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    Samurai Decor / Incense Holder

    [MMQ ♥’s] Samurai Decor / Incense Holder

    Why We ♥ It: Not only can these miniature terracotta samurai warrior statues be used as incense holders, but they can bring a powerful martial reminder to any room—symbolically representing values such as honor, courage, discipline, respect, and indomitable spirit. And because they can be used with incense, they can also have a calming, presence-of-mind effect.

      “Oftentimes people come up to me and ask, ‘Bruce, are you really that good?’ I say, ‘Well, if I tell you I’m good, probably you will say I’m boasting; but if I tell you I’m no good, you’ll know I’m lying.’ I have the absolute confidence not to be number two, but then I have enough sense also to realize that there can be no number one.”

      Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 54)

      Striking Thoughts [Book]

        Book Overview: Within the pages of Striking Thoughts, you will find the secrets of Bruce Lee’s incredible success– as an actor, martial artist, and inspiration to the world. Consisting of eight sections, Striking Thoughts covers 72 topics and 825 aphorisms–from spirituality to personal liberation and from family life to filmmaking–all of which Bruce lived by.

        His ideas helped energize his life and career and made it possible for him to live a happy and assured life, overcoming challenging obstacles with seeming ease. They also inspired his family, friends, students, and colleagues to achieve success in their own lives and this personal collection will help you in your journey too.

        Post(s) Inspired by this Book:

          “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.”

          Sun Tzu, The Art of War

            “Training in the martial arts or combat is a deeply thoughtful study of movement. We sometimes think of soldiers as automatons, but what they’ve actually built is a steady pattern of unconscious behaviors. Any of us can build these.”

            Ryan Holiday, via The Daily Stoic (Page 285)

              “One of the most fundamental principles of martial arts is that strength should not go against strength. That is: don’t try to beat your opponent where they are strongest. But that’s exactly what we do when we try to undertake some impossible task we haven’t bothered to think through. Or we let someone put us on the spot. Or we say yes to everything that comes our way.”

              Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 247)

                “One of the hallmarks of the martial arts, military training, and athletic training of almost any kind is the hours upon hours upon hours of monotonous practice. An athlete at the highest level will train for years to perform movements that can last mere seconds—or less. The two-minute drill, how to escape from a chokehold, the perfect jumper. Simply knowing isn’t enough. It must be absorbed into the muscles and the body. It must become part of us. Or we risk losing it the second that we experience stress or difficulty.”

                Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 153)

                  “When your sparring partner scratches or head-butts you, you don’t then make a show of it, or protest, or view him with suspicion or as plotting against you. And yet you keep an eye on him, not as an enemy or with suspicion, but with a healthy avoidance. You should act this way with all things in life. We should give a pass to many things with our fellow trainees. For, as I’ve said, it’s possible to avoid without suspicion or hate.”

                  Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, via The Daily Stoic (Page 128)

                    When you pay attention to detail, the big picture will take care of itself.

                    George St-Pierre | Read Matt’s Blog on this quote ➜

                    Tony Robbins Quote on Staying Committed to Decisions, But Flexible in Approach

                      “Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”

                      Tony Robbins

                      Beyond the Quote (316/365)

                      This young man was told he wouldn’t be able to attend his Martial Arts tournament because he was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. He was told he would be quarantining at home for 2 weeks instead. But, rather than miss the tournament altogether, the team who orchestrated the tournament offered him and his family a virtual option instead. The family agreed.

                      Read More »Tony Robbins Quote on Staying Committed to Decisions, But Flexible in Approach

                        “A dojo is a miniature cosmos where we make contact with ourselves—our fears, anxieties, reactions, and habits. It is an arena of confined conflict where we confront an opponent who is not an opponent but rather a partner engaged in helping us understand ourselves more fully. It is a place where we can learn a great deal in a short time about who we are and how we react in the world. The conflicts that take place inside the dojo help us handle the conflicts that take place outside. The total concentration and discipline required to study martial arts carries over to daily life. The activity in the dojo calls on us to constantly attempt new things, so it is also a source of learning—in Zen terminology, a source of self-enlightenment.”

                        Joe Hyams, Zen in the Martial Arts

                        Miyamoto Musashi Quote on Making The Warrior Walk Your Everyday Walk and Living With Balance

                          “One must make the warrior walk his everyday walk.”

                          Miyamoto Musashi

                          Beyond the Quote (126/365)

                          One concept that gets focused on intensely in Martial Arts training is balance. Having good physical balance is important, of course, as you need to be able to kick, punch, and block without falling down or getting tripped up in poor technique. But, balance runs much deeper than just the obvious ability to execute moves without falling. In order to perform optimally in self-defense situations and, more importantly, in life situations as a Martial Artist, we need to be balanced physically, mentally, and emotionally.

                          Read More »Miyamoto Musashi Quote on Making The Warrior Walk Your Everyday Walk and Living With Balance

                          Tony Robbins Quote on Seeing Frustration As A Positive Sign—Not The Opposite

                            “Frustration is a very positive sign. It means that the solution to your problem is within range, but what you’re currently doing isn’t working, and you need to change your approach in order to achieve your goal.”

                            Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within

                            Beyond the Quote (125/365)

                            Frustration is the feeling you get when you try, try again; yet fail, fail again. And what do most people do when faced with ‘fail, fail again?‘ Quit. They stop trying to do whatever it was that they were failing at and move on to something else—something that they can succeed at again. Something that is most likely back inside of their comfort zone and well within their range of already proven skills, knowledge, and understanding. Why? Because succeeding feels good and failing feels bad. But, the price of giving in to frustration is steep.

                            Read More »Tony Robbins Quote on Seeing Frustration As A Positive Sign—Not The Opposite