Student Blog

Total number of blogs found: 52
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Wednesday night in class, as we were breaking up into our groups, Mr. Fariborz had Mr. Patrick tip test Stuart and I. The test was going along fine, (I like testing with Mr. Patrick because he teaches extra stuff (like examples) as he tests us), when all of a sudden, Mr. Fariborz called for me. Lauren, who was taking class on the main mat, was not feeling well and was crying off to the side. What I saw next, really made me realize how much the staff at TKC cares about their students. Mr. Ash was sitting next to Lauren on the mat, with his arm around her, comforting her. Not hovering over her with his arms crossed, but next to her, at her level, talking quietly.

Lauren wanted to leave right away, even though there was still 15 minutes left in our classes. As we were driving home she said, "Sorry for ruining your tip test Daddy", to which I replied, "You didn"t Baby, Mr. Patrick said I passed. But even if I didn"t, don"t ever worry about that. I"m a part time student, but your full time Daddy. I can test again later if I have to, because you"ll always be my number one priority, inside and outside of the Studio". (it brings a tear to my eye to think that as bad as Lauren"s tummy was hurting, that she was worried about my tip test.)

When I arrived at the Studio last night, Mr. Ash was engaged in an intense training session with Mr. Terry. When he spotted me, he stopped what he was doing and asked how Lauren was feeling. I couldn"t believe it. Here he was, with all of his focus and attention on complicated punching and kicking combinations with Mr. T and the focus mitts, yet he paused long enough to ask me how my daughter was doing...on that alone, TKC has earned some devoted students for life, in me and my family.

We sparred again last night in Mr. T"s class. I felt my match with Scott went a lot better this time. Instead of whaling wildly on each other, we actually had some discipline and used the techniques that we are learning in class. It might have made for a boring fight, but we both got some good punches and kicks in there. Scott is a really good sparring partner and I truly appreciate all of his help and restraint. He is very strong and surprisingly quick for a big guy, and could probably pummel me if he wanted to.

Mikey might just be the bravest man I"ve ever met, which shouldn"t surprise me being that he is a big wave surfer and a champion extreme snow boarder. In his three sparring matches that I have seem him in, Mike, a Green Belt, has faced off with a Black Belt and two Instructors. Yet he always holds his own, takes his beatings like a man, learns from them, gets better, and moves on to the next opponent. After his matches, he is always smiling and congratulating his other classmates on their matches. I looked up "cool" in the dictionary and it said "see Mikey". No wonder that he is so popular with all of his classmates, from tough guys, to regular guys and gals, to the young kids.

Thank you everyone for your comments and concerns about Lauren. You all truly are like part of our family.

Lastly, again I say how blown away I am that the man I saw in the ring last night, with his power, speed and deadly fighting skills of balance and punching and kicking accuracy, is the same man who huddled up in the corner of the mat with my little eight year old daughter who really needed him. Thank you Mr. Ash. I don"t know what is more impressive, your Karate or your compassion.

Have a nice weekend everybody.

Marnie said it would be like this...

I received my Black Belt last night from Mr. Terry. No, not to put around my waist mind you, but to display it prominently on the wall next to all of the other Black Belt Club members belts.

I applied for, and was accepted for admission into the TKC Black Belt Club last week before my Green Belt test. I originally wanted to join because of all of the neat classes and extra bennies and activities you get to participate in. And I can"t wait to do all of that stuff. But the power of having my Black Belt on the wall to act as a beacon or compass to help me navigate this great Journey is immeasurable.

I can just imagine during one of Mr. T"s workouts, being totally exhausted and at my breaking point, turning around and seeing that Black Belt on the wall and being motivated to do one more of those squat-jumping things that we did last night. (by the way, walking around work today, I feel like I"m towing a trailer up the Grapevine with two flat tires)

Last night, I entered into an agreement with Mr. Terry. It"s a simple agreement really, because Mr. Amir already enlightened me to its nature. For my part, it goes back to the basic principle of "Just show up", that I was taught by my Sensei that first day as a White Belt. For Mr. Terry"s part, it"s a lot more complicated. His part is to "Make me the best Black Belt I can possibly be!". I feel like I got the better part of the bargain, but those were his terms, so I"ll honor the contract to the best of my abilities. I"ll show up every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, ready for whatever awaits me. And to my new and awesome classmates, on the rare occasion that I can"t make it to class, I promise to call, email, fax, use Morse Code and smoke signals to relay my intensions, lest ye feel the wrath of Mr. T"s furry for my insolence.

****

In closing, I want nothing more than to take my Belt down off the wall and have Mr. Fariborz tie it around my (hopefully drastically reduced) waist on the night of my classes Black Belt Spectacular. Now I know it"s a long, long road ahead, and not necessarily a smooth road. I know could possibly have some injury or setback issues along the way. I know I"ll probably have some challenges to overcome with the Forms and weapons and the rope. I know I"ll probably get thumped around a bit during sparring too. But seeing my Black Belt on that wall will be the incorporeal nudge I need to keep me focused and on the straight and narrow path to Black Belt Excellence.

..and Marnie said it would be like this.

BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO !

To all of the people who have opened up their hearts and really journaled in depth with insight, honesty and humility, I salute you.

