I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight.

I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important.

My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because god has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

Have a GREAT DAY! Unless you have other plans…

Black Belt Champions and High Level Achievers would never become great without the benefit of resistance. No one who has ever achieved anything of great value has done so without the benefit of resistance.

Motivational Speaker and Best Selling Author, Zig Ziglar, teaches we should always be grateful for our problems.

The reality is, the challenges we face everyday, really do make us stronger. If everything in life came easy, everyone would be an instant Black Belt.

In the real world, the people that solve the most complex problems, are worth the most value in society. In the Martial Arts, in school, at work, in business, we usually learn the most from the setbacks and challenges that we overcome.

The athlete that takes the easy route, partying all night and skipping practices, is not likely to be stepping onto the winner’s podium. It’s the Champion that puts in hours of disciplined practice that wins Gold Medals.

Pressure Creates Diamonds….

Do you know what happens to an astronauts musculoskeletal system in outer space? Without the pressure of gravity, their muscles and bones become weaker!

I know that when we have a long weekend like this past one, I look forward to some needed rest. But after that first day of relaxation, I start LOOKING for work to do. I simply can’t sit still. Without work to do I get bored.

Some people think that a life of leisure would be great. To me, a life with no pressure sounds like torture.

The truth is that while we sometimes wish things could be easier, we wouldn’t be happy if they were. Because it’s by facing the difficulties in our lives that we can become the best we can be.

We all need resistance to become stronger.

As you know, this past Saturday was our Spring 2010 Black Belt Extravaganza.  All of the performers did an AMZING job of showcasing their skills in front of a big crowd of family and friends.

All of us at Master Khechen’s know just how much work everyone put into the show and the test a few weeks ago, and we would like to congratulate you all on a job well done!

We would also like to thank all of the families of the candidates, their instructors and classmates for all the support they have shown throughout their training!

Wear your Black Belts proudly, but remember to continue training like a White Belt!

Over the last few weeks we have spent a lot of time discussing leadership in our school.  We talked about how true leadership is about more than just being in a position of power, it’s about taking care of others and setting a positive example for the to follow. 

We have also talked about the two basic types of leaders: "Leaders In Power" and "Empowering Leaders".

So today I would like to ask you just a few quick questions to help you determine if you are a "Leader In Power" or an "Empowering Leader".  Ask yourself honestly:

Do you believe you have to be "in charge" to be a leader, or can you lead from any position?

Do you lead by example, or expect more from your people than you do from yourself?

Do you have a compelling vision that you consistently share with your people to motivate them?

Are you a GOOD FINDER, or do you focus more on what is wrong?

Do your make others FEEL GOOD about themselves and what they do?

Are you a good LISTENER and seek to understand how others feel?

Do you make others feel VALUABLE, or do you make them question their worth?

Do you GIVE credit and TAKE blame, or the other way around?

Do you give without expecting anything in return?

Do you offer SINCERE praise, or is praise just a tool you use to soften the blow of criticism?

Do you resolve conflicts or create them?

Do you INFLUENCE others to your way of thinking, or do you often use your title or position as a reason, for example "Do it because I’m the boss and I said so."?

And finally… the biggest question of them all:

Do people follow you because they WANT to or because they HAVE to?

That’s it!  If you answered those questions honestly you should have a good idea about what kind of leader you are. 

Both styles will produce results, to a certain extent.  But only by being an "Empowering Leader" will you truly be of service to others and make any real progress towards your vision.

You may also have noticed that the differences between the two types of leadership all come down to the way you interact with others in small things.  So it doesn’t take a LOT to make some big changes!!

Training in the Martial Arts conditions and prepares us to defend against dangerous people and threatening situations. But one of the greatest dangers we face everyday… isn’t so much a physical threat. More common is the risk of being harmed by negative comments, attitudes or emotions.

Applying the Yin-Yang approach to defending against negative forces would tell us to always be ready to counter with positives.

Apply this to a physical assault, one defense is the exact opposite of your opponent…

If they attack in a straight line, you may defend in a circular direction.

If they strike high, you may defend against the attack and counter low.

When hit with negative…counter with positive, is similar.

Try applying it to daily life where we may be attacked verbally or assaulted emotionally.

If someone makes a negative comment, you redirect them with a positive comment.

If someone shares a negative rumor, you ignore it and share something positive.

Maybe someone you know becomes very negative and reactive, your goal would be to stay calm, positive and proactive.

Self-Defense is about defending yourself and your loved ones, not about harming the attacker. The same is true here…

Think of the same concept in dealing with negative people or situations.

The goal is to avoid harm…not cause it. Practice this theory and you’ll stay calm and increase your ability to maintain a positive outlook and attitude toward everything and everybody.

