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First, if you didn’t read the last two blogs I’ve posted, one on Friday, and the other on the “Student Only Blog” regarding injury care, do so now. Lots of good info. I even posted a couple summer training tips to stay on top of your game.

Next, from now on I’ll post ALL blog entries on the Student Only blog, but NOT all of them on the general one. Therefore, if you’re a visitor/non-student, I’ll still be in contact with you through the general blog. If you’re a student, you’ll get some extra stuff (as you should, you’re paying the regular fee!)… but can see ALL of the entries on the Student Only blog/site.

Ok, continuing with my trip…

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FOLLOW UP ON ROME TO NAPLES/POMPEII THEN ATHENS

Overall, I liked Rome much more than the rest of my family. I do agree that Rome is filthy, but I attribute it to how long it has been around, especially when comparing it to our very young US cities. The couple days we spent there were long and full, and it was time to leave on the cruise the next day already. As a result, we left the next day, on June 26th, and hit Naples the following day. We spent most of the day touring the city of Pompeii? the one which was dramatically eradicated by Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Wow, what a spot. Our tour guide led us around, as our two boys did some excavating of their own. I couldn?t believe how well the city was preserved… quite amazing. Plus, didn?t realize how big it was. Crazy to think everything was killed off in a very short amount of time.

We had a free day the next day cruising, giving us some much needed rest. The temperatures were very hot, and trekking two kids around made it even hotter. Oh, add on the 30 lbs. of supplies any parent needs to carry, and bump up the uncomfortableness factor times two. On the 28th we pulled into our first Greek city Athens, and saw the location of the first modern Olympics in 1896. Also got to see the Acropolis and Parthenon, while shopping in the busy and popular Plaka where we got to mingle with the locals.

Our ship departed again and the next day we awoke in Mykonos, an island of Greece. Didn?t plan any excursions as the island is more of a laid back town with plenty of sunshine, beaches, and fun. We hit the local beach, and then walked the city before a nice local lunch of gyros! My parents took the kids back to the ship, and Steph and I rented an ATV to race around the city, visit the beaches, and residential areas.

Ok, I haven?t mentioned this yet, but the people in Europe are nuts on the road. I?ve always felt comfortable about my own fate, but there were many times I thought this is it ? I?m gonna die ? and it is before my time. Whether it be in a taxi in Rome, or on a four wheeler around Greece? Any way, back the boat we went after surviving racing around.

MORE GREEK ISLANDS TO TURKEY

Rhodes, another Greek island was next, where I learned more history than I thought existed. Shopping was pretty cool too. By the grace of God, the kids once again acted very well, and another port was checked off our list. On July 1st, we pulled into Turkey. Specifically, it was Kusadasi where we got to see a bit of the city, but put most of our focus on Ephesus. Being a Christian I was very excited about this port. It was where the Apostle Paul spent most of his time, and obviously wrote about in the Bible.

Connecting a place to the person and scripture was awesome, as this city was once again preserved extremely well (given the two thousand plus years it?s been sitting). Given the heat, we were all worn out quite a bit. The kids racked up yet another ?good behavior? day, but hit the hay quickly and easily that night.

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I’ll follow more in a day or two… thanks for checking in!

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu

ps: Hey Adults! The Edged Weapons Seminar in Gurnee on August 1-2 is something you won’t want to miss if you have the chance. The seminar is usually $300… but if you register through EDS, your cost is $175. We do not have online payment for this event, so you can either pay me in cash, check or credit card… just let me know.

I’ll want to tie up the registration for this event soon, so I have enough time to ship off the money to Sifu Cruse. Call or email me with questions!

Just got an email from Black Belt Magazine’s Chief Editor, telling me that they are gearing up for a big feature on Bruce Lee.

Here is the cool thing, he emailed me personally to get my opinion for an article they are doing. Here is the important part of the email:

“Matt,

Robert Young, editor
Black Belt mag”

Obviously I’m delighted to be seen as a “well known martial artist”. Secondly, kind of stressful, for two reasons:

1. There are so many things I could write about, I don’t know where to start. Yikes!

2. I have a “project” I’m “starting” on Monday, which will literally take up all my time. I’ll let you guys in on all of the details through the “Student Only” blog in a couple weeks. Therefore, I have to write this in about 3 days.

That is why I’m turning to you. Post any ideas you guys have… I have a couple in my head, but would love to hear your opinion. If you’re having trouble posting, simply email me.

Hopefully we’ll see my “opinion” in Black Belt, next to some real “well known martial artists” in what seems to be an awesome feature.

Thanks!

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu

So tying up the blog series I did on priorities… it is just something to think about. So many times we get our attention dictated whatever is giving us “pain” at that time.

