Top Quotes from CommonSensei
Famous quotes for award winning author Bill Viola Jr. © CommonSensei -All Rights Reserved.
“I want to be a Sensei that Students need, not a Sensei that needs students.”
Bill Viola Jr.
“Let me help you become a ‘Black Belt in Life.’”
Bill Viola Jr.
“The fool knows-it-all, the wise admits-all-they-know.”
Bill Viola Jr.
Being a SENSEI isn’t for everyone, but everyone needs a SENSEI.
Bill Viola Jr.
While ignorance may be bliss, I say street smarts are divine.
Bill Viola Jr.
CommonSensei is a NO BS 💩 approach to “adulting” empowered by my very own spin on Japanese methodology. It’s “ZENtastic.”
Welcome to my dojo of life skills, a place to learn everything they should be teaching you in school but don’t, from a legit Sensei of “The Way.”
Sensei wasn’t just preparing me for a fight in a tournament; he was training me for the ultimate crown, the championship of life🏆.
I’ve never been satisfied with B’s, second place, or vice president; I wanted high honors, the grand championship, and the VIP parking space.
They may sign a waiver to punch and kick, but what they’re really investing in is a mentor.
CommonSensei is anything but common; he’s a master of “life skills.”
As a life coach, my mission is to mentor, motivate, and inspire the next generation through life skills I’ve coined the “Martial SMARTS.”
CommonSensei is your game master in a contest that has no instruction manual.
I strongly believe knowledge is merely potential power🤔. The real super power is common sense, and with enough of it you might just be the next
Genius lies in the intangibles; they are purveyors of instinct and action.
While I didn’t score 2400 on my SAT’s, I’ve since graduated at the top of my class in gut instinct, adaptability, and confidence.
Unleash the single most important skillset in the world—your mind
The dojo will be our job site and the 3 K’s of karate your building materials
The 3 K’s of karate ☝️ are the brick and motor of your Pagoda 🏯
My Samurai sword slices through adversity and gives me the ultimate “edge.” When my blade is razor sharp, I’m invincible, if it dulls, I falter.
Before you “act” like the laborer, you need “think” like the architect…
Like a cherry blossom, shoshin is embracing growth mentality
The fool “knows-it-all,” the wise admits “all-they-know.”
An egotistical attitude will rust your sword, as salt water does to steel.
When you stop practicing your weapon, it WILL tarnish.
As iron sharpens iron, so reading CommonSensei will sharpen your sword⚔️
Instead of a know-it-all arrogance, shoshin is a learn-it-all humility.
Draw your sword, release your mind, and fight!
There’s cause and effect and then there’s, “Pause and reflect.” Be slow to speak and quick to listen.
if you’re stubborn as a bull, that’s ok, we just need to “charge” in the right direction
Some say, “A goal without a plan is just a wish,” but I say a dream becomes a goal with action.
Fushoshin frames 🖼️ are blocks, just like in karate, but these defensive maneuvers protect your mind.
Your reputation is tarnished. You can either continue to rust or work on preserving your integrity.
Guilt is that feeling you’ve done “something” wrong, while self-shame is that feeling that you’ve done “everything wrong.”
It’s ok to get knocked down, as long as you’re not knocked out.
A “wish” is hollow, but a “decision” to take responsibly is fulfilling!
In life we will meet genuinely good people, people we think are good but turn out to be traitors, genuinely bad people, and people we think are bad who turn out to be good😵. Its tricky business, but why not learn from each and every one of them. Grow from each 🌸. They all can empower and give us gifts to grow on. Good people give us joy while bad people give us with experience. Fake friends give us life lessons, and true friends give us serenity. The garden needs both rain and sunshine to flourish.
Don’t be too quick to judge, life is full of blessings in disguise. We hope and pray for “XYZ” when we should have been looking for “ABC” all along.
What should have “broke me; woke me.”
Any old black belt can be a champion, but not all champions can be a Sensei.
Yes, it’s not fair, but its reality, so recognize and rectify. I call this block (recognize) and counter (rectify). First block, then punch and kick the 💩 out of negative thoughts.
