Get Lean, Strong and Confident
Accept Differences See each person as an individual and not as part of a group. All humans from all countries and cultures are equal without regard to race, color, creed or gender. Believe with confidence and trust that the vast majority of people whom you meet, befriend or do business with are more similar than different from you. People are inherently good. Most people act in good faith.They mean you no harm and would assist you in time of need. Do not waste your time thinking otherwise. Do not become a party to rumor or gossip. Reject stereotypes and the divisive and demeaning policies that group people into categories. Be the first to build bridges of tolerance and understanding.
Compare Yourself to Your Potential March 2002 action principles
by Joseph Galea
The popularity of martial arts training can be attributed to its appeal to many age groups. Because the martial arts have such a diverse following, individual progression and expectation can vary greatly among students. For this reason, especially, it is important to understand your potential and compare your achievements only to your own possibilities. Expertise in the martial arts comes with years of continuous training.However, you may never be able to execute a flying sidekick across a room or fall into a full 180- degree split and that's okay.You can still be a successful martial artist with great physical and mental skills. A middle-aged gentleman, a friend of mine named Frank, had only one arm. One could argue that having only one arm was a disadvantage that would severely affect his martial arts abilities. In actuality, Frank possessed incredible leg strength and hip control that produced very powerful kicks, which made him a great fighter and martial artist.There are also the Mr.Miyagi-type martial artists who are great fighters through mental focus, quickness and technique.Think of the martial arts as a personal expression of individual strengths, which are different in each participant, that results in self-defense. What's your potential? Start with your martial arts assets.Are you strong, flexible, tall or short, quick, accurate or energetic? How's your balance, concentration and hand-eye coordination? These are just a few examples of personal characteristics that may be your strengths or even your weaknesses.Martial arts training certainly will diminish your weaknesses, but the enhancement of your strengths will control the direction of your training and will ultimately shape you as a martial artist.
HealthKick Use Feedback as Your Guide to Better Health
by Jennifer G. Galea, MS RD
On your road to making positive lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthfully, exercising more and making other healthy choices, you are bound to make a few "mistakes" that require you to make corrections. Imagine an airplane heading on a long journey.The airplane's navigation systems tells it where it is in relation to where it wants to be.Over the course of the long journey, the airplane could be "off course" 90 percent of the time and still arrive at its intended destination within minutes of schedule. In self-help author Stewart Emery's book titled Actualizations: You Don't Have to Rehearse to Be Yourself (Doubleday, 1978), Emery writes,"Living involves being constantly off course.However, being off course doesn't matter as long as we're making the necessary corrections. Making mistakes, taking wrong turns, backing up, and reevaluating are all parts of the journey to optimal health." The key here is to be sensitive to feedback and to use it to adjust your course.Don't interpret feedback as negative. Feedback is what allows you to adjust your course. Be especially in tune with the following forms of feedback:
The goal is to have your usual routine include healthy food choices, plenty of physical activity and other healthy lifestyle decisions. Feedback is your navigation system on your journey to a healthier you.
Kickin'Back w i t h D a n M i l l m a n
One Journey, Many Paths
People sometimes ask me, "What's the best martial art to study?" I tell them that all styles have value but that the most important search is for an enlightened teacher.The teacher is more important than the style. Since anyone can teach skills, the quest is to find a teacher who teaches life-values through the arts.No matter what type of art you study, treat it as path to a greater end of personal growth and development. What makes all martial arts special is their lineage of life and death, living in the moment of truth, integrating body, mind, and emotions into a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts a whole we call "spirit."When a martial arts teacher can inspire, focus and motivate his or her students to improve themselves and grow as human beings, then they transcend their "style."