Worries at work, a fight with a loved one, or an injury. What I’ve found in my life is that those shots of pain usually came from the fact I didn’t address my priorities early enough… some of them were not priorities at all.

Reminds me of what I heard someone say about health some years back. They explained that sooner or later everyone has too deal with taking care of their physical bodies, health, etc… Some just do it earlier on – establish good habits, and then don’t have as many “late game” problems as other do.

Even if a person does not give attention to their bodies earlier on, they will have to sooner or later. I’m finding out slowly but surely the same holds true for every area of your life. That is why making solid decisions NOW on your priorities will be the best investment you’ll ever make.

That is why I respect martial arts so much… and love the multiple payoffs. My students are making an investment NOW… safety aside, they are working their muscles, cardio and mental health NOW, giving them the positive payoffs in the end.

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Paul Ingram is someone many Bloomingdale students have gotten to know very well over the years. Here is what he has to say about EDS and JKD:

“Before coming to EDS I had experienced the traditional Martial arts which was great in my physical development but, did not give me the security of dealing with a real, live and pressured altercation. Yes, I have had some informal training in the Filipino martial arts before EDS but even that was not quite the same. Joining EDS not only did I build the skills it takes in dealing with confrontations, I also found that self security. In the process I have grown up to a much higher level of maturity and a stronger set of morals and values which all allow me to walk through my day with my head up.

I have found a fantastic and amazing group of individuals here at EDS. Instructors, training partners, students (now that I?m teaching more) and most importantly friends. As I continue to develop and grow with EDS I look forward to always expanding my knowledge and passing it on to our future students. So it is only fitting that I close this with a great big thank you to all those people… my instructors, my training partners, my students (both kids and adults) and everyone else at EDS for this great opportunity. I?ll see you in class!”

-Paul Ingram

Thanks to you Paul, and to the rest of the staff, EDS is a better place!

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu

ps: T-shirt supply running out quickly!

Welcome to the blog!

Couple quick things:

1. Check up on the blog series I’ve done over the last week… might help you refocus – and get more done in the week.
2. Check out the “Ultimate JKD Dream Weekend” invite below. An experience you won’t believe. I have a couple people looking for partners to lessen the cost… Contact me asap if interested – as I’ve release a second date.
3. Get to know Noah… He made our school’s new “Facebook” page. The next 12 people who become friends/members to this group site get a free DVD! We’ll randomly pick one to get a free EDS Graphic t-shirt!

Here is a little about Noah’s EDS Experience:

“Before coming to EDS I was just a regular kid who wasn’t too sure of himself in all aspects of life. When I joined EDS I got something that’s invaluable, confidence. It’s only fitting that I gained more confidence with EDS because in the world of Law Enforcement, you have to be confident.

I am now able to do things more easily than I have done before, I don’t have to worry as much about strange acting people at a gas station, or gangbangers walking down the sidewalk, I don’t have to try and think about the million things I could do to defend myself, because EDS gave me that plan, they gave me the system, and they gave me the confidence to use it.”

- Noah Ballard

Thanks Noah!

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu

ps: Wanna an unforgetable weekend? Check this out:

THE ULTIMATE INVITATION:

?ELITE DEFENSE SYSTEMS ULTIMATE JKD
DREAM TRAINING WEEKEND?

If you are ready for the ultimate training experience, look no further. Imagine doubling, tripling, or even quadrupling your combative knowledge and skills in one weekend. What if you took a weekend out to cover topics, which are taught nowhere else? Think about the excitement of a training experience like no other, where you are taught the most cutting edge combative technologies, and put through the most exhaustive training scenarios.

Think you have what it takes?

Regardless of your present skill level, prepare yourself for a custom three day training camp that surpasses anything you could conjure up in your mind. This is perfect for the Adult student who wants to reach the next level quickly, or even a parent of a youth student who has no experience, and wants to gain the skills ? but has no time. If you are up to challenging yourself to a brand new level, while giving yourself several rewards in the process, this weekend is for you!

This Ultimate JKD Dream Training Weekend is a three-day intensive camp that starts on a Friday, where the day will center on weapons training. Firearms training with combative pistol training will have you firing like a confident shooter within just this one day. You?ll learn the exact same training drills which was taught to Sifu Numrich by the highest Navy SEAL instructor this country has ever seen. (He is currently featured on the Discovery Channel and is one of the most desired ?contracted? people in the military. Sifu Numrich will teach you what this gentleman has taught him step by step.)

Firearms are only the start. Learn how to use the blowgun, pepper spray and throwing knives, which will separate you from the pack. After you learn the little secrets of these projectile weapons, it is time to get settled into your private villa at Illinois? best resort: Eagle Ridge in Galena. Eagle Ridge has also boasted best resort awards in the whole Midwest, as it is nestled near historic Galena, home to one of our best wartime presidents: President Grant. It is only fitting the rest of you?re training will take place here.

