April
2008 Newsletter
REMEMBER: Our
22nd
Benefit Karate Tournament at Hackettstown High School is Sunday, April
27th.
Please plan to attend - - We can use as much help as you are
able to give - - - Scoring, Registration, Taking the tournament video, 50-50
Raffle, T-Shirt Sales . . . and much more.
See Kyoshi. THANKS!!!!!
Have you ever spent time allowing your mind to wander and
wonder?
Dennis Merritt Jones - - From The Art of Being
Have you ever thought about how incredible it is that you
can read and decipher these words and draw meaning from them?
Have you ever-contemplated in amazement how your body works,
maintaining itself to a large degree without any help from you?
Have you taken time to contemplate what causes your heart to
beat and what turned the breakfast you had this morning into skin,
fingernails, and hair?
Have you ever taken just a few moments to simply stare at a
beautiful flower and notice the incredible patterns and colors that not even
the greatest artist could re-create?
Have you ever looked up at the stars and planets at night
and been in awe of the expansiveness of it all, perhaps even wondering if
there might be some other being on some distant planet looking back at ours
at the same time, wondering the same thing?
Have you ever thought about what holds the planets and stars
in place?
Have you ever gazed into a newborn baby's eyes and seen the infinite
presence of pure spirit looking back at you and been in awe of the fact that
this being just came from the absolute essence, God?
How can you or I do any of these things and not feel like an
intricate and significant part of something far greater and grander than the
"little me"? I have done all these things, and I can tell you that, in part,
it is what keeps me sane, grounded, and spiritually connected to God, life,
and purpose when the world seems to be getting more and more crazy each day.
This also includes those times when I tend to get too enmeshed in my own
personal trauma dramas. Life is always manifesting a purpose; all we need to
do is think about the miracle of it all. So, the next time you feel as if
you are getting caught up in the frenzy of the world or your personal life
begins to look like a bad soap opera, take some time and consider some of
the above questions. Give yourself the gift of a sacred moment in the NOW.
With great and clear intention, contemplate and connect with the miracle of
life, where God is always present. Celebrate your unity with God . . . and
truly be in awe. The word "awe" is the root from which the word "awesome"
comes . . . and that is what you really are.
Our karate practice teaches personal, intrinsic, growth.
This growth is one that does not need constant external rewards to feel that
we are accomplishing something worthwhile. It is our responsibility to train
daily so we can improve, even if only al little. We help newer students and
people our same rank so they may improve and achieve success. As they
improve, we are pushed to improve. It is difficult at times to have nothing
new given by the Sensei for what seems like a long time. At times we become
frustrated and think that our training is not fun. These are the times when
we are preparing to take another step upward . . . time in rank is needed to
grow . . . time working on a kata or sparring technique is needed to grow.
Know that the instructors want you to succeed because that is how we
succeed. Feel troubled . . . talk to your parents. Even if they do not study
Isshin-ryu Karate, they have worked to get where they are in life. Their
success is seeing you grow into adulthood. Adults - - - talk to your
instructor after you have looked into yourself.
Perspectives can change the focus of life from a competition
with others to one of connection - we are all part of the team of humanity,
racing toward a finish line that we define and redefine with our attitudes
and our level of insight and awareness. Anticipate a great day. It's Yours!
Choose to make it one!
On March 1, 2008, Kyoshi Hughes was promoted to 8th
Degree Black Belt by his instructor, William H. Duessel, 9th
Degree Black Belt, at the training seminar in Pittsburgh, PA. He is one of
seven people in the Isshinryu World Association to earn this rank.
The Habit of Going the Extra Mile
An important principle of success in all walks of life
and in all occupations is a willingness to GO THE EXTRA MILE; which means
the rendering of more and better service than that for which one is paid,
and giving it in a positive mental attitude.
Search wherever you will for a single sound argument
against this principle, and you will not find it; nor will you find a single
instance of enduring success which was not attained in part by its
application.
The principle is not the creation of man. It is a part
of Nature's handiwork, for it is obvious that every living creature below
the intelligence of man is forced to apply the principle in order to
survive.
We may disregard the principle if we choose, but we
cannot do so and at the same time enjoy the fruits of enduring success.
Observe how Nature applies this principle in the
production of food that grows from the soil, where the farmer is forced to
GO THE EXTRA MILE by clearing the land, plowing it, and planting the seed at
the right time of the year, for none of which he receives any pay in
advance.
But, observe that if he does his work in harmony with
Nature's laws, and performs the necessary amount of labor, Nature takes over
the job where the farmer's labor ends, germinates the seed he plants and
develops it into a crop of food. And, observe thoughtfully this significant
fact: For every grain of wheat or corn he plants in the soil Nature yields
him perhaps a hundred grains, thus enabling him to benefit by the law of
increasing returns.
Nature GOES THE EXTRA MILE by producing enough of
everything for her needs, together with a surplus for emergencies and waste;
for example, the fruit on the trees, the bloom from which the fruit is
grown, frogs in the pond and fish in the seas.
Nature GOES THE EXTRA MILE by producing enough of every
living thing to insure the perpetuation of the species, allowing for
emergencies of every kind. If this were not true, the species of all living
things would soon vanish.
Some believe that the beasts of the jungle and the
birds of the air live without labor, but thoughtful people know that this is
not true. It is true that Nature provides the sources of supply of food for
every living thing, but every creature must labor before it may partake of
that food. Thus we see that Nature discourages the habit which some have
acquired of trying to get something for nothing.
The advantages of the habit of GOING THE EXTRA MILE are
definite and understandable. Let us examine some of them and be convinced:
The habit brings the individual to the favorable
attention of those who can and will provide opportunities for
self-advancement. It tends to make one indispensable, in many different
human relationships, and it therefore enables one to command more than
average compensation for personal services.
It leads to mental growth and to physical skill and
perfection in many forms of endeavor, thereby adding to one's earning
capacity.
Napoleon Hill, From Master Key To Riches
"Be careful the environment you choose for it will
shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them."
W. Clement Stone 1902-2002, Author and Businessman
Seminar on Pressure Points - - David Kaye’s dojo - -
828 Route 15 S - - Lake Hopatcong
Saturday, March 29th - - See Information Sheet on the
Message Board
Let Kyoshi Know if Interested |