As a martial arts instructor I can tell you that one of the greatest joys in my life is watching my students grow and succeed. The moment they have their Black Belt tied around their waist is especially moving… seeing the progress and changes they have made since starting as a White Belt. There truly is nothing more empowering than the ability to empower others.

The word “Empower” literally means “to give power to”. But I believe that as a leader, when you empower someone you aren’t giving them power so much as you’re getting them to see the power already within them.

Leaders don’t see what people are, they see what they could be.

Michelangelo often stated that he did not create his sculptures, they are already there. It is just his job to free them from the stone.

When you empower others, you give them the skills and confidence they need to succeed. You see the seeds of greatness within them and you nurture them. Great leaders show their people how, and then most importantly, they show them that they believe in them. It is often said that good leaders feed their people, but GREAT leaders teach their people how to feed themselves.

“When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!’” – Lao-Tsu

We can find ways to be leaders and to empower people every day by showing the people around us our gratitude and giving them our support. Don’t just seek to manage your workers, your students or your children… seek to empower them!

Where does true leadership start? It starts with you. Too often you hear people complain about the way things are in the world, at their office or their home. These people then proceed to blame it all on someone else. But, as Mahatma Ghandi said, “We must be the change we want to see in the world.”

You may not be in what is considered a “traditional” leadership position, but that does not mean you do not have the power to effect change. The truth is that leadership isn’t about position, title or rank, it’s about influence and how you can use that influence to help others.  We all have the ability everyday to change our lives, to affect the lives of others, to influence and inspire… we all have the opportunity to lead.

But real leaders are the ones who set the pace for others to follow.  They have a vision, and they set out to achieve it.

But if you’re going to set the pace, you need to do a little work on yourself first. To be a great leader you must always work on your personal congruency. If you’re trying to get people to think, act or do things in a way that you don’t consistently do yourself, then there is nothing for people to follow.

When Mother Theresa devoted herself to helping the poorest of the poor in India, she didn’t do it from the comfort of her home. She entered the slums and lived among them, giving up even the basic necessities in pursuit of her vision. That was true leadership.

So before you start blaming others for the way things are, take a good look at yourself and your own habits and behaviors. Do you wish your employees worked a little harder? Start by taking a look at your own work habits. Do you want your kids to be more respectful? Set an example for them through your own personal level of respect.

Each and everyone of us is in a leadership position, but it’s up to us to set right example for others to follow…

Often while in the pursuit of our goals and dreams, life inevitably puts obstacles in our path. We may suffer an injury, come under financial burdens, or even lose a job. What will make the difference in our lives is how we perceive these obstacles. Do you see them as road blocks or detours?

They say that hindsight is 20/20, and when you look at how you got to where you are in your life, you can find a few times at which your life took a dramatic change of direction. You may even find that if it weren’t for these unforeseen changes, you may have missed out on many of the great things in your life. And as you think about these changes, you may remember that at the time these events occurred, they were a major obstacle for you.

Sometimes what we initially see as an obstacle is just a detour to the route we were destined to take.

Always remember that failure is the requirement for success. Few get it right the first time. The problem is that we only see successful people AFTER they have become successful. We don’t get to witness the work and failures they endured to get to that point. We see their paths to success as direct and simple, but we can’t see the obstacles that defined that path for them.

As Martial Artists, we must always remain open to new possibilities. Obstacles that at first seem to be impassable can quickly become just the opportunities we need to succeed!

Do you want to know the secret of success in the Martial Arts and in life?

Act Like a Black Belt… Train Like a White Belt!

No matter what rank you are now, this should always be your goal: To carry yourself with the discipline, respect and humility that the Black Belt is known for, but to never lose your enthusiasm for training and life!

This past weekend we hosted a massive seminar featuring classes taught by Master Khechen, Shihan Gene Dunn, Master Hung Tran and Coach Kevin Kearns. Anytime you have such an amazing collection of talent gathered together for one event, it automatically creates a lot of excitement in the air.

But I think what I was most impressed with was the enthusiasm for training these Martial Artists showed. They weren’t just teaching… they were having FUN and their energy was contagious!

I think that’s what is so special about the Martial Arts. When you learn to train for the right reasons, you can train forever and never lose your enthusiasm.

Too often people get preoccupied with rank or competition. What they fail to see is that the real power of the Martial Arts is the competition within yourself to continually improve in all areas of your life.

But like so many other things in life, you can only get out what you put in. So ask yourself: If your training lately has been more fizzle and less sizzle, do you still approach your training with the energy, enthusiasm and eagerness that you did in your first class?

If not, what changed?

Maybe you need to reconnect to why you started training in the first place…  What were your goals back then?  What are they now?

Take some time this week to rediscover the White Belt in you!!

Check out more pics from Warriors Weekend!