# Some musings from me.



## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Demons/negativty/darkness whatever you want to call it all haveone thing in common with every human on this planet. That is they act like they are a separate entity. It does not matter who/what/whyor where this negativity was created this trait is the same in us all.

The negativty or demon whatever you want to call it will do EVERYTHING in its power to remain "alive" and in your mind!!. The ONE thing it knows will kill it is ACTION. This is why when it senses thatyour thinking of taking some form of positive action that the demon will actand as you get closer to completing or starting the positive action the demon will bring out the big guns.

The demon will convince you and make you physically fee llike you have no energy and make you think that you really do not want to or even like the positive action your thinking of taking. Have you ever felt knackered before and the thought of having to go do something drains you even more? Yet when you've forced yourself up and startdoing the job you've felt surprisingly more awake and alert? Well its the same with the demon the lethargy and apprehensiveness it makes you feel is an illusion.

Like any animal who's back is up against the wall it will fight tooth and nail for survival, our demons do the same, you threaten it with action it panics and increases its intensity it appeals to your logical mindand uses logic to convince you that you don't want to do A as it will lead to B which will cause C and let D happen it then makes you think based on that logic that your initial positive action is crap and pointless.

To know if your feelings of despair are real or not you have to be in touch with the feelings around the belly button area of your stomach.You get a thought in your mind, the demon kicks in and makes your mind feel horrible and your chest area feel apprehensive and horrible yet in the pit of your stomach there is a tiny feeling/voice that's crying out trying to reach all the way up to your mind to tell you to do it. If you feel this and it makes you feel at odds with the negativity then do that action. Do it with all your might and every day you do the action and work towards your goal the weaker the demon becomes.

We will never be free of demons we in fact need them to ground us to push us to help us surive but we must work at keeping them in that role and nothing else. Its the balance of life im afraid. The story of the twowolves within us fits well, one is basically all things negative and the otheris positive. Which one will win isasked, the one you feed is the answer. We always have down days and problems but its our mind that usually governs how we act and deal with them allow the demon to control the mind and we sink and vegetate and die.

Rome wasn't built in a day, Rome was one of the most advanced cities of the ancient world, it had a sewage system, flowing water, tenement housing , roads and lighting and for that time that was major advances but toget to that state it didn't happen overnight. Every single journey throughout history the present and indeed the future has one thing in common THEY ALL BEGIN/BEGAN WITH ONE STEP!!!

We need to be pro active not reactive, the world doesn't owe any of us a living, it will not hand things to us on a plate it will only dothat sometimes if we meet it half way!!

Don't tie yourself into what you think society says you must do at this age or that age because its all bull!! You will do what you need to do and want to do if you have the guts and determination to do it at any age. If that weren't true then people at 60 would be like oh we are old we musnt go out we musnt drink alcohol or go on holidays or have fun because were old and old people are frail and week and don't have the energy to do anything and arent liked and are viewed as a pain in the ass so we must do what our age tells us.

Ok that's enough for now go out their and make your mark or atleast accept your lot in life, none of us asked for the cards we were dealt and some cards are far harsher than others, the grass is always greener on the otherside but if we watered our own damn grass it would just be as green or greener.

Remember it's always darkest before dawn!


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## Milky (Nov 30, 2008)

What brought this on :whistling:


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Milky said:


> What brought this on :whistling:


Probably you ya dafty and spending to many years living in my own head. Even though during those years I had achieved quite a bit of fitness and weightloss, I was doing things that should have brought me out my "shell" but my mental negativity brought on partly with the desire to be humble pretty much diluted my achievments and they didnt last. That and this section needed a fresh post so I did it


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

Quite a good post but have you got a dodgy space bar.


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Ya I wrote it in word then copied and pasted it here and it all became squashed up so had to badly edit it  .


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## madmuscles (Mar 10, 2011)

Milky said:


> What brought this on :whistling:


A large amount of L.SD and crystal meth i'd guess, lol just kidding op. Very powerful and very true:thumbup1:


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

madmuscles said:


> A large amount of L.SD and crystal meth i'd guess, lol just kidding op. Very powerful and very true:thumbup1:


LOL never tried those wonder what musings id come up with if I did


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## madmuscles (Mar 10, 2011)

phoenix1980 said:


> LOL never tried those wonder what musings id come up with if I did


Lol.


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

@Katy whats your view on the above? Knowing a bit about your background and where youve come from would be good to get your input and ofc others too  sharing is caring is learning 

@dtlv @hacksii @dutch_scott

You guys are all mentalists putting your money where your mouth is and achieving results!


