Savage Law #1

Civilize The Mind But Make Savage The Body

The first and one of the most important savage laws is "Civilize the mind but make savage the body. This is one of the first laws i was introduced to as a child min karate class. Through the teachings of my Sensei i learned the true meaning of this law through hard work and dedication over a span of 13 years. At the age of four reciting this law didn't mean much to me I was like a parrot just repeating my Sensei's words. But after many years of reciting this law i learned to truly apply it. Unlike many Dojos, my dojo was truly unique. our studies of mixed martial arts with a strong foundation in Goju Ryu prepared me for much more in life than a street scuffle. It prepared me for life to be a better me. I slowly became a Better man, brother,and son. My permission to study martial arts depending not only on monthly fees but also a lot of important factors in my everyday life. Parents at my dojo could throw all the money they wanted but if my grades weren't up to par I was not able to attend classes. My Sensei held education on a very high pedestal.

Knowledge plus strenuous physical activity were the two main priorities as a karateka. On top of that when it came time to get my black belt intense physical testing was paired with a 10 page essay on my understanding of martial arts and the positive effect it had on my life. Not many black-belts are put through such testing. My Sensei showed me he wasn't creating boys who could defend themselves he was building a league of extraordinary young men. Through the process we became soldiers of a special kind.

In order to truly claim savage you must obey and maintain the laws. In order to conquer the first law you must spark your flame for knowledge and at the same protect the temple which you reside in. They say health is wealth. First muscle we must learn to exercise is the mind. This is done through education yourself on a daily basis. No man of moderate intelligence was ever overcame by a man who excels in the brawn department.Its one thing to work hard but eventually the body gets run down. The mind takes much longer to wear out. We must not only depend on the education that is socially accepted. K-12, then onto higher education in the form of college. We must thirst and lust for knowledge. We must seek knowledge beyond what is expected of us. Knowledge provided by school systems is the bare minimum. Its the knowledge you gain outside of school that really sticks. In school most students use a for of learning called the dump truck method. We learn everything we can just to pass a test then as soon as we pass the test we dump out all the wisdom we gained to make room for our next lessons. Lessons we choose to pick up are usually applied and repeated if the outcome is favorable these eventually become routine. Through practice we make perfect and through repetition we make routine. This is true knowledge. This is the kind of knowledge you retain even years after first being introduced. This is how you make the mind civilized. Civilization itself is built on the rejection of ignorance and the embrace of wisdom.

To make savage the body is to attain a level of physical excellence that allows you to conquer your opponent efficiently in a physical manner. With a mind full of wisdom and strategy and a body capable of great physical feats man becomes unstoppable. Through exercise and proper dieting we can maximize and truly get closer to resembling our bodily potential.Our minds can only take us so far as can our bodies. Get both body and mind in shape and we prove a force to be reckoned with. The ability to perform your best ideas is truly a gift. They say if you want a job done right do it yourself. In a world of over consumption and sloppy bodies thoughts can easily be discouraged by physical limitations. Don't be that person. Do for yourself.

So in order to truly civilize the mind and make savage the body we must read daily and exercise regularly. These two activities will help you excel in many aspects of life. So I urge you to go out and grab a book that interests you and also buy a gym pass or just go to a local park and exercise both mind and body. You will thank me later. Until next time keep it LYM.

