Here at the frontier, the leaves fall like rain. Although my neighbors are all barbarians, and you, you are a thousand miles away, there are still two cups at my table.


Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.

~ Wu-men ~


Tuesday, December 05, 2017

Most Popular Reads from Must Triumph

I very much enjoy reading Sam Yang's Must Triumph blog. Below is a list of the most popular articles from 2016.

On the Martial Artist: I asked over 20 martial artists, ranging from Silicon Valley, Wall Street, to Hollywood, and everything in between, about the martial arts. What I learned is that, some get good at martial arts, and some get good at getting good.


  • Why I Never Quit Martial Arts: Having trained from age six, my biggest challenge was never stopping.
     
  • The Pink Gi in the Room: A comprehensive long-form discussion from the perspective of women about gender diversity and equality in the microcosm of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and how that reflects on the rest of the world.
     
  • On Walking the Path With Enson Inoue: A long-form, philosophical discussion about the modern need for spiritual growth, featuring Enson Inoue.
     
  • On Exercise and Building Character: Physical exertion was and still is the first form of character building.
     
  • On the Enjoyment Paradox: Why doing what you like isn't enough.
     
  • How Jiu-Jitsu Healed My Body Image: "For decades I scrutinized my body, hated my body, but was attached to it against my will. Then I started jiu-jitsu..."
     
  • What Getting Punched in the Face Taught Me: Getting punched in the face is a metaphor for conflict. Though possible reactions are infinite, there are only a handful that are useful.
     
  • Beyond Hacking: Why Trying Harder Matters: Practice, be technical in your craft and endeavors, and learn the proper tactics and strategies. Then prepare to fight like hell.
     
  • On Discipline, Intelligence, and Stoicism: It's Tough to Be Smart, but Smart to Be Tough: Intelligence gets enough credit, what's lacking in credit is discipline — the ability to resist distraction.
     
  • On the Loser's Mindset: A Humorous Approach to Success: When you fight doubt, fight it with faith, not certainty. Certainty gets your ass kicked.
     
  • On the Meaning of a Belt: The belt doesn't make the person. The person makes the belt. You make the belt.
     
  • Misery: The More You Use, The More You Have: Dwelling on the negative aspects, hoping that it will somehow purge and create positive thoughts doesn't work.
     
  • On Water: Bruce Lee, David Foster Wallace, and D.T. Suzuki: A curated dialogue between Bruce Lee, David Foster Wallace, and D.T. Suzuki on Zen, martial arts, and wu-wei.
     
  • On the Ten Bulls: Lose Yourself to Find Yourself: "Ten Bulls" is a classic series of poems that illustrates the Buddhist's progress towards the purification of the Self into enlightenment, and the subsequent return to society to share in this wisdom.
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