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## jon-kent (May 20, 2011)

Right i wouldnt normally take it upon myself to write this sort of stuff about me but ive been asked to post in here a bit about myself and my thoughts on fighting/fear/philosophy.

Im aware that some of my thoughts may sound a bit mental as i live in the modern day and not ancient Japan lol. Here we go -

How did you get into martial arts ?

When i was a little kid i was obsessed with Bruce Lee and would watch him all the time and copy his moves, we lived across the road from a church hall and one day a karate class started there so i begged to go along. I walked into my first martial arts lesson at 5yrs old and was put almost straight away into sparring !!!!! (Thinking back to that i still cant believe it lol) this isnt where i found i was a natural and did well against a kid bigger and older lol, i got punched/kicked in the head and ended up on my ass, went home crying and never went back there ! I didnt want to tell my dad what happened so i just said i didnt like it (which pi$$ed him off as he thought i was just giving up without trying lol)

My dad joined a gym and i would go with him and ended up being a sort of gym mascot ! I would be sent off down the road to the co-op to get milk for the guys protein shakes lol. My dad got friendly with a guy who was a well known respected karate instructor and he invited me to go along to his class, i started going and it was brilliant ! Before long i was good enough to be entered into comps and on my first comp i came 3rd, i remember being beaten and being fcuking devistated ! I was outside in a corridor with my dad crying bad because i got beat lol.

That was my 1st proper fighting loss and i still remember it like it was yesterday lol. I vowed myself that i would train even harder from then on and i came 2nd in the next comp, then i started getting medals for student of the month and then i started winning comps and then i kept on winning !

I got 2 belts away from black before i decided that karate wasnt real enough and i moved to a kickboxing club, i was still only about 13 or 14 but where i had got alot bigger i had to join in on the adults class so i was training with 18yr olds and up.

A few years passed and then i found some videos called UFC and i asked for them for my birthday and that was it ! As soon as i saw it i wanted to do it lol.

Dealing with fear coming up !!


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## huarache (May 28, 2012)

Want to read later. In


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Excellent so far @jon-kent thanks for taking the time to post, I totally get where your coming from re Japan, currently reading albeit slowly Modern Bushido Living a life of Excellence by Bohdi Sanders. Looking forward to reading your next part.

It sounds like you have that fighting instinct in that you would just go along with things and lash for want of a better word out if need be, which is good because if you thought about it you'd end up like me lol.


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## jon-kent (May 20, 2011)

Dealing with fear ??

Its hard to explain my fear of fighting !

If your on a night out or your working at a club and a fight kicks off its BANG in your face there and then and you just react and it happens so quick you normally get the adrenaline after ! But its completly different saying yes and signing to fight another guy who is trained to fight in 10 weeks time at a specific day and specific time in front friends/family and hundreds of other people and all the people who will see it online half naked in just shorts lol.

I have no fear of the fight itself (getting hit and hurt or knocked out or chocked out) what i fear is losing and looking a fool in front of people i care about and not fighting up to my abilities and looking like a bum. Losing at any sport is never fun but who wants to get beaten up or knocked out in front of there girlfriend or mum and dad lol.

But what i have recently started to realise is that the fear of losing and the fear of all the things above happening would be enough to stop most people from even trying ! And for years it stopped me from trying ! I could have fought years ago but always gave different excuses that stopped me from actually stepping into the fire and testing myself and when i finally did i wished i hadnt put it off for so many years !

For the next 5 weeks i'll be laying in bed at night when everyone else is asleep thinking and acting the fight out in my head, ive seen myself beating this man 100 times but ive also seen him beat me !! And the closer to the fight it gets the more i find myself day dreaming about the fight more and more. Infact this morning i dreamt that i got knocked out in 10secs lol.

The people who tell you they love fighting and are not scared are either idiots or liars and are hardly ever any good lol.

"The man who isnt afraid of battle is not brave, the man who is afraid but enters anyway is the brave one"

Am i worried about the fight ? Yeah i am, Am i scared that i'll lose ? Yeah, BUT at the same time im 100% confident in my skills and in my belief that one day i will be in the UFC, and on the 4th May at about 9pm all my fears will disapear and i'll put in my gum sheild and step into the cage and look into the eyes of the man who has spent the last 2 months dreaming about beating me without a moments hesitation !

I think i should end this part with some speeches that have helped me lately ! And hopefully these 2 videos inspire you as well !


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Great stuff very nice to read, loved the videos they both touched upon things Ive began to realise or alrdy knew but struggled to put across. The second vid when he goes on about the environment changing is spot on really liked that example!!

Reps!


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

A good quote I should have put in the other thread has just come to mind :-

"Remember we dont fail because we did not suceed, we fail because we did not try!"


