April 2013
CONGRATULATIONS Anabeth Fernandez who earned her Junior Yellow Belt since our last newsletter.
UPCOMING EVENT – Sunday, April 28 – Our 28th Benefit
Tournament at Hackettstown
H.S. – – Entry Forms at the dojo
Jim Rohn said, “Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.” I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons in life that must be learned. To be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished is just the beginning; we must challenge further to produce more ideas than are needed and then share the ideas. This is called fruitfulness and abundance.
Zig Ziglar in a seminar brought an old water hand pump onto the stage to demonstrate that if a person wanted water from it, the person must move the pump handle up and down causing the water to flow. The more vigorously the person pumped, the greater the amount of water. We must go to work to produce more than what is needed so other and we may be blessed. The major value in life is not what we get in life but what one gives and becomes. Zig Ziglar says, “You can have anything in life you want if you help enough other people to get what they want.”
All values must be won by contest, and after they have been won, they must be defended.
Don’t sell personal virtue and value for something you think you want. Work to obtain what has value and importance to enhancing life.
Values are meant to be costly. If it doesn’t cost much, we probably wouldn’t appreciate the value.
Obstacles are the Stepping Stones of Success – by Harvey Mackay
A man was walking in the park one day when he came upon a cocoon with a small opening. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It looked like it had gotten as far as it could, so the man decided to help the butterfly. He used his pocketknife and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily, but something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to emerge was natural. It was nature’s way of forcing fluid from its body into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we were allowed to go through life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly. History has shown us that the most celebrated winners usually encounter obstacles before success is achieved. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.
Thomas Edison tried more than 2,000 experiments before he was able to create a light bulb that worked. Upon being asked how he felt about failing so many times, he replied, “I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process.”
Persistence paid off for men like Hanshi Duessel who started training in jujitsu in 1957. Then in 1962 he started training in Isshin-ryu Karate with Harry G. Smith, who lived in Harrisburg, PA. Hanshi traveled to the dojo on weekends to begin to learn karate. In 1964, at the age of 37, he met Tatsuo Shimabuku and trained with him extensively. At the conclusion of the three months Shimabuku was visiting and training in the Pittsburgh area, the founder of Isshin-ryu Karate personally promoted Mr. Duessel to Sho Dan. He has diligently practiced and studied the art for 51 years. Because of his dedication to detail and desire to understand Isshin-ryu Karate, keeping the style as the founder taught it, he is one of the most outstanding students and Masters within the Isshin-ryu World.
Helen Keller, the famous blind author and speaker, said: “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. Silver is purified in fire and so are we. It is in the most trying times that our real character is shaped and revealed.”
Habits Die Hard
Here’s a little test to understand the power of our habits. Cross your arms as you normally would, and look down to see which one is on top. Invariably about half of the people will have their right arm on top and the other half will have their left on top. When you crossed your arms for the very first time, you might have been still in your playpen, and you’ve been crossing your arms the same way ever since. Now, cross your arms again, but this time put the wrong arm on top. It feels extremely weird! If I were to challenge you to cross your arms the “wrong” way for the rest of your life, could you do it? Probably. Would it be difficult? You bet it would!
Here’s the point: Habits—good or bad—are difficult to break. Aristotle said it best: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act…it’s a habit.”
SUCCESS – – Everything we need to become rich and powerful and successful are within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of our abilities is simply because of neglect. Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous life.
Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty and guilt leads to an erosion of self-confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. As our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more… and on and on it goes.
I recommend that when given the choice of “easy way” and “the not so easy way” accept the challenge and experience the potentially life-changing activities and disciplines. Take the road less traveled. Karate training in our dojo emphasizes each of the issues discussed in each of the newsletter segments. The people who work to emphasize the positive and improve personal abilities are the ones who will be successful for the rest of their lives. The self–confidence, discipline, positive attitude and personal growth are personal qualities that are enhanced by the habits learned here and at home. Do what must be done. Help others who need help without expecting anything in return. Accept help when it will not adversely hinder personal growth; sometimes the struggle will enhance life and learning.
Think renewed enthusiasm in training as April marks the beginning of spring.