Home of Real Change Not Wave Riders

In the interest of the times I've decided to stop printing clothes for the public. Marcus Garvey once said an idea cannot come to manifestation in ones lifetime. An idea is birthed in one mans lifetime but to take it from concept to materialization takes generations. LYMLife has served as that idea born in a time when the masses weren't ready for real change. Although the magnitude of recent events seemed to be great still the average mans response served only as only moments of shock and awe. The interest of the public seems only to be momentarily sparked by these events and their swift responses. No real thought has been provoked. No real action of any monumental value has been taken. We suffer from a disease I refer to as wave riding but all waves are birthed in the ocean and die as they reach shore. The real change lies inland. We need to stop riding mini waves and start embracing the truly powerful weather patterns which are referred to as storms or hurricanes. Hurricanes make it past shore and affect all within their path.LYMLife is the storm in my eyes. It represents a rebirth of one's self and embrace of potential which awakens the person to true worth and gives life real purpose. It has survived for over 5 years and shows no sign of going away. It has been birthed in the mind of an enlightened individual and refuses to die in the hands of the ignorant.My decision to somewhat privatize is based on the ability of ideas with such momentum to grow from within. By privatizing we avoid the band wagoners and wave riders. We cut right through the bullshit to positive substance. No fluff, no gimmicks, no mask. True transparency within the inner sanctum. Those who have come to earn a spot at this table will never break bread elsewhere and as their circles of friends come to the realization that life has so much more to offer than their immediate environment they too will earn a seat at this table. We don't seek the approval of others but trust in the constructive criticism of our brothers. We are a community of evolution and growth. We thrive on positivity and strive for greatness. We are not any better than the average man but our focus separates us from the norm. What we lack in natural gift we work at and sharpen in skill. We are the laborers turned leader. We are the self made men who never took handouts even if offered. We cannot be bought or sold, swayed or told. We are the Civilized Savages winning the sprints as well as completing the marathons. We are the force that shall spark real change in the world. In the battle of good and evil we represent what is right. Regardless of the outcome our intentions are pure. Working everyday to make our environment better and inspire others to make similar changes in theirs. We are LYMLife. We choose to live instead of settling for mediocre existence. So if your ready to embrace such a life reach out, otherwise go listen to your new Kendrick album and don't allow the words to scratch the surface. Its probably more convenient to just post it in Instagram and get some likes from people who share your moment of conscious listening. Them LYMLifers will listen and let it spark a flame which cannot be put out. Until next time keep it LYM...

Spreading The LYMLife Movement

We are selling our new red Civilized x Savages LYMlife Inc bands to spread the word of LYMLife. One of our followers in Cali has proudly supported and purchased his band. We are here to spread the movement not just sell clothing and accessories. Yes we do function as a business, but that is not our main goal. Our main is explained in our name LYMLife (LeaveYourMarkLife). We are sreading the word of positivity in each and everyone’s lives.

The selling of bands, clothing, etc. is a help to our cause to keep this blog up and running. It helps us create new avenues and items for our members. We are trying to grow as new ideas arise and opportunities come. When LYMLife hears a knock on the door we open it, we also go around knocking on doors or create our own path ways for this movement. We have many ideas and need the support from our members to go forth with our ideas and make them into reality. Show your LYMLife gear. Write comments on our blogs. Support from our followers is key in spreading the word of LYMlife. Be proud of the movement show the world what LYMLife is about.

-Dennis LYM

Where we're at, Where we're going...

LYMLife began as a project to bring forward a positive movement of intellectual thought but  with the goal of not losing relevance to the street culture. Almost four years later we have remained true to our underground nature, we have remained consistent with our code for living, and gained many resources in the form of amazing people. Instead of gaining consumers we transformed our customers into our friends. Instead of just buying our products they took it to the next level and took over the marketing department. No one realizes how widespread our reach actually is. I have had the pleasure of tracing our ventures and observing the amount of miles our product has covered and it amazes me. We have managed to sell in the UK, venture into Asia through one of our representatives, cover the many miles that make up the USA, and solidify a reading fan  base in South America. My goal: to meet every man woman and child that has related to the "LYM" culture. I want to hear from you and possibly even work with all these people through some medium if possible. I got big goals because LYMLife was my massive dream. To see your life's work manifest and to constantly be able to break down barriers and stick to the plan through any amount of resistance is how I know that this is my set path. The best part is I truly believe my chosen path and set path are the same road.

So to those of you who have had the pleasure of being part of the LYMlife I request that in the next two weeks you blast to the world the concept of LYMlife to the world. Hit facebook, twitter, Instagram even spread the word through text and tell the world what Lymlife means to you. There is no wrong answer lets spread awareness and build our family one person at a time. We got some heavily interactive things coming soon so lets spread the word and get involved because we are moving and don't want you to be left behind. Lets get together to leave our mark on this world. We are all equal in the LYMLife and it is not my glory that I am in search of I want to feel the effects of "Our Glory". LYMLife gear is worn by college professors, athletes, and even trap residents alike. How far can we reach? I think the world is a very attainable possibility. Lets build together! Until next time keep it LYM!

