MAY 2015 Newsletter
Why Keep a Journal?
If you’re serious about becoming a dedicated Isshin-ryu student, don’t simply trust your memory. When you listen to something valuable, write it down. When you come across something important, write it down. When you learn new pieces of kata, write them down. When you learn self-defense techniques, write them down. When you attend a seminar and hear and learn new things, write them down. The brain has 60,000 thoughts a day. Remembering unwritten information or new techniques is at times extremely difficult, especially until they become second nature. If you take notes on pieces of paper and torn-off corners and backs of old envelopes, these ideas most certainly will become lost. Things to keep in the journal are pictures, dates of events and promotions and people you’ve met. Take the time to write notes and to keep a journal. You’ll be so glad you did.
In Getting Unstuck, George and Sedena take “complicated” out of the equation and offer us guidance for the times we are facing significant challenges, all the while reminding us that life never misses an opportunity to offer us new chances and fresh starts. We can keep our balance even when we feel like we are on the shakiest ground. That reconnecting with ourselves to become more enlightened and empowered is possible. 10 Simple Rules to Embracing Change and Celebrating Your Life from “Secret Seven: Connect, Understand and Accept”
“Imagine what it would be like to live in a world where you are more concerned about what you have to offer than what you have to hide.” ~Unknown
This is a very powerful quote. It asks us to imagine a world very different from the one many of us live in. The current state of the world is better described by the second part of this Seventh Secret, a part not included in this title. The full secret says, “Connect, understand and accept…don’t protect, defend, and resist.”
Why is this secret so important? To get ourselves unstuck from things that prevent us from living the life we were born to live, to spread our wings and soar, we must also remember that our world is changing rapidly. Although there have always been dangers and threats, they have been heightened with the advent of the information age and its instant forms of digital communication. Our sense of safety is also impacted by the major life transitions we all experience: job security, financial challenges, illnesses, loss of a loved one, aging, etc.
In the face of this, it is no wonder we find ourselves a little breathless, bewildered and sometimes resistant to change. And yet, if we want to get unstuck, live lives of quality and dignity, accomplish our dreams, celebrate our talents, and pass on our gifts and wisdom to others, we would be wise to take the Seventh Secret to heart.
Adopting this secret allows you to change where you may feel stuck. Where there is a perceived threat, there can be a new sense of openness and curiosity, empathy and accord. Where there is distrust, there can be greater receptivity, balance and the ability to stay in the present more often.
This new approach will give you a new sense of freedom, new levels of energy and passion and a greater understanding of the role you and your beliefs play in determining the quality of your life.
In the end, it all comes down to a matter of choice. Each of us can choose to be reactive and at the mercy of a world that appears threatening, or we can choose to be open to life and its remarkable possibilities. We can be defensive and protective, or we can live with a new spring in our step and spirit, eyes that truly see, ears that really hear, and a heart that can feel the wonder and celebrate the magnificent mystery that is life.
Be open to possibility, rather than reliant on negativity. Instead of being defensive and protective, you can live with your eyes and ears fully open. It’s amazing what just a slight shift in perspective can do…it can make all the difference in the world. With these simple yet powerful little nuggets of wisdom, 2015 can be the year you stop feeling stuck and truly start celebrating your life!
Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. We do not fail overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking and poor choices. It is nothing more than a few errors in judgment repeated every day.
And failure’s most dangerous attribute is its subtlety. In the short term, small errors don’t seem to make any difference. We do not seem to be failing. In fact, sometimes these accumulated errors in judgment occur throughout a period of great joy and prosperity in our lives. Because there are no instant consequences to capture our attention, we simply drift from one day to the next, repeating errors, thinking the wrong thoughts, listening to the wrong voices and making the wrong choices. It is imperative to refine our philosophy in order to be able to make better choices.
Just like the formula for failure, the formula for success is easy to follow. It’s a few simple disciplines practiced every day. How can we change the errors in the formula for failure into the disciplines required in the formula for success? The answer is by making the future an important part of our current philosophy.
One of the exciting things about the formula for success is that the results are almost immediate. As we voluntarily change daily errors into daily disciplines, we experience positive results in a very short period of time. Whatever new discipline we begin to practice daily will produce exciting results that will drive us to become even better at developing more new disciplines.
The real magic of new disciplines is that they cause us to amend our thinking. If we were to start today by reading books, keeping a journal, attending classes, and listening and observing more, today would be the first day of a new life leading to a better future. If we were to start today to try harder, and in every way make a conscious and consistent effort to change subtle and deadly errors into constructive and rewarding disciplines, we would never again settle for a life of existence—not once we have tasted the fruits of a life of substance!
We have received the Isshin-ryu & World Championship coins . . . thanks to the work of Mr. Schroeder. They are 2” in diameter with a clear plastic case. The cost is $20.00. See Hanshi or Mrs. Hughes.
Mrs. Brown will be holding a yard sale at her home to help raise funds for the 2015 IWKA Championship Event. Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 from 9 AM to 5 PM. Any items may be brought to 4 Windswept Way, Long Valley – – off Schooley’s Mt. Road Friday after 3 PM or Saturday morning. Need more information see Hanshi. We also could use some help for a portion of each day.
Scott Miller and Tom Schroeder are coordinating a golf tournament to help raise funds for the World Event.
Sunday, June 6 – Minebrook Golf Club – 3 PM Shotgun Start – Registration forms are at the dojo.
REMEMBER OUR 30TH BENEFIT TOURNAMENT IS THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 26TH AT HACKETTSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL. THE EVENT BEGINS AT 10:15 AM. STUDENTS SHOULD ARRIVE AROUND 9 AM. THERE IS STILL TIME TO PREREGISTER. FORMS ARE AT THE DOJO. THIS IS A GOOD TUNE UP FOR THE WORLD EVENT IN AUGUST. STUDENTS ARE DIVIDED INTO AGE AND ABILITY GROUPING. SCORE KEEPERS AND OTHER HELPERS ARE NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.
BROWN AND BLACK BELTS – REMEMBER TO SEE HANSHI ABOUT THE MAY 16TH (SATURDAY) JUDGING SEMINAR WITH MASTER MARCUM. I NEED TO GET A HEAD COUNT. THE COST IS $15.00 TO COVER THE CERTIFICATION. IT WILL REVIEW KATA AND SPARRING PROCEDURES. REVIEW THE RULES INFORMATION ON THE WEB SITE A FEW TIMES BEFORE THAT SATURDAY.
