August 2013
RENSHI HUGHES AND I THANK ALL THE BLACK BELTS AND STUDENTS WHO HELPED KEEP THE DOJO OPEN WHILE WE WERE IN MAINE WITH THE MIKA DOJO GANG AND VACATION AT CASTLE ISLAND CAMPS.
ALSO, THANKS TO THE FRIENDS AND STUDENTS WHO MADE THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE APPEARANCE OF THE DOJO. OLD FURNITURE WAS DONATED TO HABITAT FOR HUMANITY AND A THOROUGH CLEANING WAS DONE . . .
HANSHI DUESSEL WAS PROMOTED TO 10TH DEGREE BLACK BELT DURING OPENING CEREMONIES AT THE IWKA TOURNAMENT BY O’SENSEI SHIMABUKU (SON OF THE FOUNDER OF ISSHINRYU KARATE AND HEAD OF THE IWKA). HANSHI AT 86 TRAINS DAILY AND STRIVES TO PERFECT, NOT CHANGE, ISSHINRYU KARATE. HE IS THE MODEL THAT ALL STUDENTS SHOULD STRIVE TO EMULATE. HE IS HUMBLE, OPEN TO MEET AND GREET, A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE HE SHARES TO THOSE WHO WISH TO LEARN AND A TRUE FRIEND. CONGRATULATIONS HANSHI – – – WELL DESERVED!
DON NAGLE AOKA TOURNAMENT – Date: Saturday 21 September 2013 – MARIST HIGH SCHOOL GYM – 1241 KENNEDY BOULEVARD – BAYONNE, N J 07002 – Pre-register by September 7th and save.
SEE KYOSHI
SUCCESS is no riddle but here is one to ponder.
Have you heard this riddle?
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper, or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men and alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine, plus the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit or run me for ruin – it makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Half the tasks you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
Who am I? ( read on)
ANONYMOUS
Achieving Your Dreams – by Jim Rohn
While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily working at building and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. And here sits the much larger group, wondering how life can be so unfair, so complicated and unjust. What’s the major difference between the little group with so much and the larger group with so little?
Despite all of the factors that affect our lives—like the kind of parents we have, the schools we attended, the part of the country we grew up in—none has as much potential power for affecting our futures as our ability to dream.
Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. Dreams can drive you. Dreams can make you skip over obstacles. When you allow your dreams to pull you, they unleash a creative force that can overpower any obstacle in your path. To unleash this power, though, your dreams must be well defined. A fuzzy future has little pulling power. Well-defined dreams are not fuzzy. Wishes are fuzzy. To really achieve your dreams, to really have your future plans pull you forward, your dreams must be vivid.
If you’ve ever hiked a 14,000-foot peak in the Rocky Mountains, one thought has surely come to mind: “How did the settlers of this country do it?” How did they get from the East Coast to the West Coast? Carrying one day’s supply of food and water is hard enough. Can you imagine hauling all of your worldly goods with you… mile after mile, day after day, month after month? These people had big dreams. They had ambition. They didn’t focus on the hardship of getting up the mountain.
In their minds, they were already on the other side–their bodies just hadn’t gotten them there yet! Despite all of their pains and struggles, all of the births and deaths along the way, those who made it to the other side had a single vision: to reach the land of continuous sunshine and extraordinary wealth. To start over where anything and everything was possible. Their dreams were stronger than the obstacles in their way.
You’ve got to be a dreamer. You’ve got to envision the future. You’ve got to see California while you’re climbing 14,000-foot peaks. You’ve got to see the finish line while you’re running the race. You’ve got to hear the cheers when you’re in the middle of a monster project. And you’ve got to be willing to put yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. Because that’s how you realize your dreams.
THE ANT PHIOSOPHY
Ants have an amazing four-part philosophy, and the first part: ants never quit. If they’re headed somewhere and someone tries to stop them, they’ll look for another way. They’ll climb over, they’ll climb under, and they’ll climb around. They keep looking for another way.
Second, ants think winter all summer. That’s an important perspective. They are not naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants gather their winter food in the middle of summer. An ancient story says, “Don’t build your house on the sand in the summer.” This is good advice because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, think storm and what lies ahead.
The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won’t last long; we’ll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they’ll return underground, but then they come out the first warm day. They can’t wait to get out.
The last part of the ant philosophy is that an ant will gather all he possibly can during the summer to prepare for the winter.
What a great philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.
KARATE TRAINING – – ACHIEVING DREAMS – – AND THE ANT PHILOSOPHY
The ideas in the two articles relate to our training. A student must desire to achieve. One’s desire often begins with a dream hoping for success. Because it is not happening yet, it is in the future and something desired. From this point one must practice and prepare if the dream of success is to be achieved. A student cannot wait until the overnight camp to begin to prepare for possible promotion and the fitness needed to train between five to twelve hours during the course of the weekend. The same is true as one investigates the intrinsic nature of karate. The most rewarding aspects of the art do not come from thinking about receiving a promotion but from the learning and improvement that comes from disciplined training. One must look beyond personal gain and strive to develop the maturity and unwavering dedication to dream to achieve perfection in the future. The major emphasis is upon personal growth. The difference is personal—inside, not outside. Work harder on yourself mentally and physically and results will occur. To find success look to the strong leadership demonstrated by those who have succeeded. The magic is in believing. The magic is in daring. The magic is in trying. The magic is in persevering. The magic is in accepting. The magic is in thinking. Karate is developed to be a life-long pursuit to achieve physical, mental, and emotional perfection.
The answer to the Success Riddle is . . . “I am a habit!”
