Sushi with a Living Legend, Mike Stone

I had the privilege of having lunch with a living legend in the Martial Arts world, Sensei Mike Stone. Now in his early 70s yet looks like he's 40.  Here are some of his accomplishments:

Achieved Black Belt in only 6 moths

Undefeated in 91 elimination black belt matches

Black belt hall of fame fighter of the year 1971

Black belt hall of fame instructor of the year 1994

National, international and world karate champion

California All-star black belt team championships, producer

Hawaii vs US team championships, most outstanding fighter

The Golden Fist Awards, producer

Guiness World record "Flying Sidekick"

Promoted several successful tournaments

Acted and/or choreographed several Martial Arts movies,

including Enter the Ninja, American Ninja series, and The Highlander

Besides all of these great things, he is also a talented artist and poet.  But all of these things are external representations of an greater inner being.  I new most of his illustrious career as a fan, although we have met in passing before, it was not until this incredible time we shared together that I finally understood the complex simplicity of this soul.

I don't believe in chance encounters, people cross our paths all of the time for some divine purpose.  Some are good and some are not, it is our discerning spirit which determines the impact we allow to manifest in our lives.  In this particular experience I got a lot of my own internal personal questions answered.  I thought we were going to discuss Martial Arts, which we did for a bit, but rather, we discussed life, the Universe, our souls, our consciousness, and many other deep subjects - just in a span of two hours. Time appeared to be standing still, as if we were transported into a special place where wisdom flowed from every word that was uttered.  I'm not trying to sensationalize the story, it's truly how I felt.  Every fiber of my consciousness was tuned into his frequency to ensure I would capture what my soul needed.  Not only was this meeting enlightening, but served as a special healing for me as well.

Although some of the things said by Sensei Mike were very basic universal truths, it struck a cord within me.  I learned to focus on loving myself first before I can love others - how many times have we heard this?  I also learned that my inner most self, my soul, is not my consciousness, my mind, or my perceived entity, rather, my actual connection to God and the Universe which is and always will be.  Unchanged, unchangeable, ever lasting, and absolute truth, which has all of the answers I need.  Connecting to my "I AM who I AM" is imperative to a fulfilled life.  I know, a bit deep, but I got it!

Sensei Mike also shared with me his secrete for success; "LET=M" (Love, Energy, and Time, equals Money or success).  That is, find what you love to do, pour all of your energy into it, over time you will succeed.  We also discussed the law of attraction, also explained in the book "The Secret", which he came to realize in his life before the book was ever published.  These are natural laws of the universe, interchangeable with God's laws that are pure truths available to enrich all of our lives.  

I asked him why, in the prime of his career, did he move across the world to a remote secluded island for the last 30 years.  His revaluation to me was incredible.  Basically, he wanted to know why things came to him so easily and was able to accomplish so much effortlessly. He needed the tranquility of this remote island and living on the beach to find his answers, for which he believes by sharing with other will enrich their lives as well.  He has written many poems, and is currently writing a series of books that will share with us his findings.  Although, he currently shares this in all of the seminars he does around the world.

I want to thank Sensei Mike for sharing his love, insights, and wisdom with me.  It may take me days, weeks or even years to totally comprehend what I learned today, but I will honor him by applying it to my life and sharing it with my students.