Retirement

This post is dedicated to those who have become stale...
What do I mean by stale? Stale means your a LAB ass person. If you don't know what LAB means Isuggest you watch Kevin Harts latest standup dvd. "Local A$# B&*^%" meaning you are confined by your environment. Branch out any chance you get. Retirement is realistically something much less glorious than most expect. Retirement is a term which refers to a time of freedom late in your life. Unless you plan of retiring in your prime its truly not worth it. You work the majority of your young life to be free when your old. I don't know about you but the majority of us are affected by old age physically. This why I cant understand waiting and saving until our health deteriorates to experience life. Experience life in the present. Don't wait til tomorrow to do what can be completed today. Enjoy life and stay progressive.
To quit anything cold turkey can be very difficult especially when it has been done so long its become routine. Cigarrettes, alcohol, or even day to day work they all fall in the same . Whether your job involves heavy thinking or intense labor, abruptly stop that and after a few days you will start to feel restless. As for cigarettes and alcohol if those are holding you back cold turkey is the way to go but work is something you should ease off. Take all the mini vacations you can and find new hobbies while you can. The older you get the more limiting factors on your life so live it up while you can and pace yourself. By taking the "Mini Major Vacays" while still working to maintain you will find balance and that is what embodies the LYMLIFE is really about. Enjoy life now because later is never guaranteed. Until next time keep it LYM. 

Housekeeping For 2014

2014 has arrived and as usual our work ethic has remained at 100%. This year I see a lot going on with LYMLife. LYMLife has different meanings to different people. The beauty of this is that people will venture out in the name of LYMLife extending our reach and opening new doors for the movement. First off our Charity non profit side of the company has got off to a great start. We ended last year with a bang donating our collections to SunEd High to some very thankful students. The morale of my team was immediately raised. the feeling of giving back was better than selling out any of our products. Our snap backs ranked as third product to sellout completely. Our wristbands also sold out and have reached farther than i could have imagined. Speaking of which since we decided to only sell a limited quantity I was actually looking to buy one back at double the price sold so if anyone got extras please holler at ya boy. We have officially infiltrated my Caribbean community in south Florida and are being requested all over. A lot of collaborations to come so please stay tuned or you might miss something. Party wise we are being requested for appearances along with bar work. So if your interested please contact us because our schedule is filling up. Along with work for profit our non profit side is booming to where we will be running year round collections for different causes. Beer Pong still popping off so watch out for our upcoming tournament for charity. Also we will be participating in the April 13th Super Spartan Race in Miami, Fl. Along with the Spartan Race  we will be participating in a health and awareness event at Barry University. New Gear also coming soon so stay tuned. I am also proud to say this year we will publish our first look-book and we will release our first LYM ladies line so stay tuned. The team has grown and we are motivated so beware.
Any inquiries or possible ventures please email me at (joshua@lymlife.com). As Chronixx would say "Here comes trouble". Until next time Keep it LYM. 

Part 1: The Cause(LYMLIFE Holiday Drive)

There are three main classes in society. There are the two small classes: the rich and the poor. Then there is the major class "Middle class". Middle class tends to dabble on both ends of the spectrum we have our upswings of wealth then we have a hard times where life goes check to check but for the most part we maintain somehow. Regardless of your class or your transition from class to class if your situation read comfortable  this holiday season I'm talking to you. Define comfortable: having shelter, food, and maintaining bills. I got credit card debt, car, and mortgage payments but I consider myself comfortable. Look beyond your environment and step outside your self think about the less fortunate. Whether born there or bad decisions many people are stuck in situations less fortunate than yours this holiday season. The goal is to spread some holiday cheer. I am not in need of presents much more satisfying would be the thought that I helped put cheer back in the holidays of youth that would have otherwise experienced a bitter holiday. Not everyone thinks the holidays are a cheery time I know some who see it as an opportunity to take the cheer of others because they have no reasons to be joyful. I say we come together to nip it in the bud. No one is born bad in my eyes they are simply mislead or just lost direction on their own. So this holiday season assist LYMLIFE in our Holiday Drive for misplaced youth. I refuse to call them troubled or less fortunate. Life is not a game of fortune nor are they the only ones with troubles. The facts are simple a small donation of any sort can change a youngsters perspective which could in turn motivate and that is exactly what we seek to achieve. The cause is simply "Investing in the Youth". Your view "Diversifying your Bonds". Like any investment portfolio your investments must never be concentrated in one stock . Your children are your main investment but we are asking you to donate a small amount into another stock a child who maybe no one decided to invest in. These are the wildcard investments that no one bets on but sometimes have the greatest returns. So do it for them not for us or our company but for the good of humanity. Give in hopes of changing a young life for the better. That in itself is more satisfying than any gift under any tree. The feeling of doing good is unexplainable so go ahead give it a shot try on that new feeling or re-up on that old feeling if you are a constant "Giver". 

