Tag Archive: Health

Want to know why principles are important?

Last week I got into a discussion with a parent. At the end of it, I was reminded why my principles are important. I also knew after this conversation, that I had to revisit this message.

Our conversation went along the lines of them asking me to do them a favour. It was something that I could totally understand asking, but I was definitely not comfortable doing it. It went against a rule that I have at the school and my principles so I said ‘No’.

The Key to Success is Effort

You’ve probably heard the saying …

“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”

The Importance of Forgiving

My mom and I had this conversation on the weekend about people making mistakes. It takes a strong person to forgive and forget but the weight that people carry being mad at someone often isn’t worth it. That really got me thinking about the importance of forgiving.

My mom to say the least, can be…passionate about things. Last week somebody did something and it really offended her. She was just outraged and couldn’t wrap her head around anybody doing such a thing. As we talked about it, I realized it wasn’t helping. I also realized she was carrying around this anger and frustration and it was really a burden. That got me thinking about the ability to forgive which leads me to this week’s message of the week…

The Power of Habits

I was watching a tv show this morning. On the show, the people were talking about the importance of routines and habits. How a person’s habits and routines determine their success. That really got me thinking a lot about my own routines and habits and what I do. That got me thinking even more about the power of habits and how important they are. That lead me to think about this week’s message of the week.

One of the things they were talking about was the old saying “The early bird gets the worm.”. The reality is that not everyone is an early riser. Some people sleep in while other people get up early. I probably get up a little bit earlier and go to bed earlier than most. One of my close friends is the exact opposite. It’s not important WHEN you are awake. What’s important is what you do during those hours that you’re awake and that brings us to this week’s message of the week…

Embracing Progress in Karate and Life: Start Where You Are, Use What You Have, Do What You Can!

In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the multitude of tasks and responsibilities that await us each day. Whether getting ready for school, managing our workloads, or pursuing our passions like Karate, the feeling of being paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of it all can be all too familiar. However, by adopting a simple mantra and embracing the power of progress, we can navigate through the chaos and find our way to success. Today, let’s explore the profound wisdom behind the words …

“Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can.”

Just like my daughter struggles with organizing her thoughts in the morning, many of us face similar challenges in our daily lives. We often stare at an extensive to-do list, unsure where to begin or how to proceed. During these moments of overwhelm, we must take a step back, breathe, and remind ourselves to start where we are.

Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.

I remember at the beginning of COVID being really afraid. There was so much uncertainty and I had no idea what was going to happen but what got me through it was a great friend and that’s what this week’s message of the week is all about.

Knowing yourself is so important.

Something happened last week and it reminded me of the importance of knowing yourself. Based on what happened, I don’t think enough people REALLY know themselves.

During our Leadership class, we talked about our personalities and the participants had to describe themselves in three words. After that, they had to identify some of their greatest strength and some of their greatest weaknesses. What came out of all of this was quite shocking to me.

Have courage and achieve your goals.

I had a conversation with a friend last week and as we spoke, it reminded me of the importance of courage. If you want to achieve your goals, you need to have courage.

My friend and I hadn’t spoken in a long time. After catching up, inevitably, we got on the topic of how our schools were doing. When he asked me, I said “We’re doing GREAT!” Students are training regularly and improving and as a result there’s a bunch of students receiving new belts this week. I then asked him how he was doing and it was completely the opposite. I couldn’t help but feel for him and it reminded me of the message of the week.

It’s all about developing self-control.

If you’re going to achieve anything great, you’re going to need to start developing self-control and patience.

Part of my job as a teacher is having uncomfortable conversations. This week, I spoke with a parent about their child’s progress and it was exactly that. The conversation was uncomfortable because I had to tell them that their child wasn’t ready to move up a rank. As we spoke, we came to an understanding that this wasn’t anybody’s fault. The fact was that the child wasn’t mature enough and there is very little you can do to help that. Accepting that takes self-control. Not trying to change that, takes patience.

Opportunity vs. Obligation

The idea of opportunity vs. obligation blew my mind last week and now I’m looking at things totally differently and it’s GREAT.

I was speaking with a friend of mine and during the conversation, I was complaining about how much time it takes to keep up with email, phone calls, and all the jobs like that. Once I was done complaining, he pointed out that I should stop complaining and look at things differently.