had a major impact on me over the past several weeks.

It’s the concept of “drifting” as Napoleon Hill refers to it. For a major treatise on the subject you’d have to read or listen to his book Outwitting The Devil. But I’ll give you the primer this morning.

Hill says that your attitude towards life determines your attitude toward time and that people fall in to two camps on this subject: doers and drifters.

As you can imagine, doers have a definite major purpose… drifters have no goals. Doers manage circumstances and resources (remember Bruce Lee’s statement “To hell with circumstances, I create circumstances!).

Doers take risks and assume responsibility but drifters run from risk and blame others for whatever goes wrong. Doers create mastermind alliances to expand their knowledge and experience while drifters learn all they want to know from that guy or gal on TV!

If you’ve read this far, it’s a good guess you’re interested in being/becoming a doer, so let’s look at how a doer operates in major areas of life.

Occupation – a doer sees work as the source of all opportunity, a means to independence and security and a way to change the world.

Mental Habits – a doer takes possession of his/her mind through self-discipline, makes plans and carries them out.

Relationships – doers inspire cooperation from others by first giving it. They don’t argue, nitpick or gossip and they avoid people who do.

Health – doers pay attention to mental and physical health by relaxing, exercising, eating right and seeing the doctor when something goes wrong.

Religion – doers are people of active faith.

Doers budget their money by spending it with a definite purpose in mind. And no, I don’t mean the purpose of having a good time! Follow the rule of “Pay Yourself First” by setting aside a portion of your earnings for savings and investments. A strong and growing savings cushion is an important weapon in the fight against fear of poverty.

Make sure you have good insurance on your valuables including your life, if others depend on you. Allocate some portion of your earnings to charity. This is an important aspect of going the extra mile.

You may notice I didn’t continue pointing out what drifters do. I think you get. Drifters don’t do any of the things doers do!

Now go out and conquer the world,

Sifu DW for TeamUMAA
www.unifiedmartialart.com
“Using Martial Art As a vehicle for personal growth and development”
305 595-2892

P.S. This Friday the 24^th sees the return of the popular Ask Sifu Dwight teleconference series. The call link can be found here.

P.P.S. Please add this year’s Memorial Day Picnic on Monday, May 27^th at Kendall-Indian Hammocks Park for to your “must-attend” calendar. You can register online here or in person at the TeamUMAA office.

P.P.P.S.  If you have any suggestions for topics we should cover in the Summer Seminar Series, please get them to me or Sihing John ASAP. They don’t have to be only martial art topics. (See next P.S.)

P.P.P.P.S. If we don’t run a regular summer camp, how about we do some extraordinary training sessions for kids and adults, for Academy members and their families where we expand on the Napoleon Hill principles?

Nota Bene: If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.

Comments? Leave them below. Let me know what you’re thinking.

UMAA is now on Facebook! Click here to sign into your Facebook account (you do have one, don’t you?) search for Miami Jeet Kune Do and join the group.

If this message was forwarded to you and you’d like to start getting this in your Inbox, just sign up on my home page at http://www.unifiedmartialart.com

Media, bloggers, marketers, editors, publishers, Web masters — need powerful content on your Web site or blog? You can syndicate or republish any of the articles you’ve read in Morning Messages or Empower Me Online — for free! Republishing my articles is quick and easy. All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement, “This article appears courtesy of Dwight Woods’ Empower Me Online”, and include a back-link to http://www.unifiedmartialart.com. That’s it!

©2012 Unified Martial Art Academy
12580 SW 88^th Street
Miami, Florida 33186
305 595-2892