Tag: Mr. Miyagi

In Limbo (The in-between place)

by Kai Mann, posted in Uncategorized

Sometimes it’s hard to talk about the in-between places. The places that feel like limbo. You’re not where you used to be but you’re not quite yet where you’re headed. You have faith enough to know that you’re close but the GPS seems to keep re-routing you. It’s the place where everything you once knew doesn’t work anymore, and the things you’re learning haven’t been tested enough to be proven and you’re still trying to figure out how to use them. That place where the person you used to be is taunting you for its equal return and the new you is lurking just close enough on the inside that at times it could be considered out; but it looks to be waiting for an invitation to do so. And, it’s not that you haven’t offered one, its impression is as if it’s awaiting the alignment of some magical space in time where everything needs to meet just so.

So let’s just say that right now ” I feel crazy” most of the time…lol. The new person you’re becoming sometimes feel like a suit that may not quite fit just yet. While you’re still gaining muscle to fill it in just right, and although you’re sure that you can fill those shoes, at the same time you’re doing that thing that most little girls do in their mothers heels, try to teach yourself to walk in them.

If I can explain it in detail I’d tell you that it’s that place where certainty kind of teases you from day to day. Where the ground that you walk on feels a little shaky and in spite of the foundation previously poured its as if the structure beneath your feet is somewhat changing. So much is happening all at the same time that concentration seems to escape you from time to time and you begin to act in ways that you never have before. Often asking yourself “Who was that?” You’re changing, morphing, and transfiguring into the ‘new’ you and your emotions at times can run high as you’re seeking and searching to figure it all out. You feel like those cartoon characters that are shape-shifting, a little painful and out of sorts. Meanwhile a new class is in session and it begins at ground zero. Its days before Kindergarten starts how many, you don’t know, but all you know is that you’re ready for first grade.

You’re realizing that every dimension has a process of levels and every time you get to a new dimension you must start all over from the beginning and it feels weird. A bit uncomfortable, and unnerving because you don’t know what to expect. It’s like being a freshman all over again, you’ve got to get acclimated, learn the ropes, and then you can begin to truly succeed just as you did on the last dimension.

Even still, I had wished that I could go on a 30 day retreat and that someone like Mr. Miyagi would show up and walk me through the lessons of life hand-in-hand so that I could surely be ready for the fight. Right now if anyone asks, my go to is the “Karate Kid” as the match to my hero’s journey. Previously like Daniel I too wanted to skip the whole ‘Wax on…Wax off” part and go straight to the fight but it doesn’t work that way. As you can see, Daniel got hurt. Even though he did, he won because the principles had been instilled in him.

Remember hero, that the journey is built on consistency. Opportunity or chance comes right at the moment that it is supposed to. So if you’re in the in between space, work the process, do your “Wax on…Wax Off” exercises and stick to the trail even when you feel like you’re going to fall off. When you step on to that platform to that next level you’ll be glad that you did.

InkMann Press Series–The Secret Place

by Kai Mann, posted in Uncategorized

InkMann Press Series — The Secret Place

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There comes a time in our lives when the journey calls for complete transformation. This part of the journey is a root deepening and soul defying phase that often asks us to transform in unique ways. In the past we would allow ourselves to get away with behavior unbecoming but when life calls for something more many of us try to answer.

In life we are given a number of opportunities to go deeper within ‘self’ and become the person that we are ultimately destined to be. Sometimes in order to avoid ‘self’ we invite the most unlikely of people or situations into our lives. When we use people to distract us from ourselves we end up stunting our own growth. When this happens it throws us back to the beginning to start over at the same point we were in before we met that unlikely person or began that situation. Basically, because we didn’t take the time to separate ourselves and grow, we remain stagnant.

