Stepping up / My own voice

11 Days in October. 

Just wrapped up Violence Dynamics 2014.  After 11 days of hard work it has been a challenge transitioning back to “normal” life.  So much going through my head.  So many aches and pains healing up.

The seminar was great.  I am blessed that I had an opportunity to have so many of the teachers that have influenced me all in the same place at the same time.  My Aikido Sensei was there for a day, my Judo Sensei was there for a day, and for all 11 days I had Steve Jimerfield Rory Miller and Marc MacYoung to play with.

One day I even got the SWAT team there.  I had a very Zen moment of lots of my favorite people doing some of my favorite things.  Great week, but that week is over time to forge on. 

For an in depth review of what we did check out Rory Miller’s blog.  

http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/2013/10/recap.html

It doesn't make any sense for me to rewrite what he has already written.

And that is kind of the point.

My biggest take away from this seminar personally, was the reoccurring theme of “my own voice”.

As awesome as those guys are, the world doesn't need more pale imitations of them.

Any time I take on someone as a mentor my personal challenge to myself is to surpass them.  Take what they have to teach, make it my own and change it into something better.

I now understand that better is not enough.  I have to embrace making it my own and not only make it better but make it different.

Express my own voice.

The world doesn't need pale imitations, but I fell the world could benefit from the one and only me.

Ha can be translated from Japanese as style, or particular to.  Especially when used after a family name.  Keckeisenha Jujutsu for example would be the style of Jujutsu done by, taught to the Keckeisen family.  It may differ from what is taught to others because you keep the really good stuff to your immediate family.  It is your particular flavor.

So it is time for me to step up.  No longer managing the “talent”, but to embrace being the talent.  Also to embrace doing things my own way the Keckeisenha.

Just as Batman by 40 is as much a brain dump and a way to keep myself accountable to my goals, for the most part so is this blog post (I hope readers may get something out of it as well)

But Batman by 40 has served me well and yielded results

Here are some before and after pics

I set goals, developed an action plan to meet those goals then stuck to the plan (Batman never gives up)

So here and now I launch the Minnesota Martial Art Mafia project.  

As I am writing this I became nervous.  Should I really be sharing this?  Should I really call it that?  Nervous?, fuck that I routinely kick in the doors of armed dangerous felons, I won’t be afraid sharing my feelings, my personal goals publicly.  But mafia?, why call it that you might ask.  

Without coming off more overly arrogant (more so than I usually do anyway) I am too good at what I do not to have my own voice, not to be known. 

I'm the best there is at what I do, and what I do isn't very nice business

There are folks out there that couldn't carry my jock that sell out training venues for seminars any given weekend of the year. 

I call it mafia because I’m coming into their territory and I'm going to take it over.  They can benefit from working with me or be crushed

Nevertheless, I'm taking over. You can either profit by this... or be destroyed!

There are plenty of talented instructors teaching 3-10 people out of a church basement or a YMCA.  I will not be that cliché.  It is easy to romanticize those guys as pure.  And to villainize less talented Instructors that run financially successful schools as sell outs.  Fuck that! Time to pick it up a notch. 

It has always been important to me to get good information out to the people who will use it to protect others.  That is the mission first and foremost.

However, that information does no one any good if no one gets it.  If no one gets the information, it doesn't get applied in the field. 

The information I can uniquely provide hasn't gotten very far by me giving it away for free.  Nor have many of my bills been paid. 

That does not make me stoic.  That does not make me honorable.  That means I’m failing at getting the information out.  Batman doesn't fail!

Batman becomes who he needs to be to get the job done.  If I’m not getting the information out I can’t afford to be disdainful of business men.  I am not above them.  We do not live in a caste system that separates warriors and merchants.  I will steal every solid business practice that allows me to get the message out. 

I will be Batman by 40 I got that down.  I also need to become Bruce Wayne and kick ass on that side of things as well.  Hell even Luthor if it gets the job done

So here it is I’m dropping the gauntlet. 

Operation Minnesota Martial Art Mafia - Short term Goals [1-3 months]

Finish the book.

·        You have heard me talking about this thing for three years.  Want to read it?  No one can until I finish it.  Time to nut up and get it done

Have useful functioning website for the school

Create and advertise training schedule for 2014

-Intermediate goals [3-6 months]

15 new students

1 seminar per month with 30 students

Establish play group cells / branch Dojos

Sell book to publisher

By Jan 2014

30 regular full time students

Sell out all available training slots for Violence Dynamics.  Be forced to seek new training venue to handle more participants

Hand my father a published copy of the book.

Now it is out there, I better hustle to make it happen.

It felt good writing this.  Thank you for reading it.  Although this was for me, I hope you took something from it too.

As a reward for reading it the whole way through here is the song that will be going through my head as I stay motivated to meet the above stated goals.

PS everyone still reading this that has thought about coming to Minnesota to train with me or inviting me to your school for a seminar better book now while you can still afford me.