Predetermined Success

I am currently reading a book called "Outliers"by Malcom Gladwell. very interesting stuff inside. The book is subtitled "The Story Of Success". Many different concepts and theories are discussed and exemplified but I am not done reading so I cannot give a full review. One thing I do want to discuss is the "Matthew Effect":

-"For unto every one that hath shall be given,  and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath."
          - Matthew 25:29, King James Version

Even if you are not a christian or catholic or just a follower of Christ in general this applies to you. Simply put: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. So its almost as if our fate was predetermined by our upbringing and whether or not we had a golden spoon in our mouth. Sometimes my generation quotes the late great Notorious BIG "Mo Money Mo Problems" but according to our focused phrase the more money you get the more money will come. So it takes money to make money most of the time. You wonder how the poor who have little money get more money taken than the Rich its called debt. Poor People are more likely to take out credit. So they are the ones more likely to owe and when interest adds up these people could be milked dry. The book covers this topic by discussing the selection of hockey players in Canada.
Basically the gist is children are separated into different leagues at such an early age that true ability does not have the opportunity to develop.And depending on when a child is born and how fast they mature determines their ability to make it into a class A league. Ages 9-10 it is very difficult to tell the difference between maturity and ability. Thus the older 10 year old move to the more intense league getting more play time and better coaches, while our nine year- old must show some crazy amount  of talent to even get a shot at the good opportunities. In the Class A league the training is better, the practice hours longer, and the amount of games is plenty more. The book also discusses to be truly great in what you do or to be classified as an expert a person must put in 10,000 hours. The players in the class A are already at an advantage just because of their age and maturity not necessarily ability.
The gist is no matter what your circumstance no matter what obstacles you face sometimes in life the stars don't align and you must do alot of the work yourself to reach your 10,000 hours. Become the Outlier, be the one to defy your set path. Be savage about success but show how civil you can be in your dealings because you never know who has the key to whichever door of opportunity.

.Civilized the Mind , but make savage the body.

-Joshua "Savage" LYM

A Case for Exploration...

Fact: The world is HUGE, yet quite paradoxically tiny as turns out. Whichever your point of view settles on, there is a second fundamental fact: It (the world) is your playground and, like a delusional Chihuahua with an oversized ego and an equally swollen bladder, you must Leave Your Mark on it. Life is far too short and the world far too replete with things to be discovered for you not to.

Fact #3: You don’t have to travel across the world (although you should) to partake in the aforementioned LYMing and Discovering. Whether across the street, across town, across the state, or across the planet, there is an abundance of life to be lived and a bounty of treasures to be stumbled upon. But it’s up to you to put on your Sherlock Hat and sleuth up something worth experiencing.

Now I’m no expert on life, and by no means should I be telling you how to wade through its choppy waters. However I do believe that the fact that 99.9% of every one of my days is an amazing one tells me that I am doing something right. What that something is exactly, I haven’t the slightest idea, but I’ll take a guess and attribute my everlasting happiness to a farrago of my intrinsic clumsiness and my penchant for losing my personal effects, both of which are part and parcel of my shorter-than-average attention span and everlasting curiosity. That last sentence was just an overly elaborate way of saying I like to explore things, all things; near, far, familiar and unknown. It’s basically scientifically impossible (don’t fact check me on this) to have a bad day when you are constantly discovering new things about the space you are occupying at any given moment.

