In a video I saw today on one of my new favourite blogs, Will Smith (yes, the movie star/rapper) had some very profound things to say about success and living a joyful existence. So many pearls of wisdom were contained in the video that I’m certain I could write a year’s worth of blogs just on the ten minutes I watched. However, one of the quotes that stayed with me was this:

“I think that there’s a certain delusional quality that all successful people have to have. You have to believe that something different than what has happened for the last 50 million years of history… you have to believe that something different can happen.”

How many great people, when first presenting their ideas to a friend, spouse, loved one or potential financial backer, have been told that they are delusional? How many have been told that it can’t be done? Before someone tells me that question can’t be answered, I know, it’s rhetorical.  

In the same video, Smith mentions that the idea of walking into a building, flicking a switch on the wall and having instant light must have seemed delusional at one stage in our not too distant history. Thomas Edison didn’t think so. Speaking of sitting inside a few hundred tonne of metal and flying across oceans, indeed to the other side of the world, would have been grounds for admission to an asylum (or burning at the stake?) just a few hundred years ago. The Wright Brothers and others disagreed.

Internet? Motorcars? Space travel? Keeping meat preserved and healthy 6 months after the kill? Lunacy at some stage! Hell, not too long ago even the idea of being able to live in the one place without moving with the seasons would have been ridiculous (and maybe still is.;) )

My point is, if you wish to break the mould, if you want to achieve something that no one else has, you cannot be afraid to be thought crazy. Every great mind at first met resistance before begrudging acceptance and begrudging acceptance before commendation.

Do you have an idea that seems too big? Too insane? Too unlikely? That’s exactly the kind of idea you need to run with. But first, do the following:

Close your eyes.

Visualise it.

See it. Taste it. Smell it. Make it real.

Do you believe it?

Do you love it?

Does it make you tingle?

Are you prepared to risk everything to make this happen?

Would you die for it?

If you can answer those questions affirmatively, then make the decision right here and now that you will make it so. Once the decision has been made, it matters not if you know the details of how to make it happen. Once you believe within your soul that you will make this your reality, nothing will stop you.

But stay focussed. The price of greatness is unwavering commitment, hard work and unshakable passion.

Good luck.

Live vibrantly!

Joe

Do you want success? Do you want accomplishment? Do you want recognition? Do you want results? My friend Chris Watson, strength and conditioning coach, has coined one phrase that I think sums up everything required for those goals: “GO F***ING GET IT!”

Recently I was having a debate on my Facebook page with another friend about the merits of taking risks when opportunity presents versus preparing studiously and hoping the preparation manifests into opportunity. My friend argued that it was better to make sure you were adequately prepared before “rushing into something.” My reply was simple:

“Good things come to those who go and get them. Regret comes to those who wait for someone else to get it for them.”

This sparked further debate, with my friend arguing that too many people rush into things unprepared and live to regret not having waited. The only problem I have with the wait and see approach is that sometimes opportunities only come around once. I’ll take acting when the opportunity presents over spending years preparing for an opportunity that may never come around again. 

What good is preparation if you never have cause to use it? Why waste an opportunity based purely on self doubt? Jump in there and take it! Sink or swim!

The problem as I see it is that most people are so terrified of leaving behind their “security” that they never take a chance and thus never achieve what they truly want in life. Dreams go unfulfilled, goals go unattained, and once passionate fires reduce to dead ash.

Right at this very minute there are hundreds of millions of people with college educations, hundreds of thousands with genius IQ, millions with incredible artistic skills and abilities – acquired and harnessed through years of devotion – working shitty jobs they hate, married to people they don’t like, raising kids they resent so they can retire with a pension that won’t support their quality of life. Unfortunate, that’s what “security” gets you.

Of course, then it is always someone else’s fault, or just the “cruel realities of life.” We couldn’t possibly take responsibilities for our own decisions, our own actions, or more commonly; our lack of action.

Hesitation is a killer.
When I first got the idea of becoming a full time self defence instructor, I was excited. I was excited, but in the same way you’d be excited about the idea of winning a million dollars; it’d be great if it happened, but it seems highly improbable. The problem I had was my own perceived lack of credibility. I was just a 19 year old kid with some martial arts training; I hadn’t been a cop, a soldier, or anything “cool” like that. Therefore, making a career out of teaching people to survive real violence – something I’d only had the briefest of experiences with – seemed unlikely. I doubted myself.

I use to be in the “prepare yourself so you’re ready” camp, so to overcome this hurdle I decided to change my university major to psychology and start bouncing in nightclubs. The plan was, if I just became really knowledgeable about and experienced with violence, eventually something would come up.  I spent years studying, reading, working in shitty jobs, getting spat at, hit with bottles, stomped on, capsicum sprayed… all in the name of “preparing myself” for the opportunity that may somehow manifest. You know what? The opportunity didn’t come up. Nothing changed for me and I didn’t start to experience success until I made the decision to, as my friend Chris would say “Go fucking get it!”