I"m so impressed with your writings, that I"ve canceled all of the periodicals that I normally subscribe to. Real life experiences written by real people, of which I have a common purpose and goal, is much more to my liking now. It"s amazing just how much we share the same hopes and fears, victories and set backs. You really are my brothers and sisters in arms in our TKC family, both here and in Florida.

For those of you who may have noticed, I myself, haven"t journaled lately. But that is by design. I just feel like these last two weeks, down the home stretch, belong to the Candidates and their thoughts and feelings. You read enough of my bloviating throughout the year anyways. It"s time for me now to just shut up and listen and learn. Besides, 2016 is just around the corner, when it will be my turn as a Candidate... 2016 that is, if I ever get past Speed Bump in the Journey to Black Belt Form # 2.

But as long as I am laying finger to key, I might as well draft an entry... I have taken three more classes since the last time I journaled (is "journaled" a word? spell-check keeps rejecting it.) Last Wednesday in Mr. Terry"s class, I soiled myself again...no, no, no, not like that! Soiled myself by the old salamander or newt dry lake swimming exercise. But to his credit, Mr. T did apologize in advance to my wife for dirtying my Gi. (with a one and a half year old and two and a half year old at home, soiled laundry is nothing new for my wife, but when it comes from me, she just rolls her eyes and shakes her head. I tell her "Mr. T made me do it".) Then we jabbed and crossed and checked and blocked. Thursday night, Mr. Amir drilled us on "practice like you mean it"! I can relate to that because that is the same philosophy that Pete Carroll has for his/my mighty Trojans. We also touched on some curriculum as well. Then Saturday, Stuart and I had an after class lesson with Mr. Patrick, to which I say, "thank you Sir" for your time and effort to work with us on the weekend. We did nothing but curriculum. It was very reassuring to know that we know more than we thought we knew.(?) Eight or nine more weekends like that and we"ll be ready for our Green Belt exam.

Also, I finally met in person, the lovely Black Beltess ~ Jill. I already felt like I knew her from her wonderfully entertaining and insightful journal entries, but it was nice to meet her face to face. Usually one meets someone in a Karate Studio, face to elbow, or face to knee, or face to fist or......

Sorry I couldn"t make it to class last night. I had a prior commitment. But I"ll be there tonight to meet all of the wonderful folks from Florida, and to wish them all the best come Saturday.

See you in a few.

Let me tell you about my black belt test.

First off, my teacher doesnt have to say a word to me. Not one word. Hes already taught me how to behave. Hes already planted the seeds of expectation.

He doesnt have to tell me to train.

He doesnt have to tell me to be ready.

I honor his time and instruction, his legacy, his life ---by knowing my test is coming and being ready for it.

I understand what the test is about --I know why we do it, why I do it, and I recognize the power, potential, and intent of the activity. 

He hardly has to lay down the curriculum as Im very well schooled, I know my strengths and weaknesses and I work around and/or thru them.  He wont have to tell me to come prepared. He established that understanding  25 years ago. That is what he was teaching me.

I am capable of significant things. Mental things. Physical things. Emotional things. Organizational things.

I have some small influence, some experience, and Ive had a large number of fine role models who came before me or grew up alongside me, or have come after me ---and I dont have to wait for my test to recognize and act upon what Ive observed and learned.

I dont take a test. I dont have a test. I live a test. I am the test.

Even in my failure, I shine. Even when I look stupid, I am learning. Even when I get hit or fall or sprain or tear or breakdown, I am living the experience and it will serve me, somehow as that is what I was taught to do. Thats what I learned in 5000 classes of kicking and punching and rolling and sparring and friendship and mentoring.

Even if we have a falling out, I will not fail to be what I was being trained to be. It is in the falling out that I can find the test. The test is not in showing what I do well when things are good, it is how I deal with adversity, with difference of opinion, with anger and frustration. That is the test. That is where my teacher can tell if he was wasting is time or if I happened to be paying attention.

My test isnt necessarily about what I know it is about how I exercise my potential. It is about how I treat people, even people I dont care for. It is about how I recover from my mistakes and move forward in a positive way.

I will not quit.

I will fall, I may falter at times, I may even argue or turn away but I will not embarrass my teacher or myself by not finding my center and resolving the issue. It is my job to make my life my TKCand to hold myself accountable to what my teachers learned from their teachers and their teachers and their teachers.

My black belt test must transcend the curriculum. I must not simply be a great black belt I must follow all the way through and be as good a human being as I possibly can. The teaching wasnt about developing a devastating round kick, deadly skills, or speed and endurance and courage. It was about learning to apply myself to my potential, to the tasks at hand and to my life.

I am living the test --but my test isn"t just about me. I will make YOU better by being a better black belt myself.

For those of you who follow this process, then hold yourself to it. Succeed or fail wonderfully. Show your own students how its done. What its really about. How to BE on a test. How to live a test. Show them what loyalty and service really is. Show them how to behave when all hell breaks loose.

My life is my dojo.
My life is my TKC.

So I wasn"t at sparring last night. At least, that"s what you THINK.

But in actuality, I WAS there. I was just moving so fast I was impossible to see. So remember when that one guy fell over screaming for no discernable reason? That was because I punched him. But while moving super-fast. So fast that it makes "bullet time" in The Matrix look like Keanu is a 100-year-old lady using a walker to go to 7-11.