For this reason I tirelessly explore. I do so regardless of whether it’s the corridors to the right side of the elevator, which I rarely (if ever) frequent because my office is situated within the corridors left, or the unfamiliar neighborhood that will act as my home for the few days that I am on a business trip. I explore them both with equal curiosity and enthusiasm, and I almost always find something that makes the foray (however small) into uncharted territory worth the effort.

When was the last time you discovered something? I hope to the Flying Spaghetti Monster that it wasn’t more than a day ago. Our Homo sapien sapien DNA is encoded with a genetic a propensity to explore the unknown, it’s why we stare into space with such awe and wonderment. Stay true to the great legacy of the explorers that came before you. Make our nomadic forefathers proud, even if what you discover may not be as history changing as figuring out that that giant block of ice you just crossed led to a whole other continent. Make the answer to the question at the beginning of this paragraph “TODAY”. Go Explore!!! …and make liberal use of your swollen Chihuahua bladder.

Wisdom Wednesday

Great minds are to be honored as the pillars of real change in the universe. We need to nourish our naturally talented youth to  advance forward with their revolutionary. ideas and embrace their fresh ideas no matter if we can't see the end result. EINSTEIN like many people with unique abilities was seen as a quack. Little did the world. know many of the ideas we take for granted would be invented from the theories of this. uniquely talented mind. As we LYM, we must not let bumps in the road hinder our moves forward.We must use setbacks and naysayers to fuel our resolve to succeed. The key is to strive to  make a positive impact on individuals and society as a whole. Einstein had old G swag. If he were here today we would recognize his swervacity.As we search for inspiration in far places, we need to look closer to home. Special abilities are among us and and are not only under served but under appreciated as well.. Celebrate ideas, free thinking, wonder, amazement and quirks. Until seven sunsets, LYM with the "swervaciousness that would make great minds like Albert smile.

Mama Murray

Wisdom Wednesdays

This weeks quote  will be presented in its entirety after a long hiatus and is dedicated to the prince and the sunshine in my life. I hope you will feel the same way I did when I came upon it during my search for something meaningful for new beginnings and continued hopes for a richer existence. The author is unknown but I will venture to say it is timely for us and timeless as well. 

"Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived; happiness, sadness and all the others, including love.

One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean.So all the feelings prepared their boat to leave.

Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island paradise until the last possible moment.

When the island was almost totally under, Love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat.  Love asked, "Richness, Can I come with you on your boat?"
Richness answered, "I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere."

Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing by. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please." 
"I can't help you." Vanity said, "You are all wet and will damage my beautiful boat."

Next, Love saw Sadness passing by.  Love said, "Sadness, please let me go with you."  Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I just need to be alone now."

Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, "Happiness, please take me with you."  But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn't hear Love calling to him.

Love began to cry.  Then, she heard a voice say, Come Love, I will take you with me."  It was an elder.

Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the elder his name.

When they arrived on land the elder went on his way.
Love realized how much she owed the elder.

Love then found Knowledge and asked,
"Who was it that helped me?

It was Time", Knowledge answered.

"But why did Time help me when no one else would?", Love asked.

Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, 
"Because only time is capable of understanding how great Love is."

Until seven sunsets, hoping you read this for yourself, print it for someone who may need it, pass it on to those you love.....But mostly may you LYM (Leave Your Mark) with Love always LOVE.

We Still Standing

At times like these I always feel like I'm back at square one. As I start to get somewhere I am always forced start over. A day off costs me the same as a month of idle behavior. In a game that's forever evolving and money along with the willingness to give handouts may buy you popularity and fame LYMLife is forced to struggle. Our resilience to popular behavior some say is our downfall. I say its our code, its what we live by. Stickin to the code is the only thing that keeps us free. Some came in to make money but we came to change lives. We came to shake the worlds foundation. A bunch of misfits, screwups, and savages came together for a joint venture. This venture became the cause. If you support you riding with us if you don't well I'm sorry to hear that but sleep will not be lost. Marcus Garvey said it takes roughly two to three generations for a great odea to truly manifest but with all due respect to the great Marcus Garvey I've made it my mission to prove that theory wrong. Your help would be greatly appreciated but without it I still believe I stand a fighting chance. Until next time keep it LYM!