When in doubt: ⏸️Pause, 😮💨 Breathe, 😊 Smile, 🔁
When you give a “piece” of your mind, you lose “peace” of mind.
Remember, a samurai chops vegetables with a knife the same way he cuts enemies with his sword.
Strike first, strike hard… “Know” mercy! Kill ‘em with kindness
A compliment is a pat on the back, while a criticism is a punch in the gut.
Win or learn is at the very core of my Violosophy!
I believe in my ❤️ that positive affirmations are one of the 🗝’s to living your best life. However, thinking “happy” thoughts are just one 🗝 to a life with multiple locks 🔒.
You see, planning is “knowing” what you need, while preparation getting you “ready.”
You can’t plan for things out of your control, you can only prepare for them
When you aren’t focused on “anything,” so you can be “open” to everything.
You need a kata in order to build a habit, but you can’t have habits without a proper routine.
Great intentions, with little attention, leads to tension!
While I can’t guarantee you’ll ever enter the “zone,” I can guarantee there is NO chance without kihon.
Basics aren’t always exciting, but they are electricity that powers the kata. Fascinating right? Just remember, without shoshin, the light will never turn on, without mushin the electricity will never flow, without zanshin, the light will flicker, without heijōshin the light will be too bright or dim, and without fudōshin you’ll blow a fuse 💡 💡 💡. Are you starting to feel the “positive” charge ⚡🔋!?!
Mokusō is like an oven where my mind is set on pre-heat. As you fan the flames 🔥 🔥 🔥 you’re forging your sword ⚔️!
The most value lessons come from defeat, not victory. A silver medal 🥈 always teaches more than gold 🥇.
White belts are beginners, so they embrace shoshin whileBlack belts continually seek enlightenment or senshin.
A good swordsmith will tell you that the sharpest most beautiful blade is still ineffective without proper balance!
Shoshin and senshin are bookends to an endless library. The white belt speed reads while the black belt searches for lifelong enrichment page by page.
what’s the “secret”㊙ to karate is, he calmly rattles off, “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.”
99% of success is a matter of showing up to the dojo; the other 1% is punching and kicking!
We pound, chip, and hammer away with the black belt rule, “be 1% better today than you were yesterday.”
1>0 by infinity ♾♾♾. Nothing is well… nothing, but something is capable of reaching 2, 3, 4. Or in our case, yellow belt, blue belt, green belt, etc.
At 1% you’re planting a seed, and repetition will water that idea, no matter how small. Zero is the dirt on the ground, and one single seed will yield blooming flowers. 0 is to one 1, as no is to yes.
There’s a reason slow brewed coffee☕ tastes better than the instant crap. When that 1% percolates, it trickles into the mind, and like with anything good, it takes time.
Chose your 1% wisely and sharpen your sword accordingly.
Compounding small victories creates real life altering change. 1% better each day, for 365 days with the power of compound improvement, is just about 3,800% better (38x times better) each year 🤯 🤯 🤯.
The idea of technically improving 1% forever and ever is a reach, but when it comes to fudōshin, it’s the intent is what matters. How about 1.0152 ? That is 1% growth each “week” for a 52 weeks (1 year). That still gives you 1.67 or 167% boost 🚀!!!!! It’s a fascinating tug-of-war, but if you embrace it, and put in the 😅 equity, you will win! Success is actually earned within the margins; if you stay focused on taking incremental daily actions, no matter how small, you will form sustainable habits. It’s your choice!
The ironic thing about kaizen kata is that it’s anything but routine. Its very definition is “good change” so you must always find creative ways to adapt and challenge yourself. Continual improvement is a result of evolution. “Nothing changes, if nothing changes.” It’s amazing how just two letters, “I” “F” generate such a powerful realization.
Karate by itself is just self-defense or beating people up 🤣. Karate-dō however is “way of life” governed by virtues; BIG difference 道道道
1% of 24 hours is only 14.4 minutes! That’s it. Yeah, 864 seconds long. Listen up. If you can’t give me 1%, you aren’t serious about succeeding.
Are you hungry OR thirsty? Or are you Hungry AND Thirsty?
