So if you read part one...well...congrats, you've gained some deeper wisdom! Part 1 and part 2 do not have to be read in the proper order. There were just WAY too many quotes we know of to fit all in one part. So, let's get to it!
"I don't let go of fear, I meet it with understanding. Then, it lets go of me."
This is personally one of my favourites and it sounds a lot fancier than it is. Lets take the first half. Fear is something we face daily. In this case we are talking about things we are scared to do, to try. Not things we are scared of. We, as humans, need to understand that fear is natural. There are plenty of things in this world that scare us and make us nervous. however, if we can take a look at the situation, ask ourselves why we are so scared or what is making us nervous, and rationalize that it is perfectly safe, the fear lets go of us. For example, when we work on throws in class. Maybe it's your first time being thrown and your scared. Why? Probably because you're worried about hurting yourself, right? We need to tell ourselves that it is safe, Sensei wouldn't make us do it if it wasn't and the floor is padded so I won't be seriously injured. If we can ration this, try it out, and repeat. Eventually, the fear of being thrown or the fear of falling...is gone. Fear will let go of you.
"Winners focus on winning. Losers focus on winners."
Read that again if you have to. Winners, or those of us that are successful, are focused on HOW to get there. They focus on what they need to do to get better. They focus on the path to get there and they stick to it. Loosers, or those of us that are successful are focused on those who are. They compare themselves to others. They want to know how the other person did it instead of focusing on their own journey.
"True victory is victory over oneself."
In karate, we spar, we practice self-defence, some of us even compete. All of these include a version of victory but real victory ir when you better yourself. Maybe it clearing negative thoughts. Maybe its overcoming a fear. Maybe it involves bettering a skill you've been working on. Victory over other people will always be a challenge, but victory over your-self...that is not something that everyone can achieve.
"The body achieves what the mind believes."
This is something I say to my students a lot. I phrase it a little different so that it is easier for them to understand but the ideas are the same. If you have to face something that may be a challenge to you and you try it once and tell yourself that you will never get the hang of it, that you're no good at it, that it's too hard...that that is exactly what it will be. Too hard. BUT if you can positively talk to yourself and tell yourself that you CAN do it. That you CAN get better at it...even if it is hard, then that is what will happen. We have a rule in our dojo. If you ever utter the sentence "I can't do this", it better be followed by the word "yet". If it's not, you get burpies :P
"Failure is not the opposite of success. It is part of it."
Okay I lied to you earlier, this is my favourite quote. This is also a quote that A LOT of people struggle to understand and if they understand it, they struggle to remember it. I cannot tell you how many times I have failed at something. A belt, a tip test, meeting a goal, a bad grade. This is life. We are humans. We fail. And if you think you haven't failed...you need to check yourself because I don't believe that for a second. EVERYONE FAILS. That is how we learn. How we grow. How we become better. Failing teaches us the things we need to change and when we change those things we do better. Until we fail again and than we repeat and repeat and repeat until one day...we don't fail at this thing and we are successful with it. It's like the old saying "fall down 7 times and get up 8."