Okay, maybe not. Or maybe so. You never can tell, can you??? Well, can you? Answer me!

All right, in all seriousness, I wasn"t there last night. I had a "perfect" moment as I was putting my son to bed. Unsolicited, he walked to where I was sitting, ready with his bedtime book. He climbed into my lap, looked in my eyes, and said "I love you."

Perfect moment.

Then he hugged me, hard.

Even perfecter moment.

Then, he whispered in my ear, with the sincerity only a four-year-old can have: "But I love Mommy even more."

It was so funny, it continued being a perfect moment.

And after he was in bed, I was going to get ready for class (sparring is my absolute favorite). But my wife walked in to talk to me. Nothing of special import, she just wanted to chat.

But I adore my wife, and sometimes it is just too hard to tear myself away from her for any reason. This was one of those times.

So no class. No sparring. Just watched a little bit of TV, then spent the night talking with my sweetheart.

And didn"t miss class one bit.

Sometimes, Black Belt Excellence means not going.

"I intend to develop myself in a positive manner and avoid anything that would reduce my mental growth or physical health."

"I intend to develop self-discipline in order to bring out the best in myself and others."

The power of TKC...

Ever had "one of those days"? One of those miserable days at work where nothing went as planned and "Murphy"s law" prevailed? Where every word that came out of peoples mouths irritated you? Where the bus ride home was full of obnoxious, rowdy teenagers with no respect for anyone or anything? Where all that you wanted to do when you got home, was crack open a beer and light up a cigarette and "veg out" on the patio, bypassing the wife and kids? Where the thought of getting up from your favorite chair and purposely going to where you might be ordered to do 100 push-ups or 100 crunches or whatever, just did not seem like the thing to do that day? Ever had one of those days?

I did yesterday. And after a day like that, the old me would have had that beer(s) and cigarette(s) on the patio, and left standing orders to the family to "leave me alone". My daily chores would have gone undone that day, and no way would I have gotten up to go exercise.

But the new me, the Martial Arts student, sees and handles things in an entirely new way. My approach to work, family, and how I interact with people has shifted from "the glass is half empty" to "the glass is half full". Let me try to explain...I think in the past few years, I started to feel my age. I became stereotypically cynical in my views of the state of the world, politics, gas prices, traffic, young people, etc. It got so bad, that the other day, I yelled at some kids to "get off my lawn!" LOL. I was tired all of the time and lost interest in hobbies, sports and friends that I use to live for. I was terribly over weight, had high blood pressure, no energy, and smoked and drank too much. (self medicating, I suspect) On at least two separate occasions, I was out with my wife and kids and my mother-in-law at a restaurant, when strangers, who were amused with the kids, thought that my mother-in-law was my wife, my wife was my daughter, and my daughters were my grandkids!!!! How do you suppose that made me feel? I would see photographs of myself with Jodi and think, "my poor wife, so young and pretty, and stuck with this old fart". Pathetic. I became depressed. Probably not the clinical definition of depression, but I was not happy with myself. Well to make a long (and probably boring) story short, something had to be done, lest I face the prospects of an early grave. And with such young children in my life, there"s no way I was going to let that happen, at least not by my own laziness and self pity. A couple of visits to my doctor took care of the medical issues (sleep apnea, high cholesterol). Other than those things, he said I was in very good shape, health wise, and shouldn"t ruin that good fortune, by smoking and lose some weight too. DUH, I knew that going in, but easier said than done.

Then came that fateful day when we found out about TKC from our friends, and the subsequent conversations with Marnie and her constant urging and encouragement for me too join too! She explained to me (and everybody else who read her Black Belt mission statement) that she had remade herself both physically and mentally under the tutelage of Mr. Fariborz and his program, to the point where she"s as happy now as she"s ever been. Her chiseled figure and upbeat personality are proof for all to see. If you saw her at our last graduation, where she and Mr. Terry did the self defense demonstration, you saw a confident, self assured and powerful woman, with nary a self esteem issue to be found. That"s how I aspire to be (minus the purse and estrogen!) :-) But I digress...

Back to the story of my lousy day and how I handled it...When I got home, I kissed my wife with a smile on my face (and of course asked if my Gi was in the dryer) I cracked open a Gatorade and got down on all fours so the kids could have their pony ride on daddy"s back, sciatica be damned. But still, I didn"t feel like going to Karate that day. I just wanted to sit down and relax. Well relaxing is what got me into this predicament in the first place! I had made a promise to myself to see this thing through and that"s what I intend to do...so off I went. When I walked and bowed through the TKC front door, I was greeted with smiles and happy salutations from the greatest and most positive group of people I"ve ever met. Mr. Amir, Mr. Patrick and Mr. Tim were their usual upbeat selves and class was a blast. Grappling with Mike and the instructors was fun and educational. Also, I came closer to slaying my "Dragon" which is Form #1, by practicing with Mr. Patrick.