Fortune favours the bold.
When I finally realised this, I decided to back myself and put myself into the universe with the knowledge I had acquired. I had to trust that indeed I had something to offer. I had to believe that I was put on earth to perform this role and throw myself at it. Only 12 months later I was earning a sustainable living, travelling the country, doing what I loved to do. Everything fell into place, but only once I made the decision to just do it.

Battles are not won by the passive.
Now, I have no problem with people putting in the proverbial “hard yards” to achieve their goals. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m currently doing had I not put in the effort to learn my martial art, work the shitty jobs, expose myself to the underbelly of human nature and actually learn lessons from it all rather than just becoming angry and bitter. That was a necessary part of the process for me. Similarly, if your dream is to be a surgeon, it’s best you go and do the study required to get there. Want to be a concert pianist? Go play your piano… now! Want to go to the Olympics? You better get back to training!

What matters is how long you sit back in the comfortable security of “preparation.” Are you prepared to back yourself if the opportunity is in front of your face but you haven’t finished your “preparation” yet? Are you going to stay on the ledge or are you going to jump? That’s the point where you decide your fate.

What I’ve found is that opportunities are seldom handed to you. Usually they come about because, through a serious of decisions, some of them probably taking some serious cojones, you put yourself in the right place at the right time. Richard Branson probably wasn’t “prepared” to run a business empire when he started Student Magazine at age 16, but he figured it out and seems to have done okay for himself, don’t you think? Truth is, there are a lot of “prepared” people out there not achieving a fraction of their potential because they can’t summon the courage to risk their precious status quo in pursuit of the life they want to live. It is natural, but at least to me, it is profoundly sad.

Own your life.
Now, if what you truly want out of life is a nice stable existence in the same town with the same friends, raising your family and going through the motions at work for 37.28 hours per week, go for it. Be the best you can be at that. Raise awesome kids. Be a great neighbour. Even if your dreams don’t involve great risk, refuse mediocrity and strive to be the best at it. This article is not necessarily directed at you.

This article is directed at those that have the wild dreams; those that have the ambitions that are perhaps a little too daring, a little too unattainable. Stop crying, stop hiding and stop calling it preparation if it’s merely a guise for your fear. Take the leap. GO F***KING GET IT!

Is there a chance you will crash and burn? Yeah, absolutely. I believe that true greatness cannot be achieved without risk. I have taken some massive risks over the past few years that have paid off handsomely for me, and I will continue to take more in the future. Will some of the risks backfire? Almost certainly, I’d imagine.

Whatever the case, I’d be more than happy in 20 years to compare lives with someone who sat and prepared for that moment that I took and ran with. I’m pretty sure I know who’ll have better stories, more scars and less regrets.

Live vibrantly!

Joe

Legendary American comedian and social commentator George Carlin (1937-2008) was responsible for the following pearl of wisdom. Have truer words ever been spoken?

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. Wetalk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorces, fancier houses but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Please share if this resonates with you.

Live vibrantly!

Joe

Now, if you’re looking at the photo above or if you just clicked the link, you’ll notice these are unlike any shoes you’ve seen before. They are literally like a glove for your feet. Vibram’s whole premise is to enable you to walk as nature intended – barefoot – with only minimum interference to protect you against sharp objects. Intrigued by all things different yet logical, I got myself a pair and so did Amanda – pictured. 

I should also mention that I have flat feet and have had since birth. As such, I’ve spent my entire life not only wrapped up in super-cushioned running shoes, but also wearing custom orthotics to “correct” my foot shape. When I first started wearing the FiveFingers, I immediately regretted the years of coddling my feet had lapped up. Everything ached. My calves got a hell of a workout. My ankles hurt. My arches hurt. My knees hurt. Somehow, though, I knew it wasn’t a bad pain. The only reason it hurt was because my body hadn’t learned how it was supposed to move without artificial aids in place to make things easier. I persisted, and now wear my VFFs just about everywhere.

The reason for my initial hardship? False messages from savvy marketers. Somehow, someone convinced us that our feet “need” three inches of cushioning, gel pads, air-bags and synthetic rubber. We were told we needed artificial ankle stability as well. As far as I can tell, this push didn’t begin until around the 1960’s. Until then, many kids were spending 90% of their lives barefoot. My mother tells a story of a teacher that MADE the kids take their shoes off once they got to school so that they didn’t get soft and weak. I wonder if she realised how ahead of her time she was.

Eventually, however, an industry managed to convince us that hundreds of thousands of years of evolution had created inferior feet. Apparently we had miraculously managed to get through millennia of running on all terrains; chasing, fleeing, migrating and playing; with dodgy wheels. Who would have thought! Thank goodness science was there with a solution… and a nice little cash cow.

For those of you that enjoy challenging the status quo, grab yourself a pair of these babies from your closest retailer. When you get used to them, you’ll never turn back.

Live vibrantly!

