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Have you ever lost control of your emotions and done something, said something or acted in a way you later regretted? The answer for almost everyone would be “Yes!” Anger brings out a very negative and ugly side of just about everyone. Most people agree that positive emotions and attitudes are far more productive than negative emotions.  

Anger is your enemy because it can cause serious damage. It can cause serious damage to your relationships, to your own health and wellbeing, to your overall happiness and joy in life. It can also do serious damage to your professional image and appearance because it is ugly! You must not allow this dangerous negative emotion to take control. Avoidance, prevention and preparation are always the best defense against any powerful and dangerous enemy. Whenever possible, avoid the people, situations and things that make you angry and negative.

You can minimize or eliminate almost any negative emotion from your life, by laughing more, keeping a good sense of humor and focusing on your positive emotions. Smile more, laugh more, keep yourself healthy and be physically active every day. Focus on happy thoughts, listen to great music, think about all the things that make you feel good and bring joy to your life. Hit a heavy bag, do some pad training or go for run to clear your head and rid yourself of any stress and tension from your day. Do as many positive things as possible that bring out your best emotional side. It’s rare that you will be angry and negative when you are feeling great about yourself and your mind is filled with happy thoughts.

Magnify the positive, shrink the negative! Learn to spot your emotional patterns, positive and negative. Train yourself to focus on your positive emotions and try to magnify them. The ultimate level of emotional mastery is when you choose in advance the emotions that best serve you and others, no matter what obstacles you encounter. Anger is your enemy! It’s an enemy that can be defeated, provided you stay strong and condition yourself daily to score a victory over this dangerous opponent.

As the year draws to an end, it is a good time to reflect on all of our accomplishments and personal victories. We have had many this year and it is in no small part due to all our collective efforts:

• We welcomed 9 new students and 1 transfer student
• We welcomed 7 new Cho-Dans into the Black Belt family
• We promoted 6 students to a new Dan rank

I am very grateful for everybody’s contribution and support in these extraordinary times. As a TEAM, we were able to accomplish some great things. The old saying (TEAM), “together, everyone achieves more”, is surely true in this case. I look forward to more of the same in 2021.

Hang around any successful achiever and you will soon realize why they are so successful. They always strive to get better. Study the best in sports or athletic competition, study the best in business, art, leadership, or any endeavor: you’ll quickly see that they are always striving to get better. The best must always get better.

Anyone that has made it to the top of their field, is likely to be highly ambitious and driven for success and achievement. You will also note that they are focused on others success as much as they are focused on their own success. They are not likely to be satisfied with being second best or accepting mediocrity in their life. They also are very focused on helping others to improve and get the best out of themselves. This philosophy is not about ego but rather about what the Japanese call “Kaizen”. In the West this is often referred to as “can’t” or constant and never ending improvement.

One of your goals should be to get better every day. Whether it is your martial arts training, your school’s progress, or your relationships, it is always best to live by the principle that the, “biggest room in the world, is the room for improvement.” As the saying goes, “Goals we set are goals we get”. Take action everyday to make yourself smarter, stronger, and more effective. Work on improving your overall health & fitness and you will simultaneously improve all the relationships in your life. If you want to be the best, and I am assuming you do, strive to improve yourself everyday in every way. Every class, become and better student of the Martial Arts. Every day become a better student of life. As I have said many times before, you must first be a great student and or follower before you can be a great leader. Use peak performance prompts to remind yourself of your goal.

One of the ways to accomplish this is to follow the 8 Paths to Enlightenment. This is sometimes also referred to as the 8 Paths of Success. That is,

1. The Right Understanding
2. The Right Thoughts
3. The Right Words
4. The Right Actions
5. The Right Livelihood
6. The Right Effort
7. The Right Mindfulness
8. The Right Concentration

Black Belt Leaders and Champions follow the above philosophy and strategy to improve everything they do.

1. I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
2. By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.
3. Respect yourself and others will respect you.
4. It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop.
5. Before you embark on a journey of revenge, did two graves.
6. A journey of a thousand miles began with one single step.
7. Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising every time we fall.
8. Learning without thoughts is labor lost.
9. Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
10. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.