Mentally, I have seen some changes in myself already as well. If your really read Mr. Fariborz"s writings carefully, you"ll find them to be not only profound, but relevant to the now as well. For example, I find myself addressing strangers and workers I encounter, as "Sir" or "Ma"am", just by habit now. Hence, they"re already off of their defencive mode and are friendlier. I"m quicker to open a door or pick up a spill for someone. (I think that what Kari did for that stranger was awesome) I"m starting to view problems as challenges or opportunities. I was talking to Mr. Tim in the locker room before class, on how looking at Black Belt curriculum from an Orange Belt"s perspective seems way too overwhelming. But he explained that looking at Yellow Belts curriculum from Orange Belt seems totally in reach, and so on up the ladder. That a Red/Black Belt looks at his Black Belt goal as one more step, no differently as his first step from White to Orange. I"m really starting to believe I can make it now. Wow, it wasn"t such a bad day after all :-)

****

To give an analogy of how I view our teacher"s approach to training us, I"m reminded of the old story of how a patron of an Art Museum was admiring an incredible piece sculpture that was on display. The sculptor of the piece was standing nearby his work, when the patron asked him how he created such beautiful thing. The Artist replied that the piece had been in the stone the whole the time, that he simply removed the debris to reveal it. I extrapolate from this story that Mr. Fariborz and Mr. Amir are the Sculptors, my blubber and self loathing are the Stone, and what will be revealed at my Black Belt Spectacular will be their creation!

****

Some may ask why I journal the way I do. Why I go into such semi-private details in such an open forum. The answer is three fold...1) Because Mr. Fariborz requires it. He understands and explains journaling"s usefulness. The late, great Bruce Lee kept a journal. Great people of great achievements throughout history, kept journals. We"re in good company. 2) I"m not interested in a Black Belt. I"m interested in Black Belt Excellence, and all that that implies. So I will journal with heart and honesty. Plus I know how much I enjoy reading your journals, and I hope you enjoy mine as well. 3) I like it. I find it to be therapeutic too. Also, If I can reach out to someone, possibly in my former situation, and help them, all the better. Had I not read Marnie"s statement and been so utterly inspired, I don"t know where I"d be today, but I"m guessing the couch most likely! Mr. Fariborz says that when we graduate on the night of our BBS, that we will receive a fancy bound edition of our journals. What a great thing to pass on to my children and they to theirs. To know what I was doing and thinking waaaay back in 2008. I wish that my Great-Great Grandfather had left a journal. Here he is only four generations removed from me, and I know absolutely nothing about him, and that"s a shame.

 To Mike: I hope you lip is better. Avoid Jalapeno"s for the day or so :-)

What a great class yesterday in Sensei Cunninghams class, he"s such a vibrant teacher and the hour and half fly by.  I want to thank Mr Jason for being an awesome, combative and real partner.  It"s so true the way you practice is the way you perform... I want to thank him for practicing with all his might on my legs.  I took the day off training today and spending it with Lily as my wife is at a rehersal.  I wanted to congradulate my Orange belt students on receiving their first tip in Orange Belt, you are all three progressing well.  I also wanted to say hi to Matthew in Isreal...HI.  It"s sounds like your having a trip that you will remember for a lifetime, and you get to have this experience at such a young age.  We look forward to your safe return.  All the best to everyone.  Have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July

Tonight"s class brings an end to my first week back at Team Karate Centers. Everyone has been so amazingly supportive and patient. Last night"s kickboxing class was incredible, I haven"t sweat like that in years! haha! Tonight I began attempting to learn the cane form, I remembered more than I thought I would and that gave me encouragement. I"m still, however, struggling with knowing what to do with grappling. Granted, it"s been years and it"s only my first week back, but even years ago I struggled with being comfortable grappling and knowing what to do. I find myself copping out and I know that it"s a mental barrier I need to break down. I"m hoping that the more comfortable I get with being back and the more comfortable I become with my classmates I"ll allow myself to begin learning rather than psyching myself out. I guess the first step is realizing the problem and acknowledging that I need help to fix it.

There was a festive atmosphere in the studio last night. Spontaneous smiles came easily. Yet, the usual intensity was ever present. It still amazes me how you can work so hard, and have so much fun there at the same time. We worked on jump-switch, lo/hi roundhouse kicks and cross-step side kick, jump side kicks. These are new techniques for me and I"ll have to practice them a lot to smooth out the rough edges.

We had a birthday celebration for Mr. Terry, as well as for Mr. Adam and Mr. Jason, who"s birthdays are today.

Mr. Jason offered me a piece of birthday cake, of which I had to decline. I told him that if Mr. Amir was to hear that I was eating cake, that he"d take it out on my hide. And being that I don"t take private lessons from Mr. Amir, my entire class would have had to pay for my indulgence. So, I sacrificed my sweet tooth for the sake of the Team! (but that cake looked yummy) You hear that Don, Stuart and Mike? Who luvs ya baby?!?! :)

 Kirsten, I really enjoy your "Live from Copenhagen" reports. You make a terrific correspondent for the TKCNews, travel division. Very interesting reading!

I hope to take Mr. Bill"s class on Saturday (if I don"t have to work). He always teaches us such cool stuff. It"s an all ranks adult class and us beginning belts get the benefit of some of the intermediate belts curriculum.

Lauren received her first Orange Belt black tip last night. Current tally: Lauren 1, Daddy 0. (she tells me "keep trying daddy, and you"ll get your first tip"....sooo cute!)