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## jon-kent (May 20, 2011)

phoenix1980 said:


> Great stuff very nice to read, loved the videos they both touched upon things Ive began to realise or alrdy knew but struggled to put across. The second vid when he goes on about the environment changing is spot on really liked that example!!
> 
> Reps!


Yeah them videos are brilliant mate ! The enviroment change really made me think ! He's a great motivational talker, if theres anything else you wanna know mate then ask lol.

Another quote to do with failure i read somewhere

"There is nothing embarressing about one warrior losing to another warrior as most will never know victory nor defeat"


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Thank you! Perfect quote. The game your in is a game of inches, two guys going at it both pysched up both trained up to the max whats left .... nothing but inches one thought out of place and bang defeat or on the flip side bang victory lol.

If you ever feel I can be of some assistance just gimme a pm!


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## jon-kent (May 20, 2011)

phoenix1980 said:


> Thank you! Perfect quote. The game your in is a game of inches, two guys going at it both pysched up both trained up to the max whats left .... nothing but inches one thought out of place and bang defeat or on the flip side bang victory lol.
> 
> If you ever feel I can be of some assistance just gimme a pm!


Yes mate exactly ! If i zig when i should have zagged thats it im waking up with a ref looking over me lol.

Thanks mate i will ! Also look into reading the book of 5 rings and the hagakure

To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one.

It is rather a endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives.

Nobody is born a warrior

In exactly the same way that nobody is born a average man.

We make ourselves into one or the other.


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Yes I have the book of five rings book marked to buy and wisdom of the elders by bohdi sanders I'll look up hagakure 

Forgive me for saying or even suggestion considering that although my intentions are good i am still at best an arm chair **** lol. You want in the UFC beat this guy on May 4th and then get in your head get in your soul spend time in your dark place because thats where your gonne be reforged thats where your gonna come out different stronger better faster bigger and ultimately noticable to Dana. You know the story of how Brock got noticed by Dana, he went up to his face and bugged him he had the size and mentality to be noticed.

Good luck


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## jon-kent (May 20, 2011)

phoenix1980 said:


> Yes I have the book of five rings book marked to buy and wisdom of the elders by bohdi sanders I'll look up hagakure
> 
> Forgive me for saying or even suggestion considering that although my intentions are good i am still at best an arm chair **** lol. You want in the UFC beat this guy on May 4th and then get in your head get in your soul spend time in your dark place because thats where your gonne be reforged thats where your gonna come out different stronger better faster bigger and ultimately noticable to Dana. You know the story of how Brock got noticed by Dana, he went up to his face and bugged him he had the size and mentality to be noticed.
> 
> Good luck


Good man ! Miyamoto Musashi has his own book called lone samurai i think and its meant to be good but i havnt read it yet.

Cheers mate thats all wicked advice that i will use and make come true !


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## faultline (Feb 5, 2010)

Good read fellas, thabks


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

phoenix1980 said:


> @Katy whats your view on the above? Knowing a bit about your background and where youve come from would be good to get your input and ofc others too  sharing is caring is learning
> 
> @dtlv @hacksii @dutch_scott
> 
> You guys are all mentalists putting your money where your mouth is and achieving results!


Cheers for the mention  I feel incredibly flattered that you thought of me 

I personally don't pervieve negativity as a 'demon'...I see it as life and part of the human psyche. But I do certainly agree that you have to *act* if you want anything to change. The world does not owe us a thing and it won't give us a thing. I believe that we create our own fortune in life.

I am however a determinist at heart which I think puts me in the minority. Therefore, although I believe myself to be an incredibly determined person who has overcome a lot of sh!t in my life and I've fought to not let it rob me of a future, I put those traits down to how my life experiences and genetics have moulded me. It doesn't mean that I'm not proud of who I am, but I don't really credit myself for it. Im certainly grateful though to have developed such a fighting and determined spirit


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Katy said:


> Cheers for the mention  I feel incredibly flattered that you thought of me
> 
> I personally don't pervieve negativity as a 'demon'...I see it as life and part of the human psyche. But I do certainly agree that you have to *act* if you want anything to change. The world does not owe us a thing and it won't give us a thing. I believe that we create our own fortune in life.
> 
> I am however a determinist at heart which I think puts me in the minority. Therefore, although I believe myself to be an incredibly determined person who has overcome a lot of sh!t in my life and I've fought to not let it rob me of a future, I put those traits down to how my life experiences and genetics have moulded me. It doesn't mean that I'm not proud of who I am, but I don't really credit myself for it. Im certainly grateful though to have developed such a fighting and determined spirit