Sometimes the road to transformation comes because something happened to provoke change or we simply realize its time. Some of us grow through this phase by allowing ourselves time to heal. When we don’t allow healing to occur, we disrupt this phase and it puts us back at the beginning so to speak. Avoiding growth because ‘it’s too hard” is like self-development suicide. Many people never get through the transformational phase because they don’t stay long enough. They either feel they’re ready when they’re not or they think it’s too hard and quit. The transformational phase calls for a mirror so to speak to give us the opportunity of looking at ourselves to work on those under developed areas and bring out our most authentic nature. During this phase where we get to be with ourselves most people opt out because it’s soul work. Soul work requires that we look at ourselves in all areas no matter how tough it is to do so. It’s that vow that you make to yourself to keep going and staying the course because you believe in its reward.

When we do the work and master ourselves we become the hero in our own lives. And like most heroes there is a tale of heroic proportion about what the hero had to do to survive.

In the transformational phase there is this secret place so to speak.  The secret place is where the hero gets nourished, replenished, and energized in order to transform. The secret place offers different stages of each depending upon the level or dimension the hero is embarking upon. During this time the secret place is used as an incubation period. Or like the ‘pupa’ phase of a butterfly. During this phase the cocoon represents the nourishment, lessons, and growth. Although you’re alone working on your work, this phase is most crucial because any change in direction can alter the life of the butterfly.

It is evident that when we do not take the allotted time to learn, grow, and transform that we do not understand the importance of mastering oneself. Finding and mastering yourself before giving to and mastering another teaches you self love at a level that is profound and often unheard of. What I know is that to love and be better for you is to love and be better for others. What value is it to come into anyone’s life and disrupt it by coming in broken or lacking self-development? It profits them nothing more than heartache and pain. When we love others we want the best for them and if we are not the best we must choose to ‘be’ the best. But not before we become the best for ourselves.

When I think about the transformational period I liken it to the stage of preparation. In the midst of transformation is always preparation. This reminds me of Mr. Miyagi and how he prepared Daniel in the ‘Karate Kid’ before his big transformation.  Mr. Miyagi not only taught Daniel karate moves but Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel life lessons while working on his level of understanding. Mr. Miyagi gave Daniel the space to learn his “why” and the significance of it. The Creator does the same thing with us. He prepares us for transformation so that we can walk in our purpose with a full understanding as to ‘why’ we are being transformed. The Creator offers us the opportunity to slow down, to get the lessons, take notes, and grow so that our transformation is lasting and not fleeting.

The way to ensure lasting change is to stay in the moment of where you are. Take the time to get the lessons, write them down, and put them into practice daily. Know that every situation you encounter is a chance to learn something new. Always look for the lesson. When we allow ourselves the spiritual space, God teaches us how and when to move. How you handle the issues of life determine ‘if’ you’re learning or not. Trust me, there will be a test.

When  you’re learning there will always be a quiz and then a test at the end. How you fair is based upon how you studied. The determining factor whether or not you’ll move ahead depends on if you studied for a quiz or if you studied for a test.  The way you study for each is different. When we study for a quiz we learn with short term memory which makes it easy for us to not know the answer days after the quiz. But if you study for a test you study using long term memory because the question could be asked a number of ways and you must be fluent in them all. So again, the difference in the quiz and the test is that you may pass the quiz today but if you were asked the same information again tomorrow you could very well fail. Always study for the test because it defines the points in which you will move to another level or move into a new dimension. It is important not to die on the vine and quit during this phase. Don’t jump out of it, stay the course no matter how tough.

When we work to change the way we think, speak, and act; we summon the courage for mastery. And often mastery calls for us to be unplugged, to get with ‘self’, or be one with spirit in order to move into a new dimension. The way we master ourselves says a lot about who we are. Remember, it takes a hero to master himself.

Just Write~August 26, 2013

by Kai Mann, posted in Uncategorized

Sometimes you have to talk yourself through life, through the next step, through the next path you’re going to take, and even to get to the next level. Not everyone has someone outside of the Supreme Being to guide them through life in the physical. Meaning, there is no Mr. Miyagi. Even if there were, you still have to make the decision to move forward and tell yourself how you’re going to do it. Life isn’t for cowards or the faint at heart. Each step of the way you have to talk yourself through it as you walk down the paths of life.

The Creator has already given you what you need but you have to stand up in it and walk it; but not without telling yourself that you have the courage to do so. And often.