Growing up in the 80’s, we went to see a lot of movies in the theaters. No cable TV like today and certainly no Netflix or Hulu. I can only remember HBO and another channel called Prism. We never had either in our house, and only a couple friends I knew had them.
It was a great era for seeing movies in a movie theater, though! The horror movies like Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street! Comedies like Trading Places, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Beetlejuice and a thousand more! Also, a few of the Rocky movies (my personal favorites) and the Karate Kid franchise.
To be honest, I did like the original Karate Kid movie, but I wasn’t an instant fan like when I saw Vision Quest. Same thing with Karate Kid 2, good story but, okay next. Karate Kid 3, I saw many, many years later. So, when a friend told me a couple years back that they revived the Karate Kid characters in a show called Cobra Kai, I thought, “sounds ridiculous, but I’ll give it a watch”, not expecting anything great. Probably after the first episode, I became a huge fan! They did a great job of infusing the characters from the movies with a bunch of new, interesting characters. And best of all, they kept some of the cheesiness from the 80’s. I couldn’t wait for the new seasons, with the last season, season 5, being my favorite so far!
Season 5 brings back a character from Karate Kid 3, Mike Barnes, played by Sean Kanan.
I got to speak to Sean on the phone a few weeks back. Nice man. Gracious. Long story short, I added Sean to my mailing list late last year or early this year. After watching the episode in season 5 where Mike Barnes makes his first appearance, I decided to email Sean directly, just asking if I could send him a couple of my shirts. He replied saying sure and asked if he could talk to me. Our conversation lasted about 10 minutes. He offered me an outstanding opportunity that I was unable to take advantage of, but I was very grateful for the offer. We spoke about a couple different things, and I told him I was getting his new book. That was it. I sent him a couple shirts and he posted a pic on Instagram @sean.kanan which I was super grateful for. Great guy, Sean Kanan.
I got his book a couple days later. Amazon. 2-day shipping. Amazing. I’m about halfway through at this date. Good read. Very easy writing style, like Sean is talking to you. But the amazing thing is, and I noticed this from practically page one, the parallels between his book, Way of the Cobra, and the message I have been trying to convey in The Beast Life.
Of course, Sean is very thorough, concise and describes methods for success. But the main parallel is the shared thought; we all have it in us to succeed. We all have a BEAST, or in his case, a COBRA, waiting to be unleashed for excellence.
I’ve often wondered how successful the people who write these self-help or self-motivation books really are. Sean seems to be very motivated and is very successful. He’s been on TV and movies for over thirty years. If you follow him on Instagram, he appears to be involved in a dozen other endeavors as well! This is a highly motivated man. Taking some of his knowledge and wisdom that he shares in his book is probably a good idea.
I’ve said it several times, I make these shirts for me because I like them. They motivate me. I’m just sharing them with the world, and if they motivate someone else, fantastic! I also know, for myself, that since I have been doing this, my life has been incredibly more disciplined. Does The Beast Life have something to do with that? I’d like to think so. I know I have a long way to go, that is for sure.
I like writing these blogs as an inner reflection process. Most of these blogs are things that have been bouncing around my head for years. The gym, and fitness in general, has been a huge part of my life. If someone who reads my blogs can use any of the information I have acquired over the nearly 40 years of training, that makes me happy. If anyone can get motivated for even one set wearing one of my shirts, that makes me proud.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I have been trying to figure out how a percentage of each purchase on the website can go directly towards a charity like The National Breast Cancer Foundation. I have not figured that out yet, but I do have a direct link to the NBCF on the home page. Please donate if you are able. Be a BEAST for the BOOBS!!
Peace & Love to all,
The Beast Life