Have a great weekend everybody.

I paid my dues at the front desk, and now, I"m paying my dues on the mat. Dues for years of inactivity and couch potato posture...

After last night"s class, I"m convinced that Mr. Amir is on a personal vision quest, to transform this over-weight, middle-aged, porker into a lean, mean, Hapkido Blend, fighting machine. That the very sight of my beer belly and the sound of me gasping for air, compels him to fulfill his gallant mission. LOL. But seriously, the reason that I, and all of my classmates, respect him so much, is that he talks the talk, but he also walks the walk.

There is no hypocrisy in his words or workouts. He"s a world class athlete as far a his conditioning is concerned, and he wants us to be in the best condition possible as well. I"m on board with that, and from what I glean from the writings of my classmates, we"re all in total agreement.

My hope is that all of us current White and Orange Belts can stay the course together, and become the Black Belt Candidates Class of 2011 or 2012. We"ll be in tip top shape by then, and ready to take on all of the challenges of attaining excellence, that I read about from the current class of Candidates.

****

To all of my journaling, TKC classmates...You guys and gals rock! There are some really talented writers amongst you. It take guts to publicly reveal your thoughts and dreams and fears about your journeys to Black Belt Excellence. Yet you do it so well, with clarity, honesty, humor, and humility. Keep up the good work and good luck to all of you in your journeys...I look forward to reading about them.

I won"t be in class tonight because I promised my wife and kids some family time with Daddy. They have all been so supportive of me and my quest, that they deserve a weeknight family dinner out. My poor wife is constantly washing our uniforms and reheating dinner after I get home. She"s a wonderful woman and wife, and I"m lucky to have her.

See you Thursday.

Note to self: BECOME MORE.

Dear Mr. Fariborz,

I just wanted to drop you a note about my daughter Lauren, and her new found outlook on things.

The word TEST, has always had a negative connotation for Lauren. Math test, spelling test, reading test, blood test for allergies, oxygen % test for asthma, all perceived by her as negative.

On Thursday, she has a very important test to take, her Orange Belt exam, and yet she couldn"t be more excited about this test!
Finally, she sees a test as a good thing, a means to an end. Since she has started her journey into the Martial Arts, she gotten nothing less than 100% on her spelling tests at school. Her mother and I attribute this success to her new found attitude and confidence about tests.

We also have a new motivational tool at our disposal. We tell her that if she keeps her grades up, that she"ll be able to spend more time at the TKC Studio doing SWAT when that times comes.

Again, I find myself thanking you for all you do for us as students, as parents and as a community in general. Your system and methods truly produce fine human beings as well as fine Martial Artists.

Sincerely,

Ron

Habits of Excellence!
 
Why not make excellence your habit?
 
Imagine leading a life that is truly filled with excellence and not just Okay.
 
It"s been said mediocrity is the enemy of excellence.
 
Simply meaning either one can become powerful habitual pattern of your life. The moment
you begin to accept mediocrity in yourself or others you influence, that will become the habit.
 
If you demand excellence in attitude, performance and results, from yourself and others, that is what you will get and experience as well. Whichever you choose, will become your habit.
 
Why? Because anything that is done repeatedly, over and over again, become habit.
 
Visualize a life of excellent, health, wealth and happiness.
 
Excellent health would give you greater energy to train and do the things you want to do each day and allow you to accomplish more each and every year. Looking and feeling fit, toned and flexible, with energy to burn.
 
Excellence in wealth would free you from financial worry and concern. Allowing you more choices and opportunities for learning, growing, achieving and having more fun in life.
 
Excellence in happiness would mean that you are happy with what you are doing, where you are going, and the relationships and people you are surrounded by everyday.
 
You"d have excellent friends, co-workers and a happy family life as well. You"d be smiling,singing, whistling, humming and/or laughing...more than 95% of the people on the planet.
 
This is what happens when you develop habits of excellence in your life. Start today by committing yourself to step up your game. Decide right now that you are going to do everything you do better. You can start by developing an attitude of excellence.
 
Give excellent polite greetings and do excellent push ups. Practice having an excellent smile and share it with as many people as you can. Strive for excellent results in everything you do, go the extra mile to create a better outcome in every area of your life.
 
Habits we train...are habits we gain.
 
Like any habit, we must first decide and then we must take action.
 
Massive action, with conviction, commitment and follow through. It takes time and repeated actions to anchor in any new habit.
 
Good Luck!

I responded quickly to her call and asked her what was wrong.

"There is a car accident outside and two of your kids are in the car," she said.

I immediately ran outside looking for the accident. A car had smashed into the car that my students were in and the two kids were still inside. The mother of one of the children, who also happened to be the driver, pulled one of the kids out while I managed to pull the other one out. Little Thomas was covered in blood and very frightened. The other kid, Brian, was crying and looked really scared. I started to clean Thomas’s face, as I talked to both children to calm them. Brian was extremely brave and pulled himself quickly together after realizing he was OK. I accompanied Thomas to the hospital, since his parents were not there. All the way to the hospital, I remember Thomas asking about Brian and what had happened. He had a great attitude the whole time. Once we got to the hospital, the doctor cleaned Thomas’s face and prepared to stitch his wound. I remember holding Thomas’s hand, watching him grimace in pain. We started talking about the Student Creed and Principles of Black Belt, and it was amazing to see how well he remembered both of them. It was then, for the first time that I felt like a father. Suddenly, the Student Creed and POBB meant so much more than mere words. By the

time we were done, the doctor had finished the 12 stitches on Thomas’s face.

