Attack Life, Not Others

The way you think, the words you speak, and the actions you take — it's all energy. Focus your energy on what you want, rather than what you're looking to avoid. "I will never attend an anti-war rally. If you have a peace rally, invite me." — Mother Teresa

Tim and Steve talk about how training in the martial arts is unique to other forms of physical exercise. Some of what's discussed includes: Martial arts training "rewires your brain" No place for electronics — you're "unplugged" Relationships are not only mandatory, but necessary A unique way to approach mental focus and spiritual awareness Eliminating external noise and dealing with real distractions that are within you “Any man could, if he were so inclined, be the sculptor of his own brain.” — Santiago Ramón y Cajal “Because of the power of neuroplasticity, you can, in fact, reframe your world and rewire your brain so that you are more objective. You have the power to see things as they are so that you can respond thoughtfully, deliberately, and effectively to everything you experience.” — Elizabeth Thornton

Steve Fleisher joins Tim and Steve. When people ask exactly what it is he does, he tells them he does a little teaching, a little preaching, and a little reaching. Some of the topics include: “Top of the Main Line to the bottom of the drain line” If you can put a price tag on something, it's not that valuable Who is rich? A rich person is one who is content with what they have It’s the intangibles that have the greatest value: life, love, health, family, friendship, happiness, time, and reputation — these can’t be bought; therefore, they’re priceless “It's not your aptitude, but your attitude that will determine your altitude.” — Zig Ziglar  

Kevin McGee joins Tim and Steve. Some of the topics discussed include: Forget the phrase “It is what it is” — because it is what you make it A warrior shows up and puts in the hard work Become comfortable and confident Reading people “A warrior doesn’t seek pain, but if pain comes, he uses it.” — Dan Millman "If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm." — Frank Lane

If we've said it once, we've said it a thousand times: Life is about choices. You and those around you will live a fuller, richer life, and perhaps discover the reason you're here if you decide to: Become a better person Become more responsible for your own actions Learn to acknowledge the noise and distractions and let them go “We rise by lifting others.” — Robert Ingersoll

Do an online search on “how to focus” and you’ll find many “expert” blogs recommending to get rid of distractions. Good luck with that! You’ll NEVER be able to eliminate all distractions life throws at you. Paul Vrabel discusses realistic ways to improve your focus: Focus on one thing at a time Don’t get wrapped up in what could be Focus on the problem in front of you and work it Acknowledge the distraction, let it go, and come back to where you are in the moment

A means to an end helps achieve what you want, although it may not be valued or important itself. Tim and Steve suggest examining your motives, goals, and priorities in your life. Are you doing something to ultimately achieve a goal? Or because it's what you're "supposed to do" according to society and culture? The answer to this will determine where your energy is focused and if you're living the life you want — or the life others tell you that you want. In other words, are you driven internally or externally? This episode was inspired by the fact that — and this may be surprising — Bruce Lee never had any kind of ranking in any martial arts. Eye opening, right?! Here you have the person practically everyone would agree was the most dynamic, accomplished martial artist ever to live — yet he didn't have a black belt in any style, let alone multiple degrees.

There is no doubt we are living through a dark time. As Theodore Roethke wrote: “In a dark time, the eye begins to see …” Collectively, our eyes are opening up to the external world. Individually, we are seeing into our subconscious more. Many are now questioning things that before we just accepted — how we think, how we act and react, and our neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). There’s a better understanding that the animal we feed will be in charge of our lives. This is similar to last week, when we talked about how you can choose to be a duck or an eagle.

Tim and Steve share a story with a duck and an eagle. You can be either. The choice is yours. If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. “I want to fly like an eagle to the sea, fly like an eagle, let my spirit carry me” — The Steve Miller Band

Controlling and learning about fear and anxiety has been the topic the last couple weeks with Tim Hawk, Tim, and Steve. We continue this week with these topics and more: Fear is a gift given to us (trust your instinct) Exercise, meditation, nutrition Control your breath Build relationships

Last week Tim Hawk, Tim, and Steve discussed fear. On this episode, they dive deeper into understanding anxiety (especially through the pandemic). You’ll hear things you can do to eliminate both fear and anxiety — or least control them — including: Take small acts of bravery (“bridging”) Get to know your anxiety — learn as much as you can Change your perception — at minimum confirm your perception is truthful

Tim Hawk — with a background in psychology — joins Tim and Steve to discuss being afraid. Fear is a primary emotion we all experience at times, in different ways and at different levels. What can we learn from fear? How can we control it? Can it be good? Hear that and more.

Tom Parker is on to talk about ikigai — the Japanese concept of finding purpose in your life. Ikigai • 生き甲斐 • A reason for being

Enough fear already. We’ve grown weak and it’s long past time to get our inner strength back. If you feel weak and afraid — you must replace that with hope and courage. If you feel brave and strong — you must become even stronger for others, especially children who are having an even tougher time making sense of the world right now. Our martial arts systems are reality based. We know reality. We also know fear. And we know that if you allow fear to run rampant, aggression sets in. With aggression, bad things happen. Raul and Julie join us discussing ways to make good things happen as we head into 2022!

Any boxer, martial artist, or any kind of athlete knows what it's like to be in the "zone" — where you're not thinking about the past, the future, or anything else — you're just in the moment. That's mushin. You might have experienced this while mowing the lawn, painting, or playing a musical instrument (like Eric Mintel talked about on last week's show). Mushin in Japanese is a mental state. Zen and Daoist practitioners attempt to reach this mental state during everyday activities. We all could use some time where our brains are not preoccupied with anything else other than just "being." That's easier said than done though, especially these days. Why do we need that? And how can we achieve it? That's what Tim and Steve talk about on this episode.

Eric Mintel joins us for part 2 of our conversation. (Check out last week’s show, where we spoke about the universal rhythm and cadence in music, martial arts, and all things in life.) Find mentors that live (or have lived) the lifestyle you want (Eric credits Dave Brubeck) Prioritize your time and focus your attention (Eric credits Bruce Lee) Surround yourself with like-minded people

We’ve talked extensively about the desired balance between the "crash" and the "flow.” Homeostasis wants to occur. It can be seen all through nature, systems, structures, and relationships between all kinds of things. There’s a universal rhythm and cadence that can be found. Just by realizing that, we’re better able to navigate and “dance” through life. Jazz music might be one of the finest examples of that crash and flow at play. When a song is expertly composed and performed, we are naturally drawn to it like a moth to a flame — hence the phrase “music to my ears.” Eric Mintel — Tim and Steve’s guest on this episode — is uniquely qualified to talk about this. As both a talented jazz musician and martial artist, he sees this universal principle from both of those perspectives.

It’s our 200th episode! Tim and Steve talk about what Attack Life, Not Others means to them. We have an all-star cast of special guests — including Master Tim Hawk, Dr Jarrod Spencer, Chelsea Hoover, Len DiNote, and Dr Bernie. Make sure to listen all the way to the end for a surprise appearance! What does the phrase “Attack Life, Not Others” mean to you? Please tell us in the comments.

We often fear change because the outcome may be unknown. However, there's a difference between just change and purposeful change. It's OK to not always be in control of things, especially when the purpose behind change is out of love for another. We can't change: The time period we were born in The location where we were born The parents who we were born from What we can do is purposely change to be a better person — and better for those around us. “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” — Roy T Bennett

Dave Pohlmann shares an inspirational story of willpower, grit, love, and support.