January 2008 Newsletter

With the coming of the New Year, we have the prime opportunity to renew ourselves and rededicate ourselves to our families, work or school and our training.

One of the strengths of a karate training session is that the process is mental as well as physical, so the whole person benefits from the time spent in the dojo as well as during the disciplined practice at home. We cannot attempt to stay at the same level that we are at today. We must try to improve our abilities at kata, kumite, and self-development.

Another strength of traditional karate training is seen when the student can focus his or her energies on the inner qualities that set our training apart from other forms of exercise. Goal setting is not unique to karate training but is at times different because we cannot look at just the physical benefits of an exercise program. We must take into account that we want to improve ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally. Think about what you want to accomplish during this year and write it on a piece of paper - - - put it away in a safe place (with your monthly dojo newsletters) and look at it every so often to see if progress is being made toward accomplishing the desired goal.

Accept the challenge of setting realistic short and long-term goals. Be prepared to work toward the goal and step-by-step improvements will be made.

THOUGHTS TO IMPROVE TRAINING:

1. 99.9% OF THE TIME --- FEET MOVE TO THE CORRECT STANCE BEFORE THE HANDS MOVE.

2. SEE THE ATTACK BEFORE DOING THE TECHNIQUE.

3. THE ELBOW IS BEHIND THE HAND IN PUNCHING TECHNIQUES.

4. THE KNEES ARE OVER THE TOES.

AN UPCOMING TOURNAMENT WILL BE AT WARREN HILLS REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL - - FEBRUARY 10TH. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND PLAN TO ATTEND. IT IS CLOSE AND IT IS A WELL RUN EVENT.

The strength of a great man is found in the creation of his mind. This power can become so great that sometimes when men harbor a great thought, they are to an extent taken captive by it. The idea possesses them and infuses them with its strength. William James said, "If you wish to possess an ability or attribute, act 'as if' you already had it." Let it get hold of you. If you would be courageous, act "as if" you were already courageous. Shakespeare said, "Assume a virtue if you have it not." So few people succeed because so few can conceive a great end and work toward it without deviating and without tiring.

The best road to success is to think big and act big and to give substance to your greatest thoughts by putting them into action. Our business is to work, to surmount difficulties, to endure hardships, to solve problems, to overcome the inertia of our own life. Keep in your heart a shrine to the ideal and upon this alter let the fires never die. We should immediately discard all of our philosophies of failure. We should throw out the weaknesses of evasion and procrastination. "Fear is with the faithless and faith is with the fearless."

When we immerse ourselves in positive thinking and constructive attitudes, we saturate ourselves with success and then are possessed by it. Strength and weakness are both "inside jobs." Poison on the outside may not matter; poison on the inside is disastrous. Exercise makes us strong. We can start with little things that we can handle easily and increase our load at easy intervals and get into the success habit by being willing to pay the price. And this day by day exercise with the philosophy of strength and courage will make us grown strong and capable. Now is the time of our greatest opportunity. Seize it and teach it to obey. Shakespeare said: There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at its flood leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyages of our lives are bound in shallows and in miseries.

Congratulations to the people who earned promotions since our last newsletter.

•  Junior Yellow Belt - Gavin Fezenko

•  Junior Green Belt #2 - Cristina and Isabel Gomez

•  Junior Purple Belt #2 - Kristyn Wheeler

LISTENING THE GOLD MEDAL FOR SUCCESS

Why Does Listening Matter?

It is important because - you live by yourself but you cannot do it alone.

God made us incomplete. We need other people.

Understanding others helps us understand our self better.

What gets in the way of effective listening?

Not having a listening heart - with pure intent - karate=s beginner=s mind.

A person must want to listen.

A tendency to listen to our inner voice instead of the person that we are meeting.

Wanting to hear what we want to hear, rather than what the person says.

Several seminars I have attended during the past few years have involved the art of Listening. In each seminar the presenters, the best being Steve Shapiro and Bob Proctor, state that HEARING is a physical process but LISTENING is wanting to hear. Listening is the second most important thing we do, next to breathing and it is the forerunner to LEARNING. Listening, which will make a difference in our lives and in the world, is: a Skill; a State of Mind; a State of Heart; an Attitude; an Art; and a Path to Enlightenment. At each level of physical, emotional and social development, listening is emotional and it is mental. Listening at a high rate must be practiced. It is a choice, an attitude, where people must decide that the want to hear. When with other people, we have a choice to listen to the other person or the voice inside our head. We listen to feelings with an intuitive factor of being. When doing so, we can sense the excitement, interest, emotion, and pain being transmitted. The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our relationships. You cannot learn about another person=s beliefs and dreams, if you are talking.

A key to success in school, karate and life finds listening to become a State of heart because it is so much more than just hearing. At the highest level of listening, we use our eyes, our intuition, our emotions, our ears, our mind and our senses. It is an opening of our emotions, where we listen for the intent more than the content of what is said. It is more than the facts. Who is the person? Where is he or she coming from? Listen to and not about the individual - creates the connection between people.

If my State of Heart is the desire to just make money or promote my ego - my chance to reach other people is greatly reduced. If I intend to help other people, the rate of success is increased.

•  King Solomon said, "Give me the gift of a listening heart."

•  Aristotle said, "Wisdom is reward we get for a lifetime of listening when we would rather to have been talking."

•  Paths to enlightenment - Meditation and Prayer - require listening to the voice inside ourselves.

•  Relationships need this enlightenment to grow and flourish.

•  Listening is the polishing stone not the grinding stone in life.

Listening is a process - - people are involved in our lives, physically, emotionally, psychologically - - What do we listen for?

•  Recognize people for whom & what they are and their beliefs.

•  We cannot change people - accept them for what they are.

•  People are interested in themselves.

•  What is important to you?

•  How do you want your life to become?

•  How can I help you?

•  Ask questions AND listen.

•  Are they a victim or creator - have they taken responsibility for their lives?

•  Listen for those to whom You want to Give the Gift From Under the Tree.

When making personal decisions, listen to what your head says; then listen to what your heart says. If they differ, follow your heart! Whenever you listen to your heart, you listen to that part of you that is most interested in your well being.

1. BLACK BELTS WHO ATTENDED HANSHI’S SEMINAR IN MAINE - THE DVD OF THE WEEKEND IS READY.

2. WE ALSO HAVE A FEW OF HANSHI’S BOOK AND ISSHIN-RYU DVD LEFT - AS WELL AS THE WEAPON’S POSTERS

3. THE DVD OF THE 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IS HERE - GET YOURS TODAY.

SEE KYOSHI ASAP IF INTERESTED IN GETTING ONE.