It only takes one experience like this to get you thinking deeply about your own life. Suddenly, the things that occupy your mind every day seem a little trivial compared to the bigger questions, the deeper issues, the fundamental essence of who and what you are and why you’re here. It’s not always a car accident that opens the door to an expanding experience. I’ve had the same feelings while climbing the face of a wall in Malibu, or hearing the news that the woman I loved the most is to be married. I’ve had them looking up at the sky, filled with thousands of stars, one cold night, while listening to the music of Cusco. I’ve had them watching my Black Belt candidates walk through a candle-lit pathway to receive their Black Belts in an auditorium filled with people, as I told myself, " They will never forget this."

It is during those times of deep searching, of expanded perspective, that we begin to establish what Roger Merill calls "VIP CONNECTION." "VIP" stands for the principles involved - VISION, IDENTITY and PURPOSE. He also calls it "VIP" because he believes that you and I and everyone else in this world truly are "Very Important Persons," each with unique talents and great contributions to make.

VIP is that inner connection that hooks us up to our own deepest values and possibilities.

These are sobering times, meaningful times, often great times. When you really come to grips with your inner self, you feel as if you are on top of a mountain and the things you deal with every day are somehow smaller and more in perspective. You can see where you’re going. Maybe you can even see the path to get you there. I’ve seen this in the eyes of all students who start as a White Belt at TKC, with the dream of becoming a Black Belt. But the vision doesn’t last forever. You get caught up in the routine of daily living and find your dream slipping farther and farther away from your conscious awareness. Before long, if you don’t have some way to keep it before you, or if another perspective expanding experience doesn’t come along, the connection is broken and the vision becomes almost totally obscured. The challenge, then, of keeping that connection strong becomes the challenge of capturing the vision and keeping it before you on a regular basis. I believe the single most effective strategy to accomplish this purpose is a written creed or a personal mission statement. A mission statement contains three basic elements. The first is what you want to be - what character strength you want to have and what qualities you want to develop. The second is what you want to do - what you want to accomplish and what contributions you want to make. The third is the

values and principles upon which your life is based.

With this in mind, I encourage you to relearn the Student Creed and make an effort to use it in your daily life. I would also like to thank Thomas and Brian for being my teachers and allowing me to learn so much from their lesson.

After 4 years at TKC i finally climbed the rope all the way to the top !!! it came at a good time to becuase the pretest is tomorrow and i cant wait...... even though i am super nervous. as kari said, being nervous shows u care.

-syed

Do you ever just step back and realize how incredibly lucky you are? In your life I mean. You"re living, you"re alive, for the most part you"re healthy, and you get to come to TKC and meet amazing people you would otherwise not ever have known.

The Best Always Get Better!

Champions are Top Performers, the best in their class.

In the Martial Arts, there are Champions in forms, fighting, weapons, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Mixed Martial Arts and many other categories that motivate practitioners to train to become the best. Its all good.

All Champions possess the habit of incremental improvement.

Always striving to improve and take their skills, conditioning and ability to the next level. You can witness this in the Martial Arts, in sports and in business. We live in a competitive world and top performers are always striving to be the best they can be.

World Records are being broken everyday. Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world today, his skills are getting better all the time. You can bet that he is always trying to improve his game, because the competition is getting better as well.

In the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), BJ Penn recently won the UFC Lightweight title. He is known as the "Prodigy." He has some natural gifts and talents that many people will never possess.

Yet, he has lost in the past to people that are not nearly as talented as he is.

Why? Because he relied on his natural talent alone. Now, he has recommitted to the habit of incremental improvement. He has improved his boxing skills, his defense against takedowns and his conditioning appears to be the best it has ever been. 

He is a great example of what happens when someone decides they are going to become the best they can be, and then they follow though on their commitment with Massive Action. Massive Action=>Massive Results!

Heres a great affirmation to anchor this habit...

"I"m the best, I"m the best, I"m the best...Everyday in every way, I get better and better!"

Everyday, you have the opportunity to become better in everything you do. By developing the habit of incremental improvement, you will get better, everyday in every way.

Do your actions match your intent?

Let"s talk about your current personal, martial arts and business goals and objectives...

How clear are you on your desired outcome?

You have always wanted to become a Black Belt and now you are on your way. What are you doing about this goal every day?

Do you have a set of written goals?

Do you review them daily with your team members and family? How clear is the BULLSEYE?

If I looked at your results (running log, journals, push ups, conditioning, your weight), would they match your intentions?

Are you on track to hit the goals and objectives you"ve set for yourself and your team?

20 Days of training remaining till June, including a 3 day shut down for Memorial Day...

28 days left to the 2^nd pre-test

162 days left to the Black Belt Spectacular

How"s your training results looking for May?

Let"s team up and Kick Ass for Marvelous May!

Osu,

Kyoshi

"Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings."
                                --Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

It all starts with us - right where we are. We have the capacity for greatness, we have the ability to achieve and accomplish whatever it is that we set out to do.