Why will you stay there? The best training experience is when you emerge yourself in the experience. Get away from the stresses of your regular work week, and many times overly packed weekends and learn to relax and totally focus on your training sessions. Your accommodations will include two nights in a three bedroom, three bath villa with full kitchen, rec room, and private decks overlooking quiet wooded areas. This is a perfect place to get some rest, because you?ll need it. Day two starts soon.

Wake up Saturday morning for training on the resort grounds, privately surrounded by nature. The curriculum today will cover Sifu Numrich?s ?EXDEFIT? curriculum, which is his executive level streamlined program. Strengthen your weaknesses, while discovering new strengths. Long range, close quarters, ground fighting and weapons will all be covered during this full day of training. End the day with some of the most intense training drills and experiences you?ve ever had.

After training, retreat back to your private quarters for some short rest and to get ready to accompany Sifu Numrich to dinner at the resort?s fine dining restaurant. Dinner, just as the previous night is included. But remember, training starts again soon, so it is time to go back and get some rest.

Day three starts off with a review of the information presented on Saturday. Your review will be video taped to serve as a visual notebook of what you have learned and refined. Next is time for mass attack training. Learn every conceivable scenario of mass attack defense, incorporating weapons, different environments, and third parties. Once again, training takes place on the spacious grounds of the resort. Can you smell the fresh air? You?ll be breathing hard to enjoy it!

This day ends like a scene out of a movie? that is all we can disclose at this point. Let?s just say you?ll have to use everything you?ve learned so far to make it out alive!

The only way to truly capture this experience is to have some mementos, extra training resources, and some experiences which are at the least, unique. They include:

? Signed copies of Roy Harris? latest video series.
? Complete library of Sifu Numrich?s DVD series.
? An ?Elite Defense Systems? inscribed Cold Steel knife, picked out specifically for you.
? A custom, one of a kind Elite Defense Systems t-shirt of your current level.
? The first copy of Sifu Numrich?s updated ?JKD Manuscript? 10th Anniversary edition.
? A chance to be Sifu Numrich?s assistant in an upcoming online video instructional clip.
? Review DVD of your training experience.
? 2 year membership at Elite Defense Systems.

You can?t argue that this training experience is like any other you?ve ever seen? and the extras are rare finds to say the least. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience. The cost of this specialized program is only $4995. Individuals who want to bring their families along for a ?no extra cost? vacation may do so under this option, as there are plenty of activities to do at the resort for the whole family.

The villa sleeps a couple and four children comfortably. Sifu Numrich will also be family sensitive by planning built in family time, so everyone wins! This individual can also lengthen their stay for one extra night for no charge, or for the full week for $495 extra (regular charge for the villa is $298 per night? a $1000 savings).

If you would like to split the program with one other person, the cost is a total of $7995, or pay less than $2999 per person for a group of four. At that price you are reimbursed by only a couple years of memberships at EDS (which is actually included!)? not to mention getting the experience of a lifetime (and every member gets the extras too!). If this option is more appealing, you may enter your name as a group member possibility, or gather a group of your own.

Sifu Numrich only has the time and resources to put on one of these camps over the next year. All payment types are accepted, and payments may be split with a 50% down payment and the balance due 30 days later.

If you?ve been looking for the ultimate experience, you just found it. This is perfect for yourself, a group of friends or clients who can?t make regular classes, or even parents of our youth students.

Please call Sifu Numrich for a private consultation on the details.
In order to find out more of the ?EXDEFIT? training program, please check out www.EXDEFIT.com .
To set up a meeting with Sifu, please call toll free 1-877-337-1877.
Serious inquiries only please.

What is it?

Your thoughts.

What do you think about on a regular basis? Work, money problems, your loved ones, what you are grateful for… worries? Where your thoughts go, you’ll find your priorities.

Take a pro boxer for example. What is he thinking about 24-7? Probably his training… his opponent… the next bout. That is where his priority is.

Take my youngest son Max. This last Sunday, the kid was so excited about getting to eat ice cream – the whole day was about ice cream… everything he talked about was ice cream. That was all he was thinking about… That was his priority.

What do you think about the most? Personally, I’m swamped with work. I have so many little projects going on, I was up working until 12:15am last night, and then I woke up at 4:45am… guess what, couldn’t go back to sleep… so I started working. What was governing my thoughts? Work. All of the stuff I had to get done, before this date, that date, who I have to organize, etc.

You can tell it was I priority. As I type this right now, I’m thinking about all of the stuff I have to do today, when I’ve already been working for about 2 hours. None-the-less, this “priority” is taking up a lot of my thoughts.

