The More You Know

(thanks for the inspiration KJ and KJ)

A month is a long time away.  I left the US with my family on June 29 and by the time I get home it will be July 25 - almost a month on the road.  It's been a busy trip, including a week with my family in Taos, New Mexico. A week of thought leadership listening and learning with my team in Redmond, Washington.  A week of Inspiration with 40,000 people at Microsoft Ready in Las Vegas.  Meetings with my customers (and a few old friends) in San Diego and LA.  Very busy, indeed.  However, in between there have been some welcome times for reflection alone in my hotel room; in the airport lounge; walking from point A to Point B.

I've been in and around the martial arts since I was 14 years old.  Lately, my Kali journey has filled the past 10 years.  I know how lucky I have been to be blessed with such talented, caring, focused, devoted teachers.  I know how lucky I have been to be part of an art that is about Life and Light, about being the very best we can be and then sharing that with those we care about.  I know how lucky I am to wake up every morning and live a life that has beaten all the odds.

The more I know, the more I realize I don't know.

There is so much out there for me - so much of which I have seen only the briefest glimpse, just enough to tempt me to explore further.  I am humbled.

YouTube shows me so many martial artists that are so much better than I am.  So many people that are deeply exploring their art.  So many that are better/faster/stronger/wiser than I could ever be.  It motivates me to keep going forward even though I know I'll never live long enough to reach their level.  I feel inspired because I know I can do and be so much more, and so much more beyond that.

Thank you to all my teachers for investing in me.

Thank you to all my assistants and fellow teachers for loving the art as much as I do and for giving it with such commitment and dedication to so many others.

Thank you to all my students for being brave enough to take this journey with me.

Guro Fred Evrard, my teacher, let me in on a secret some time ago --- Shhh, don't tell anyone else.

IT'S NOT ABOUT MARTIAL ARTS

Yep, that's right.  It's about so much more.

Our journey together is about becoming who we are meant to be, and being the very best version of ourselves.  Martial arts is just the means to that end.  A noble means, but just that.  

Martial Arts can be the HOW but it is not the WHY.

The structure, focus and practice are there to help us regain control of our minds, our bodies and our spirit.  It is for us to develop positive habits that lead to positive outcomes.  It is to reinforce our ability to achieve our goals and remind us that we can do and be whatever we choose to do or be - it is merely up to us to set our direction and keep applying our effort - one step at a time, relentlessly, until we attain whatever we really want.

I love to share this power with my students.  I'm a talker and sometimes guilty of being a bit verbose (you thought I didn't realize that, right?).  My assistants love the art like I do, and they love to share it with you.  They are excited and eager to explain and to share their knowledge.

However, knowledge on its own is not enough.  It is only through practice, daily practice, that we own that knowledge, internalize it, and make it truly our own - OUR KALI.  It is for this reason that our class time must be about talking less and doing more.  Our art can be learned with the mind and felt with the heart, but it must be experienced through the body.

The class was never about me - it was about YOU.  It always will be.  I don't want my assistants to try and show you how much they know and can do.  I want them to get you to see how much YOU know and can do.  There is no place for ego in our dojo.  It must always be about YOU, the students, not us.

I can't wait to get home and be back on the mats with you all.

I miss you so very much.