But do we know this?

Do we believe it?

Do we act as if this is true?

Or do we hesitate, procrastinate, or hedge our bets?

We must be confident and forge ahead if we are going to get anywhere. And how far we go is simply a matter of how fast we move and how long we keep going!

Please take a moment and watch this video. Then sit back and consider if the things that are holding you back in life are less substantial than you thought they were.

Watch this video

The New Mental Diet
By: Brian Tracy

One of the most powerful personal programming activities you can engage in is positive self-talk.
 
Be your own cheerleader and talk to yourself positively all of the time.

Think About Your Dreams
As it happens, the average person talks to himself in a negative way. As much as 94 percent of your inner dialogue tends to be about the things you fear, your worries, the people you"re angry at, your problems, your concerns and so on. You have to consciously keep your words, your inner dialogue, consistent with what you wish to accomplish.

The Most Powerful Antidote
Psychologists have proven that the words, "I can do it," are the antidote to the fear of failure that often holds you back from trying. Repeat these words over and over to yourself whenever you feel fearful or doubtful about anything that you want to attempt. Say very enthusiastically to yourself, "I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!" When you start saying, "I can do it, I can do it," you drive that message deep into your subconscious mind. This message lowers your fears and builds your self-confidence.
 
Make A Million!
Another thing you can say to yourself is, "I make a million. I make a million." Impress that message into your subconscious mind. Whenever you think about your work, say over and over again, "I"m the best, I"m the best, I"m the best." Making any one of these three statements, or anything that is positive makes you feel good about yourself and causes you to be more motivated. You become more focused, more determined. Wealthy, successful people have a continuous inner dialogue that is positive and constructive and uplifting and consistent with their goals and objectives.

Feed Your Mind Continually
Feed your mind from morning to night with words, pictures, information and ideas consistent with your goals for financial success. Develop the habit of thinking positively and confidently about wealth accumulation. Read stories, books and articles about other successful people. Think about how you could be like them. Visualize yourself, imagine, fantasize, pretend in your mind that you are like the kind of people that you admire and respect and want to be like.

Select A Role Model
Psychologists have proven that role models are essential for magnetizing your mind with the qualities and characteristics that you wish to develop in yourself. Pick a person that you admire. Whenever you face any kind of difficult situation, ask yourself, how would this person act in this situation? What would this person do? How would this person behave? You"ll find that when you think about how someone you admire might behave, your own thinking becomes better and you tend to act at your very best.

Become An Expert
Read everything you can find about your business. Become an expert in your field. The more you learn about your profession, your trade and your craft, the more confident you will become that you can do well in it.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put yourself on the new mental diet for financial success:

First, repeat to yourself, over and over again, the wonderful words "I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!" Whenever you are anticipating any new goal or opportunity. This affirmation builds your self-confidence and conditions you for success.

Second, monitor your mental diet the way you would your physical diet. Be sure that you feed yourself throughout the day with positive stories, words, pictures and conversations about the things you want to have in your life. Refuse to read, watch, listen to or discuss things that are negative or depressing. This will make a tremendous difference in how you
feel and how you act.

"Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear."

"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain"

"Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no talent, no self-denial, no brains, no character, are required to set up in the fault-finding business. Nothing external can have any power over you unless you permit it. Your time is too precious to be sacrificed in wasted days combating the menial forces of hate, jealously, and envy. Guard your fragile life carefully. Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces."

"The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed- It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes."

"The best thing one can do when it"s raining is to let it rain."

"In our lives there is bound to come some pain, surely as there are storms and falling rain; just believe that the one who holds the storms will bring the sun."

"A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning."

Hello everyone,

I am writing this journal from beautiful and sunny Disney World in Florida. This has been a wonderful vacation. It"s been so great to spend time with family and good friends.

I am so pumped to get back to TKC and start working on all the goals that I have set for myself and TKC. I am enclosing a copy of the email I am sending out to all the TKC students (except my photo with Minnie).

See you Monday!

Champions are Goal Oriented!

Nobody becomes a Champion in the Martial Arts (or anything else) by accident!

TKC Black Belt Champions learn very early, the value and power of Goal Setting.

The Martial Arts by nature, is a very goal oriented system for learning and progressing. As soon as you earn your White Belt, you begin a magnificent journey of step by step learning that is a series of short range, mid range and long range objectives.

The belt system, which is prevalent in most arts, is like a step ladder to success. Each step is like laying a brick in the construction of a future Black Belt. Once the coveted Black Belt is attained, there continues to be various degrees of a higher level to strive for.

It"s exciting, motivating and extremely inspirational to pursue a series of goals that bring out the best in you. Especially when their achievement is helping you to become a better person that is making a positive difference in the lives of everyone around you.

The pursuit and achievement of meaningful goals goes hand in hand with success and happiness. Watch the face of each student as they wrap a Black Belt around their waist for the first time...it"s pure joy, excitement and happiness.

If you want to pave your own road to happiness, set goals that will make you happy.
___________________________________________________

People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.
-- Earl Nightingale
___________________________________________________

You become successful the moment you start working toward a worthwhile goal. The journey to Black Belt helps to sharpen your awareness and allows you to train and develop habits and attitudes that have a positive influence on all areas of life.

