Being Independent

 

Being Independent

 

My decisions are mine to make,

not for another less qualified to take.

Who knows my life better than me?

and I do aspire for self-improvement you see.

I may make an honest mistake from time to time,

and it will be MY mistake, I’ll own it because it’s mine!

It is only this way that I can grow by deciding who I am,

and I choose to be independent because I can.

 

John

 

And this subliminal meditation is here.

 

 And the word art version is here.

 

 

There is a selection of my art on canvas and other mediums available in my Bonanza Shop here.

 

I have two self-help stories available exclusively on Amazon, either on the Kindle or paperback, and I do hope that you find them interesting, thought-provoking, and, most of all, enjoyable: -

 

The Rock Philosophy

This simply written short story is aimed at those who seek to understand themselves, and through understanding themselves comes a greater understanding of life. 

 

The Life of Jesus

(as witnessed by his brother)

Much has been written about Jesus, and no matter your view on religion or Christianity, this person, whether he was as described in the bible or not, has singularly shaped, to a greater or lesser extent, the lives we lead today through his wisdom. There are many versions of the story, but there is only one truth, and is it not better to know the truth?

 

You are most welcome to visit my self-help youtube channel Advantage Subliminal

 

And you will find an excellent read in this story by my son Colin, and it is here.

 

Karate

 My early Karate days (I am in the middle at the back) and my first competition.

Karate

Ever since I had first seen something resembling the martial arts on television as a boy, I knew I wanted to learn them.  I should say that school life was never easy for from Primary 5 or 6 I became the target of bullies.  It wasn’t that I was a small weak person, far from it, I guess I just wasn’t much of a fighter.  Years later as a Karate Coach I was able to talk to parents who worried about their children at school, and I was also able to talk to the children who trained in my class.  Hopefully I was able to help those who were bullied and perhaps give potential bullies some food for thought when they came to learn Karate with me.  The bad news for parents is that karate doesn’t change the timid person into an aggressive person, at least not in my experience.  What it does do hopefully is help handle situations better and of course aid confidence when one learns that it is possible to defend oneself without being big or having “big” muscles!  I mention this only as a background, I did not start in Karate because I was bullied, the whole thing just fascinated me and to be perfectly honest the martial arts still fascinate me as much now as it did then.  When I first started training, I was 20 years old, Karate clubs or any Martial arts clubs were very few especially living in rural areas.  After some research I heard of a club in Uphall which adjoins Broxburn in West Lothian.  I didn’t want to go on my own, so I discovered that my sister Isabel’s boyfriend at that time, Sam, was interested too.  We went along to the pub where the class was held in the lounge bar twice a week, it was an adult class, very few if any children trained in these days.  We were allowed to watch, I paid particular attention to the exercises thinking I didn’t want to make a fool of myself when I finally went to train properly.  After the class finished Sam and I spoke to the instructor and told him we would be along to train regularly.  I went home and religiously did the exercises I had seen, even sticking my feet under my bed for the stomach exercises until I could do them without support.

 

The big night duly arrived, and Sam and I lined up at the back of the class and then I discovered what that even for all my preparation I was still unprepared, my instructor doubled all the exercises and I had decided that I was going to do them all.  Well, I had to leave the class and run to the toilet where I was promptly sick, totally different being sick through exercise than any other sickness.  I forced myself back and finished the class.  I loved the training however looking back and having trained in other classes, in other styles of Karate, with other Instructors I recognise now that this, with my first instructor, was a dangerous type of coaching and would not be allowed today by the regulatory authority.  The club was not licensed, however that was not important to me at the time.

 

Sam gave up eventually by which time I had become integrated in the club. I was always better with my hands as flexibility with my legs was something I had to work on. 

 

It was shortly after Sam left that our coach organised a weekend camp, staying in tents in a field near a river in Broxburn.  I had just recently purchased my first Karate suit which was a pristine white. During the camp weekend we were crawling through fields which had their share of Cow droppings and we also spent time training in water in the nearby river.  At the end of our first day, I stripped of my wet and dirty Karate suit and got changed for eating and sitting around the campfire.  After good night’s sleep I awoke to find my Karate Suit standing where I had left it. The jacket and trousers standing stiff on their own just looked so funny and strange, it was as if they had a life of their own.

