We’ve all heard the cliche question, “do you see the wine glass as half full or half empty” to determine if you’re more optimistic or pessimistic inclined. My favorite answer to this question was always, “I’d just drink the wine!” Jokes aside, I don’t think it’s necessarily a binary mentality; Continue Reading
Share The Energy to Boost Your Training
As a master, I no longer line up with the rest of the class when I am training at my instructor’s studio, Elmhurst Tang Soo Do. When I train there, I bow-in at the front with Master Michael and/or Master Holly Inoshita, and then I go to the back of Continue Reading
The Pros and Cons of Using Labels
Chances are we all know someone with a ‘Type A’ personality; very organized, sticks to a schedule, and overall likes to keep things under their control. I always think of my sister as an example of this; she’s a great teacher who’s very structured in both work and her personal Continue Reading
The Importance of Going at Your Own Pace
When I was a blue belt (black belt candidate), I was in my mid-twenties, single, and full of energy. There were times where I would go to the dojang 6 days a week and do multiple classes a day. I was a junkie for training and I loved it! After Continue Reading
Write Things Down Now – Recall it When it Matters
When I was studying for my 3rd degree black belt written test, I was told questions would be pulled from any and all volumes of the training texts, as well as any black belt manuals or additional journals. I had read over the books a few times over the years, Continue Reading
The Importance of Sticking To Your Guns: Your Qualified Opinions Count!
My dojang at the university is naturally a revolving door simply due to the fact that people graduate and leave. By the same token though, there are always new students that arrive on campus each semester that begin their training with me. Sometimes these students are true beginners. Other times Continue Reading
Patience: Trust the Process!
I remember when I was about 12 or so, my family and I went camping in the Badlands, South Dakota. It was my first time camping and I had a lot of fun, and my favorite part was looking at the stars; you could see everything so clearly in the Continue Reading
Trick Your Brain and Disguise Repetition
I was having a discussion with a coworker over lunch about a year ago, and while he is not a martial artist, we came to talk about our different philosophies for exercising. One thought that came up in our discussion was the importance of muscle confusion – That is to Continue Reading
Self Betrayal Will Set You in the Wrong Direction
Think about the last time you were supposed to do something and didn’t. Maybe it was something related to work, or something you were supposed to do for your family or a group you are a part of. When you didn’t accomplish what you were supposed to, did you begin Continue Reading
Take a Compliment – Humbly Respect the Gift
A few weeks ago, we heard from David about the power of giving somebody a sincere compliment. You can find that article below! There’s an aspect of ego that plays into the act of giving/receiving a compliment that isn’t what you’d expect: the person receiving the compliment should humbly accept Continue Reading