Goals we set, are goals we get. A goal that is properly set is halfway met.

Think it, ink it. Once you decide what you want, its important to write it down. This one simple action often begins the process and will lead to greater success and achievement.

Written goals provide clarity and they remind you of the purpose behind your action.

ACTION T-N-T=>TODAY NOT TOMORROW.

- Take a few minutes to write out the primary goals you would like to achieve in the next 6-12 months. There are never any limits on how many goals you have, provided you put them in order of priority.

- Decide what actions need to be taken this week, followed by actions you are going to take today. Take some action everyday and track your progress. Stay on course, stick to it!

_____________________________________________________
This is Peak Week at TKC, also known as Exam Week. We call it peak week because peak performance is always in the air when people are ready for promotion to their next rank. Check the calendar of events or call our front desk for exact times.

If you are being promoted this month...good luck. If your not, chances are good you know someone who is that could use your support. It"s so easy to support your team mates and TKC, simply by showing up on Exam Day (Sat, Aug 25th).

You"ll always see great Martial Arts Demonstrations and a positive spirit and energy level.

Bring someone with you to expose them to the Martial Arts. Who knows? You may have a new training partner or a friend with even greater common interests.
________________________________________________

August is sizzling and the actions amongst our team is rocking. It"s always great to see people training hard and keeping themselves in top shape. Young or the Not-So-Young, the Martial Arts continues to be one of the fastest growing ways to get in shape and stay in shape....mentally as well as physically.

Most people grow bored with the gym. Being a life long gym rat, I see people all the time wandering aimlessly from machine to machine, with little to no guidance or coaching.

That is one of the reasons why the Martial Arts is good for people of all ages. You always have a coach, in most cases, a team of advanced level leaders that are eager to help you to get to the next level.

It"s a year round "fitness with a purpose" approach toward positive self development.

Another thing I hear frequently, is the need to be encouraged and directed toward a specific goal or objective. This is why our dynamic team of highly trained instructors are always providing feedback and setting goals with each student for their next level of progress.

Are you on track with your fitness goals and objectives?

Are you keeping yourself at a healthy weight that looks good and feels good to you?

Is your energy and endurance at a level that allows you to do more everyday?

Are you on a good stretching regimen that is keeping you flexible from head to toe?

All the more reason to stay on track with your Martial Arts training and fitness goals.

I hope your summer is going well and your fun factor is at a level 10 as well!

Train Hard...Enjoy the Rewards!

Mr. Fariborz

Dear BBC Candidate,

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what
is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, thank you,
congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to
them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in
Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a
surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy
hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist prison. He
survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that
experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a
man at another table came up and said, "You"re Plumb! You flew jet
fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were
shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man grabbed his hand
and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn"t worked, I
wouldn"t be here today."

Plumb couldn"t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb
kept wondering what the man might have looked like in a Navy
uniform. He wondered how many times he might have seen him and not
even said good morning, how are you or anything, because you see,
he was a fighter pilot and the man was just a sailor. Plumb thought
of the many hours that sailor had spent in the bowels of the ship,
carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute,
holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he did not know.

Now Plumb asks his audience, "Who is packing your parachute?"
Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through
the day.

Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when
his plane was shot down. As you go through your week, month, and
even New Year, recognize the people who have packed your parachute
and enabled you to get where you are today!

...........

So in the next couple of days instead of worrying about the
exam, I want you to thank those who have and will continue packing
your parachute.

Thank them, be with them.

Mr. Fariborz

P.S. I never wanted to do martial arts for business.
I wanted to do it beacuse it"s a warriors way of living.
I wanted to do it because I wanted students and not customers.
I wanted to do it because I knew I could pack.
I Love Packing Parachutes!

What, my friends, is harder to d teach a young man or woman how to defeat another person in hand-to-hand combat --or to teach someone how not to harbor or nurture hatred in his or her heart?
Which is more valuable: to teach a child how to sweep, take-down, and punch another child, or to teach him or her how to form a team, a family, with others –to accomplish things that no person could do alone?

Which is the greatest of the three following skills:

1. Knowing how to expertly chastise and ridicule others, expressing yourself with anger;

2. Knowing how to perform a guillotine choke; or

3. Knowing how to find that positive river of consciousness even in the dark times?

I ask you, what is more important: to teach a young adult to wield a blade --or to teach him or her how to endure the tough times, the down times, the times when you want to (must) give up?

My fellow teachers, we grew up in a physical system of training "we grew up working on our physical skills" we grew up wanting to look good, to be good at the martial arts. We competed, we often won, we endured the training, as primitive, as hard, as rugged as it was.

And now it is time to be grown up.

What our teachers did or did not do, what they taught us or did not teach us, is almost of no importance. I's time for us, as adults, with experience, to look around and see what is important in today's world to see what opportunities present themselves to us and act with as much wisdom and courage as we can muster.

This is why I push, why I ask you to endure, to journal, to participate, to stay the course and not give up. This is what we are doing (in my mind). We are teaching. We are TEACHING. We are Teachers. Are we to be the masters of today? If so, let us play the part now before our skills take their inevitable decline.

Seize the day.

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