Me

Conquering the adventure of life through martial arts, total wellness, and personal development!!

[secretsonlyiknow]

#iamunconquerable #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #toshindo #ninja #ninjutsu

[secretsonlyiknow]

Awesome job today ninjas!! #iamunconquerable #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #toshindo #ninja #ninjutsu

[secretsonlyiknow]

#iamunconquerable #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #toshindo #ninja #ninjutsu

[secretsonlyiknow]

#iamunconquerable #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #toshindo #ninja #ninjutsu

[secretsonlyiknow]

#iamunconquerable #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #ninja #toshindo

[secretsonlyiknow]

#iamunconquerable #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #ninja #toshindo

[secretsonlyiknow]

#iamunconquerable #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #ninja #toshindo

[secretsonlyiknow]

#invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #iamunconquerable #ninja #toshindo

[secretsonlyiknow]

I made a promise to myself last year, "no more enemies." The thought behind it was this, I would no longer allow myself to view someone else with hatred in my heart. I would no longer look at someone as an enemy. Needless to say, this hasn't exactly been easy; especially for me and my tendency to carry a grudge. At first, I thought the answer was compassion. I treated this as seeing myself in others. When someone did something hurtful, I imagined how much pain I would have to be in to do the same thing. This made more space for forgiveness, but I still found myself being hurt and frustrated by people's actions. Compassion is a beautiful first step, but the next step is love. Pure, unconditional love for EVERY person I encounter. Understanding someone's pain is one thing. Loving them despite the way that they handle that pain is something else. Unconditional love. No matter how long it takes or how much it hurts. I'm not in ANY advocating a passive submission to abuse. I'm a martial artist through and through. I FIGHT for what I believe in. I AM advocating fighting for love. Sometimes fights are fast and easy. Sometimes fights last forever and grind you down to the bone. Fight for love EVERY day, with EVERY person you meet. I promise, your world will be brighter for it. #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #iamunconquerable #ninja #toshindo #love

[secretsonlyiknow]

"By virtue of our perseverance, we have become unconquerable." #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi#iamunconquerable #ninja #toshindo

[secretsonlyiknow]

Push yourself today. #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #iamunconquerable #ninja

[secretsonlyiknow]

Favorite cardio

[secretsonlyiknow]

Morning meditation sanctuary #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #iamunconquerable #ninja #toshindo

[secretsonlyiknow]

Never stop sharpening your skills. #invictusquest #wanderingshinobi #iamunconquerable #ninja #toshindo

[secretsonlyiknow]

So is EVERY day...

[secretsonlyiknow]

The Reality of Fear (Alan Pitts)

Every single one of us has thought it multiple times. I’d be willing to bet that we’ve all said it at least once in our lives. I’m talking about that small handful of powerful words that can shape our future. “But I’m scared.” While some of us might not feel comfortable admitting it, all of us have felt the paralyzing grip of fear. We’ve allowed fear to steer our decisiveness into hesitation. We’ve watched from the sidelines as action withered into inactivity. It is the relentless dream devouring monster that leaves a wake of spiritual carnage and lingering “what ifs.” Fear will erode our lives if we allow it. So what we do?

Time for another good news/bad news situation. First, the bad news. Fear will ALWAYS be a part of our lives. We can no more escape fear, than we can our own shadows or the passing of day into night. Fear is a truth of our reality. Now, onto the good news. While we might not be able to fully erase fear, we can conquer it. Even if fear is present in a particular moment or decision in our lives, it doesn’t have to decide the outcome of that moment. That part is still in our control. Perhaps, even more encouraging, is that every time that we persist in the face of fear, fear loses some of its power over us. We learn to cultivate courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. True courage is persevering in the midst of fear.

Every single time we face our fear, we win. Every time we let fear dictate our actions, fear wins. Starve your dreams with a steady diet of inaction and your fears will only grow. Starve your fears with a steady diet of action and your dreams will become a living reality. Dare to dream. Dare to live. Dare to act.

[secretsonlyiknow]

First Love; Love First (Alan Pitts)

Question for you, when I say the words “First Love,” which face pops into your head? Is it that person that sat across from you in class and made your nervous heart race up into your young throat? Is it that famous celebrity that made you swoon every time that they graced the screen? Or is it someone that you haven’t even met yet, your ideal image of the perfect significant other? Could it even be the person that you’re involved in a relationship with right now? Whatever your response is, hold that image in your mind for a moment. Can you remember the feeling that person brought into your life? What would you have sacrificed for that person? What would you have given to make that person happy?

What happens when we rearrange the words “First Love” and change the phrase to “Love First?” Who do you love first? Would that change the face that pops into your head? You’re probably familiar with the saying “you have to love yourself first.” In some ways, it has been a cliché of words we use to pat someone on the shoulder after a relationship ends. Like many clichés, however, there is a remarkable thread of absolute truth woven into those words. When it comes down to it, you honestly do need to love yourself first.

What does that even mean? How do you even love yourself? Think back to that First Love. Remember the lengths that you would go to in order to make them happy. Remember the sacrifices you were willing to make. Think about how much effort you would put into cultivating that relationship. Ask yourself if you honestly invest that same amount of energy into your relationship with self. By virtue of passing time, relationships can never stay the same; they require constant growth. They either grow stronger and closer together, or they grow apart. In order to grow together, they require work, time, and sacrifice. In order to grow apart, they only require time.

Put forth the effort. Sacrifice. Invest. Cultivate. Nurture. Exercise love. Learn to see yourself with honest eyes not clouded by judgement or expectation. Spend time getting to truly know yourself and learn to love the skin that you’re in right now. Become excited for the person you are developing yourself into. Learn to transform yourself into the person you desire to be for nobody else but you. Make yourself happy. Give yourself the gift of love, appreciation, and acceptance.

This is not an excuse for selfish moral irresponsibility. This is the most compassionate first step that you can take into building stronger more, loving relationships with everyone else in your life. Remember that love is a gift that comes from within. In purest form, love is an expression of self. Long before you can truly give that gift to someone else, you have to know how to give that gift to yourself. Instead of being lost in the awkward beauty of adolescent affections, spend some time cultivating the longest relationship you will ever have. Love First.