If you want to get this under control… get a timer. Set it for different times throughout the day (5, 15, 7, 18 minutes), but nothing longer than 45 minute segments. Everytime it rings, write down what you are thinking about that minute.

Do this for a couple days, and you’ll be floored. Once again, you’ll wonder why you want your priority to be getting work done, but all you think about is the little time wasters which get really nothing done.

I’ll sum everything up tomorrow or Thursday, so tune in… Once again, awareness sometimes cures some ills which may be causing you stress and ineffectivness. Hang with me… more to come.

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu

ps: Orange flyer alert – grab one in class today! Lots of important info!!!

Sorry about that… I wrote an entry on Saturday, and didn’t publish it. My bad…

If “Time” is the first “teller” of where a person’s priorities are, the second is your Spending.

Look through your checkbook and credit card statements… If a person is buying a lot of books, they probably hold learning or knowledge in high regard. If “Olive Garden, McDonald’s, Applebees, and KFC” is taking up a lot of transactions, what does that say? Are clothes important to you? A car wash every 4 days… trips… or donations to charities?

There is the “charge or expense” itself, and then there is the question, what are you getting out of the purchase? For example, $400 spent at Barnes and Noble could say one thing… but if the books are collecting dust, maybe it is just telling half of the story.

Therefore, expenses are not the end all, just like time… it is not the end all and you can’t make all conclusions based on expenses entries in your online checkbook. But – where your money goes does put a red flag over those things which need some major looking into.

I’d start by pulling out 3 months of expenses… if you use a lot of cash for your purchases you’ll have to do at least one month of “pen and paper” record keeping to get this data. Either way, see where you funds are going. More so, see where multiple purchases are going. If you say “health” is a big priority, but you see weekly trips to fast food places, I’d beg to differ.

Next, as you assess your expenses, ask yourself what are you trying to get from these purchases. Freedom, excitement, security, time… or a “sense” of freedom, excitement, security, or time? If you can answer that question, ask yourself if there is a way you can better supply that in your life, without big price tags – either one time buys – or accumlative, week after week expenses.

If you’ve gone this far, having your schedule/calendar and checkbook/credit card statements do some telling… you’re ready for the next one which I’ll cover tomorrow.

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu

ps: Last week before Adult Evolutions in Bloomingdale!

Today I want to write about priorities. As summer rolls around, sometimes our priorities change with our jobs, our families, things we want to do… even trips we want to take.

The challenge I’ve always had is really trying to uncover what my priorities are. Have you ever said or thought your priorities were “X”, but then you never get around to it… or keep on putting it off?

I’ve done that more times than I want to admit. Now I have three “signs” of letting me know where my priorities are… whether I like it or not. On the other hand, if I want to make something a priority in life, I always come back to aligning these three to whatever that is… Here is the first:

Time: Simple idea, I know, but think of this… If you say spending time with your children is a priority, but log in 15 mintues per week spending quality time with them… they are not a priority. I know you love them… even “need” them in your life… but they are not a priority.

If working out is a priority, but you have no clue where your gym membership card is, the treadmill at home has two inches of dust on it, or you just found out the “EDS suburban” location is not in my basement anymore… it is not a priority to you.

The obvious bottom line is that you have to – must – schedule time for your priorities. But even before you do that… here is what I suggest: Find out where your “time” priorities are now. So many people go through their week wasting time doing busy work, surfing the net, or other “needed” tasks which really are not needed.

Hey, I’ve been guilty of it too. But I’m getting better at it every week and month. Therefore, do this exercise. Write down how you spend every waking hour for one full week… even your weekends. Set a wrist watch timer to buzz/ring every hour and keep a log on what you did that last hour.

You’ll be surprised to say the least. By the 4th or 5th day you’ll even start self-correcting yourself… saying… why am I doing this? Try to stay on the old path, and do what you usually do. Once again… this exercise will teach you mountains of information.

At the end of the week, review the “real” schedule, and what you did. You’ll get a good idea of what is truly a priority. Non-effective work at your workplace, running errands too much, talking on the phone way too much… emails, emails, emails… oh, the emails.

The next week shift your priorities by shifting your schedule. Schedule time to do what you WANT to do… what will give you the best payoff emotionally, occupationally, physically, etc. Miricles will not happen overnight… but they will happen by the 3rd or 4th week of doing this.

I’ll cover the 2nd way to really see what your priorities are… but for now I have a priority for training, and my partner should be arriving any second.

I’ll write more tomorrow – SATURDAY! So tune in. I have a new part of the Student Only Site I want to show you.

Plus! T-shirts are now online (click here)! You can purchase them online even if you did sign up at the academy, or order them now to make sure you have one… I believe we only have 40 something left!

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu

ps: Did you sign up for your upcoming Evolution? Time is running out…