Joe

Welcome to the latest evolution of Joe-Saunders.com. Long term readers will notice some of the top posts from earlier incarnations appear as we go forth, however the focus of this blog will be quite different. Whilst previously I have written at length about self defence and personal safety, the focus of this blog will be something more profound. I truly believe that self defence begins with the self, and what we put into the world is directly proportionate to what we get back. As such, I wish to use this blog to provoke thought, promote personal development and interpersonal relationships and recognise the truly good people that I come across during my daily travels.

In short, this blog is about living a fulfilling, vibrant life! Do I have all the answers? Absolutely not! Sometimes though, it’s not about having all the answers; it’s about asking the right questions.

Please enjoy reading and send all feedback to joe@joe-saunders.com or simply comment here.

“Fuck anonymity. Own your words. Own your thoughts. Own your actions. Own your damn lives already. Anonymity will get you nowhere. There is no respect for those with no accountability. Speak your minds and sign your names. Stand up for what you believe and not what you’re told to believe. DO SOME SHIT.” - Richard Dimitri

Words to live by.

In this blog, I will look at the Top 5 Excuses I have heard to not learn self defense. While my business SAFE International obviously has a vested interest in self defense since it is my profession and passion, I find it interesting to hear so many excuses to not learn self defense.  While it would be great to spend weeks, months, and years learning how to protect oneself and their family, I still hear the excuses when it comes to just spending a few hours learning this valuable skill that could potentially save your life or the life on one of your family members.

Excuse #1 – I AM TOO OLD!
I hear this one from people even in the 30′s or 40′s.  Regardless of your age, you are never too old to learn self defense.  In fact, seniors should definitely learn some self defense skills, if only preventative skills.  An attacker chooses someone who they feel will be an easy victim, which is exactly why seniors should partake in a course.  If an 85 year old woman sticks her fingers in my eyes, it will still hurt and one of the things an attacker does not want, is to get hurt.

Excuse#2 – IT COSTS TOO MUCH!
This is one excuse I find can be quite frustrating.  Let me start by saying that I can completely understand that people have financial challenges.  That being said, sometimes when I will quote a price, people will say that they find it too expensive, but will have no problem going out and spending a hundred dollars on dinner. If you knew that sometime in your life you would be attacked, how much would you be willing to invest in some basic self defense training?  What if it was your child?  I would guess that there might not be a limit.  Now some people might get upset with me bringing their children into it, but there is nothing more important in this world than the safety of yourself and your family.  The problem is that people are willing to gamble with the odds of being attacked instead of being proactive and learning some self defense as an insurance policy.  I have recently had a few women contact me about learning self defense with their daughter.  I have congratulated them on being proactive because most people are reactive, waiting until something happens to them before learning any personal protection skills. I have blogged before about an 18 year old woman who was held up at knife point and got away.  Ask her if what she paid to learn self defense was too much?

Excuse#3 – LOOK AT ME, WHY WOULD ANYONE ATTACK ME?
This is an excuse I hear from younger women to women in their senior years.  There is still a feeling among many that only attractive people get attacked or sexually assaulted.  Rape has nothing to do with what the person looks like.  It is an act of being in power and controlling a person.  There have been women of all ages, looks, etc attacked.  Many senior women in to their 80′s have been attacked and sexually assaulted.  Anyone is a potential victim. Regardless of your self esteem about your looks, it is important to learn self defense skills. An attacker looking to rob someone is not choosing you on how attractive you are, but rather, if you look like a good potential victim who is not confident or aware.

Excuse#4 – I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO DEFEND MYSELF!
Guess what?  The majority of the time you will not be as strong as your attacker.  That is one of the reasons they chose you.  There are not many attackers looking for a challenge.  They want someone who appears to be weaker and vulnerable.  This can actually work to your advantage.  If someone chooses you as a victim, you can use that false sense of confidence they have to your advantage through the element of surprise.  When you develop the proper reasons to fight, which I learned through Tony Blauer, you can develop the proper triggers and mindset to defend yourself.  I always tell women that I would rather attack your stereotype big, bad biker than an angry mother who is fighting for their child.  The mother has more to fight for because her reasons are Personal, Passionate, and Present.

Excuse#5 – I DON’T HAVE TIME!
Everyone leads busy lives these days and finding time can sometimes be a challenge. Some people might want to learn self defense, but can’t commit to ongoing classes or even to committing to one night a week for six weeks.  This is why SAFE International offers a four hour course delivered all at one time.  With four hours we can’t make anyone an expert, but we can teach them some basic, effective skills that can be learned in a short period of time. SAFE International can teach your company, family, privately in your environment to save you the time of travelling somewhere to learn.

Chris Robert’s SAFE International has taught more than 120,000 clients personal protection skills throughout Canada since 1994.  For more info you can visit www.safeinternational.biz and www.highschoolselfdefense.com  Chris can be contacted directly at chrisroberts@safeinternational.biz