Secret to Mastery

Last Thursday I talked about Karate Kid and how painting, like martial arts, puts you in a relaxed state and how it brings you focused on the present moment.

So last night, I pulled out a copy of the movie and watched it.

When that movie came out it was the first time martial arts practice was portrayed as much more than just punches and kicks, there was a philosophy behind it. Martial Arts training was a way to better yourself, turning your focus inside and putting great importance on personal development.

Which is exactly the main of focus of Fang Shen Do training.

Using martial arts FIRST as a tool for self-improvement.

There's a part in the "Featurettes" section where a Bonsai master is interviewed and he goes on to give advice on how to preserve and assure proper growth and health of the Bonsai tree.

There's one thing in particular he said that made total sense to me and I hope you pull the same lesson from it and manage to put in application daily.

It falls right in line with our philosophy:

"Trim Tree everyday. Change pot regularly. Tree grow forever"

There lies the secret to mastery.

If you follow that same advice in life and in martial arts there is no limit to what you can accomplish, at the same time feeling fulfilled, challenged and rejuvenated so you STAY on the path.

Master Yourself,

Sibok M

P.S. There's a way to organize your thoughts and action steps daily while maintaining consistency. It comes free when you grab a copy of our Book: 10 secrets to building a Rock Solid Martial Arts Foundation. Get yours here.

"Up, Down", "Breathe in , Breathe out", "Side to Side"

For the past few days I've been feeling like Daniel-san in Karate Kid.


If you remember 2 years ago I had posted a series of articles about how one of our sheds had crumbled under the extreme weight of the record snow fall we had that year and how liberating it was to burn it and build a new one from scratch.

Seeing it burn was a powerful metaphor about how we all need to get rid of messes in our life and how we need to constantly re-invent ourselves when it comes to how we think, how to work, how we train, and how letting go of unnecessary emotional baggage is a necessity if we want to grow and attract better opportunities.

If feel like Daniel-san because I've had to re-paint that shed for the past couple of weeks.

"Up, Down", "Breathe in , breathe out", "Side to side" as Mr. Miyagi would say.


Painting gets me in a very relaxed state, the same way martial arts does.

It puts you in a place where time seems to stop, you're totally encapsulated in the present moment (what the japanese would call the Mushin state).

Do you ever reach that place?

That place where you could work all day and all night and still be filled with energy?

The quickest way to feel this state of being is through the practice of martial arts. I didn't say it was the only way but it is by far the quickest I've seen to understand what I mean.

If you haven't yet taken up the daily practice of martial arts, I strongly recommend you get started ASAP. We've made it pretty easy for you to get started, see what I mean here.

Master Yourself,

Sibok M