Thanks for taking the time to read and reply Katy, I do agree that negativity or whatever you want to call it is needed and a necessary part of the human psyche. Hope all in your life is going to plan


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

phoenix1980 said:


> Thanks for taking the time to read and reply Katy, I do agree that negativity or whatever you want to call it is needed and a necessary part of the human psyche. Hope all in your life is going to plan


I think it's just part of life and is necessary for people to grow. I've met a few people who haven't faced many hurdles in life and some of those people, IMO, are quite immature and naive in many ways and haven't developed as many life skills and coping stategies as people I know who have battled with many hurdles and struggles. If someone faces struggles and overcomes them, they grow. However, those that let these struggles beat them get stuck...and those are people that I feel for. My ex didn't have the skills to work through it and gave up in the end, and there was nothing we could do; he just couldn't cope. I feel lucky that I've had the resources and emotional awareness to be able to work through my baggage and also addiction...but a lot of people don't have that, through no fault of their own IMO...which is sad.

All going to plan for me thanks! I feel a sense of guilt about how well but then Lorain reminds me 'you've done your time...it's about time you have some of the good stuff'. I then reflect on the up hill struggle I've had for 13 years and think 'yeah actually..I've earned this'


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Exactly well said Katy, this is your time so make the most of it


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

phoenix1980 said:


> Demons/negativty/darkness whatever you want to call it all haveone thing in common with every human on this planet. That is they act like they are a separate entity. It does not matter who/what/whyor where this negativity was created this trait is the same in us all.
> 
> The negativty or demon whatever you want to call it will do EVERYTHING in its power to remain "alive" and in your mind!!. The ONE thing it knows will kill it is ACTION. This is why when it senses thatyour thinking of taking some form of positive action that the demon will actand as you get closer to completing or starting the positive action the demon will bring out the big guns.
> 
> ...


I like this, and at times have visualized the negative thought patterns in my head this way too - I think it's a good analogy to look at how negative thoughts grow and effect us... thought patterns definitely do want to keep existing, and do encourage behaviors which feed them in a cycle... looking at the ego as a mix of such thought entities battling for survival and trying to influence our behaviors in ways that reinforce the thought patterns and provide food for further growth, all in one big circle, is a good way to understand it, and is the foundation of many spiritual practises to see such things as demons. I think it;s healthiest though to remember that these are not literal demons but this is a figurative representation.

In respect of how to beat them though, I think often you can't beat a thought with another thought. I like to meditate and let go of thinking altogether when I don't have to do it for a specific problem - just set your direction and plan what you ahve to do, and then as you follow your day do not think about all you have to do and your emotions about it all, simply remain present in the moment as it is right now and just absorb all the sensations the moment gives. Don't run a commentary in your mind about what you are observing, simply just go with the flow. rather than constantly analyze what you are doing and how you feel about it and create a load of thought patterns about it, simply switch all that off be present and experience it. Mindfulness of the present moment, with a quiet mind not full of thought chatter- best demon killer there is, and best way to experience the best in each moment and do the best in each moment without thoughts distracting or sabotaging anything!


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## Brutal1 (Jan 25, 2011)

Some great and inspiring reading here folks, how do you learn this wisdom? Which book would you advise for a beginner in this sort of thing to start to keep my demons in check??

Thanks brutal


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## phoenix1980 (Apr 27, 2011)

Brutal1 said:


> Some great and inspiring reading here folks, how do you learn this wisdom? Which book would you advise for a beginner in this sort of thing to start to keep my demons in check??
> 
> Thanks brutal


I have read many books, watched many films, but most of what I know comes from being down and fed up with a complete sh1t outlook on life, to the point where I just didnt want to exist. During these dark times I decided to and concentrate on the feelings, find out where they were coming from, why they were happening, what they meant as oppose to using the dark times as an excuse to say hit the bottle or drugs or gamble or all of the above. It wasnt pleasant or easy and it took years and I found that once one issue was traced back to its route cause it would no longer be an issue however something else would manifest.

This is because I said in the first post we actually need negativity or whatever you want to call it to balance us out , keep us on our toes. Even the most motiviated inspired individuals have negativity its just they know how to deal with it and how to use it productively before it gets out of hand and drowns them.

Trouble is I now have all this knowledge which is personal and useful to me and my circumstances however its absolutely powerless and meaningless if I dont act on it and thats where my next journey is beginning. I am now going about getting some substance behind my words so that I can not only spout the words but give examples as to how and why theyve worked for me.

The very first book I read that could fit in the self help category was called

The way of the peaceful warrior by Dan Milman, I then went onto reading a few more of milmans books.


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