In karate, as life, you need to stay “hungry.” We must snarl and crawl towards that 1% gain, no matter what obstacle. Tora is slowly sharpening his claws and patiently waiting.
In school you earn A, B, C’s to satisfy the 🐉, but the 🐯 is more concerned with diploma🎓. Stay thirsty for A’s and but hungry for your degree. Dragon’s live for small wins, and small wins keep your tiger on his toes.
While the 🐯 is building “assurance” (inspiration) the 🐉 is providing “insurance” (motivation). Invest in both 📈!
Quenching your thirst is essential to survival, but don’t get drunk on self-sake 🍶😂
As you feed the tora, you must quench the tatsu.
There is a huge difference between confidence😺 and conceit😼
Confidence “BELIEVING in YOURSELF” 😺, while conceit is “bragging” about yourself😼.
Overconfidence is like swimming in a tsunami, while you’ve only mastered is the doggie paddle 😂
🐉’s are motivated by the “incentive” of the next belt, while 🐯‘s are “inspired” by the “idea” of black belt.
As a coach, I “push” my team to the brink of exhaustion🤜 As a Sensei I pull the student up. . While coaches want to win games, a Sensei wants to win spirits.
The coach in me can motivate a scared kid to fight; but the Sensei in me can inspire him to fight for justice.
I want to be a Sensei that students need, not a Sensei that needs students.
Sensei in me sparks fire 🔥 within, the coach in me throws on gasoline ⛽.
You can look at motivation as the push “reason”🤜 to act, and inspiration as a pull “wanting” to act👆
It’s easy for me to light a fire under someone’s A$$, the trick is lighting the fire inside.
Inspiration is magical; you never know whose casting a spell.
Goals need something measurable. Something you can see 👀 and taste
Motivation is like gas on fire, well understanding the “why” is dousing it with metallic hydrogen (rocket fuel). The “why” leads you to senshin, and a sense of purpose.
“Why powers thy,” it’s what makes things meaningful.
Don’t think inside the box… Take it to the hilt! You’re a Samurai now, slice the box into pieces ⚔️📦.
They say, practice what you preach; I say “teach what your practice.”
The 3 K’s: Kihon ↔ Kata ↔ Kumite are a trifecta that must coexist in a specific order “initially,” but they never stop sharpening each other ⚔️ from all angles. Each part of the trio owns 33.3% of the goal, but if they aren’t 100% engaged chances of reaching the goal decreases exponentially.
Although dō is pronounced (D’oh) like Homer Simpson would say, I still like my adaption: “Just 道 it.”
Dragons are motivated on a deadline, but tigers are inspired on God’s terms.
Yin to the yang, In to the Yo, and yes to the no!
Prayer is talking to God, while meditation is listening to God.
When someone asks you, “Are hungry or thirsty?” Hit back with I’m hungry and thirsty!
“Just 道 it.”
Hunger and thirst is the basic biological drives needed to survive. At the end of the day, water your dragon or you’ll be dehydrated and feed your, tiger or you will starve
Kumite ➡ Action is the “sweat” equity of the 🐯 tora and 🐉 tatsu. It’s pretty simple; sweat is proof of hard work. If you don’t take action you won’t sweat and you’re liable to have heat stroke. Yes, without sweating, your dreams will dry up!
If there is no first step, NOTHING will happen. If there is one baby step, EVERTHING can happen!
Never fear, you don’t have to give up 99% of your day to start a new goal, just give 100% of 1%.
Shoshin allowed for momentum, fudōshin powered her forward, mushin made the steps flow, zanshin kept her on her toes, and heijōshin gave her peace and confidence to continue.
When your mindset shifts from “if” I get my black belt, to “when” I get my black belt, you are on the path 道.
Winners never stop sharpening their swords: 14.4 minutes or 864 seconds at a time!
Keep chasing the 🐉’s tail, and you’ll end up catching a 🐯.
If you keep your mind open 🤩 to new things, unbreakable 😤 to evil things, alert 🚨 to unknown things, calm ☮️ to dangerous things and, automatic ✈️ to random things you will be able to do “anything”🤯.
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