 

After our normal training sessions some of us used to stay behind and do some extra training when the class finished.  One night another person, Jock, practised with me. We faced each other and practised kicks.  Jock protectively covered his groin, at which (having trained longer than him) I told him he had nothing to worry about.  He then relaxed and I practised a very poor side kick which caught him in the groin and had him jump in the air then roll on the floor clutching his vitals.  Frankly I couldn’t stop laughing because it is always funny when you are not the one doing the rolling about! Jock was great though once he recovered, he eventually laughed too, much to my relief.  One major lesson is that you can’t play with fire and not expect to get burned occasionally.  As a coach though you take every precaution to avoid accidents, Karate is a serious sport, but it still provides great fun and adventure. People believe when you achieve your Dan grade (black belt) that is it, you’ve reached that exalted goal! Not so I am afraid, Dan means level, therefore 1st Dan means first level, when you have the tools to start.

Learning, Knowledge, Wisdom, Fun, Pleasure, Excitement, Escape, Imagination - Reading

 

 

 

Stairway

To Wisdom

What do I find,

if I open my mind?

And how do I do this,

without feeling amiss?

It is in front of me if I look,

yes, without doubt, it’s a book.

This could be my biggest venture,

as I now enter a world of adventure.

I can lose myself here in this safe place,

as I move forward in pleasure at my own pace.

 

John

 

Ever since I was a child many years ago, long before computers and mobile phones, when TV and Cinema were in their infancy, the only escape from every day matters, other than playing with my friends, the only escape adventure readily available to me was in reading. My family didn't have much, every week was a struggle financially for my parents, yet we always had what we needed and were never short of love, understanding, compassion and the will of my parents for my sisters and I (the only boy) to be the best we could be.  My father who had been a prisoner of war for most of the  second world war in a German prisoner of war camp, loved reading and learning, he had a quiet, loving strength and a great understanding of life. My mum was the nurturer, who held everything and everyone together. They both came from very large families and were used to making the most of the very little they had.

So why say all that? Well they engendered these wonderful qualities in their children, at least they did their best to do so, and for me from a very youg age, I loved reading and our local library was the favourite haunt og my twin sister and I in our formative years.  Today and for the first time for many years I have 6 -7 books on the go at the same time, and in a change form my more recent reading habits, most of them are factual books, including history and (I cannot believe it myself) quantum physics (for beginners). But the truth of the matter is that I continue to seek understanding of life, and wisdom, and it can often be found where you least excpect it, even in fiction books. 

A month or so ago I visited a book shop which also had a small cafe, I had not done anything like this for such a long time and it was like reliving my childhood at our library, only this time I had to pay for my books, but on the plus side, I could also browse over books with a coffee and a piece of amazing carrot cake, with great care of course, for I didn't want to mark the book I was looking at.

I had a great time and bought a number of books which I am still working my way through. And I have been back to the book shop briefly where I nearly bought another book which I thought I was going to get on offer at half price, but it wasn't to be. Which brings me to my Amazon Kindle, I bought the same book for .99 pence on my Kindle. Don't get me wrong, there is no substitute for the energy that comes with the paper pages of a real book, but equally there is something nearly as good in the simplicity and overall ease of use of a kindle which can carry many books, so I am a big fan of that too.

Anyway the book I bought for .99p on my kindle, but found through the book shop, is a wonderful work of fiction that I am really enjoying and there is wisdom in it too:-

 

Excerpt from 'Six Crimson Cranes' by Elizabeth Lim

 

“Find the light that makes your language shine,

hold on to it, even when the dark surrounds you.

Not even the strongest wind will blow out the flame.”

 

I recommend it to you and hope you find the sense of adventure and pleasure in it as I currently am.

FYI my favourite books of all time are SHOGUN by James Clavell, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy by Stieg Larsson, The Godfather by Mario Puzo and Harry Potter by JK Rowling (what can I say, I am still a child at heart). A good book is like a good friend, you can pick it up anytime and always  enjoy its company, which entertains and speaks to us in the language of love, it nurtures our inquistive nature and our sense of adventure as well as enlivening our mind and  imagination.

There is a selection of my art on canvas and other mediums available in my Bonanza Shop here.

 

I have two self-help stories available exclusively on Amazon, either on the Kindle or paperback, and I do hope that you find them interesting, thought-provoking, and, most of all, enjoyable: -

 

The Rock Philosophy

This simply written short story is aimed at those who seek to understand themselves, and through understanding themselves comes a greater understanding of life. 

 

The Life of Jesus

(as witnessed by his brother)

Much has been written about Jesus, and no matter your view on religion or Christianity, this person, whether he was as described in the bible or not, has singularly shaped, to a greater or lesser extent, the lives we lead today through his wisdom. There are many versions of the story, but there is only one truth, and is it not better to know the truth?

 

You are most welcome to visit my self-help youtube channel Advantage Subliminal

 

And you will find an excellent read in this story by my son Colin, and it is here.