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  • For Whom the Bell Tolls

    For Whom the Bell Tolls

    "For whom the bell tolls" 25 years ago today (November 1st, 1996), I opened my little Martial Arts/ childcare business for the first time. United Tae Kwon-Do-Jones Rd. was born (actually just re-imagined as I was the 3rd proprietor of that particular location). I was a headstrong 19 year old who knew it all and nothing at all at the same time. Now that was a long time ago. Currently I'm reading Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls which reminds me constantly of John Donne's great poem by the same name. "No man is an island, Entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As ....

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  • Eating Chocolate Ants and Passing the Bar Exam

    Eating Chocolate Ants and Passing the Bar Exam

    "Eating Chocolate Ants and Passing the Bar Exam" Reading a book by Penn and Teller years ago, I learned the magic trick of eating chocolate ants. As a source of party entertainment, simply dip ants in chocolate and eat them. In 2002 Stephen Spielberg made a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks called "Catch Me if You Can." In the movie, Tom Hanks character, Agent Carl Hanratty never could figure out how Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Frank Abagnale managed to pass the Bar Exam since he was famous for counterfeiting and lying. In a pivotal scene, Frank discloses that he simply studied for two weeks to pass the bar exam. Sometimes, the right answer is glaringly in front of us. ....

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  • Tilting at Windmills

    Tilting at Windmills

    "Tilting at Windmills" In Cervantes' most famous work Don Quixote, we see the titular character attacking windmills. To borrow the term "tilting" from the era of knights, which had long since past, Don Quixote angles his lance for a full attack at the helpless structures. It's laughable because he's inventing giants out of buildings. To the reader, it's humorous; to the brave knight Don Quixote, it's business most severe. In life we make "mountains out of molehills" and "borrow trouble." In an interesting sermon I heard recently, the speaker said that what we focus on expands. How true that is! Whether positive or negative, our intense focus does expand no matter how irrelevant to it ....

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  • Tied Shoes, Ready to Work

    Tied Shoes, Ready to Work

    "Tied Shoes, Ready to Work" Reading "A Game Plan for Life" by coach John Wooden really helped me see the importance of dressing for success. I'm not talking about wearing elaborate clothing, but Coach Wooden really took time to describe to his basketball players how they should carefully put on their socks and to tie their shoes to perfection. He really made large lessons to college-aged kids about the subject. He theorized, and rightly so, that a crumpled sock or loose tie would be a major distraction to winning at basketball. It has to do with the mindset that goes along with the confidence of knowing that you're on solid footing. So to with Martial Arts, I've placed a brand new ....

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  • Schadenfreude

    Schadenfreude

    "Schadenfreude" The Germans have a great word for what seems to be so prevalent today: Schadenfreude. The current climate for our culture and national discourse is to cancel anything or anyone who is deemed objectionable to anyone at any time. There are those who revel in the personal destruction of others and feel a great sense of joy at their comeuppance. I've hear it said that we are never more like God than when we forgive. Wouldn't it be better to have a culture that seeks to redeem those that have fallen? When teaching our children how they should behave, it's definitely worth mentioning that there's something wrong with enjoying others' suffering and to reinforce the concepts of ....

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  • Unload your Mental Baggage

    Unload your Mental Baggage

    "Unload your Mental Baggage" A friend called me yesterday and I asked him what he was up to. He said he was trying to get motivated to workout. So I asked him: "What is there to think about? It starts by putting on your shoes and going to the gym." What I try to teach all of my students is that when you think about what you have to do and you have to do it, you've worked twice as hard. Carrying around the idea of work is work itself. When you know something needs to be done, just do it! Then you'll only have to do it once. Many of us carry around unfinished work and it bears down on us for days, weeks, months, and even years! Do what needs to be done; there's nothing to think about! ....

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  • Self-Discipline isn't Fun

    Self-Discipline isn't Fun

    "Self-Discipline isn't Fun" Isn't it great when we enjoy something? It's fun to do and the time passes quickly. Much of life just isn't that way though. Former students contact me from time-to-time to ask my advice. This particular student is losing interest in training in Martial Arts. I'm the green voice in the pictured text. I urged him to ask himself the "why" he does it. And it can happen when the thing we once loved, we've grown less passionate about. However, there are times, more often than not, when we need to set aside our feelings and do what is required. What if we didn't feel like taking out the trash, finishing our homework, or waking up in the morning? Children must ....

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  • Try Not to be Offended

    Try Not to be Offended

    "Try Not to be Offended" I recently heard something that was so profound, yet I couldn't find an attribution to anyone. It goes something like this:"I was taught to give no offense, but I was to work twice as hard at not becoming offended." In the culture of our business (Childcare/ Martial Arts), we try very hard to make people feel welcome and comfortable. Courtesy is our chief tenet and we want students, parents, and teachers alike to feel they are greatly valued! It's important to teach our children to respect others feelings, but at the same time strengthen themselves up for disappointment. How great it is when we overlook an offense? It should be credited to us as ....

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  • Herd Immunity

    Herd Immunity

    "Herd Immunity" These days we're hearing a great deal about herd immunity. The need for people to collectively become immune to Covid-19 is almost as hot a topic as the virus itself. The infection will cease to find hosts when a group of people has built up its system to repel it successfully. Apparently this phenomenon can be achieved with and without vaccination. Being quarantined is tough on everyone, and kids are no exception. At some point, things need to return to normal. I'm not advocating an end to quarantining here, I'm simply suggesting that the idea of herd immunity goes far beyond this singular virus. Reading The Alzheimer's Prevention Program by Gary Small has helped me ....

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  • Accepting Adversity

    Accepting Adversity

    "Accepting Adversity" It would be hard to find someone who didn't agree that adversity makes us stronger. The way that resistance builds up the muscles and difficult studies build up the mind, so too should these adversity laden times build us up as a people. Covid has reared its ugly head and people are begging for relief, myself included! A desperate economy, uncertainty in public, and loss of confidence in leaders are just to name a few of the woes affecting everyone worldwide. But the proper perspective must be that these trying times can and will make us all stronger. Job, the man whose suffering is legendarily the worst, said: "Shall we accept good from God, and not ....

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