Battle of the What If's

Battle of the What If’s

Many of you know that I will be fighting in an Amateur Full Contact Bought at the West Windsor TKD and Kick Boxing Academy on Friday, February 11th. Many of my family members, friends (and sometimes even find myself asking) the question WHY?

This to me is an excellent opportunity to not only set a goal for myself to improve as a martial artist but to really step out of my comfort zone. It would be so much easier for me to let good enough be good enough but I would always have that unanswered question of what if?

What if I faced my fears head on?

What if I challenged myself to be all that I can be?

What if I pushed it to the limits?

I once heard a quote that the way we do one thing is a reflection of how we do all things. My greatest hope is that this experience will help me to put a few more what if’s behind me and become not only a better martial artist but a better parent, teacher and person.

Looking forward to a successful 2011.

Pursuit of MASTERY

When students enroll in my school I am always sure to tell them that the journey to black belt is not always an uphill ride. There are times when you are not going feel like coming to class or when you may even feel like quitting! It also always amazed me that there were actually students who gave up only months and weeks before their black belt testing.

Now that I have less then 12 days left until my test WCMA I reminded of what my students are going through during there test experience. The biggest opponent that we have to defeat is not the opponent in the ring across from us it is ourselves. The goal of our training is to build our inner strength by squashing any negativity that may stand in our way.

When we learn how to control our mental state and attitude we can truly say that we are not only Black Belts in Martial Arts but that we are Black Belts in LIFE!

12 Days to GO!

There are only 12 days to go to my test in California! So for the next 12 days I am going to commit to the folowing:

1. Bring my diet to a level 10.

2. Blog / journal daily.

3. Start every day with a win.

4. Take 15 minutes a day to meditate / visualize my success.

5. Perform in front of a group at least 1 time a day for the next 12 days!

Wish me luck!

BK

Misery loves company......

Misery Loves Company……

A friend of mine shared a story with me about a bucket of crabs. He told me how he would watch the crab that was on the top struggle to climb out of the bucket. The crab would fight and fight until he was just about at the top of the bucket. Just before he was about to escape the bucket another crab would reach up and pull him back in.

When we are pursuing excellence in our lives there will always be those people who try to “pull us back in the bucket.”

The fact is that if we allow ourselves to fall into the trap and do the same things as the other 99% of our friends…. we will get the same mediocre results!

This time I am choosing to say no….. strive for excellence and to leave mediocrity in the bucket!

What I have to offer my students....

I began my martial arts training 32 years ago when I was just 8 years old. Team sports just were not my thing…. I tried them all but spent most of my time on the bench…. School did not come any easier either…. So finally my parents enrolled me in martial arts! I imagine that it was there hope that the training would help to develop my confidence, discipline and my self esteem.

Throughout the years I have made many friends through the martial arts. In fact since my early years training practically all of my friends were people that I have met in one way or another, through my ma training. Some of my best friends today are those very same people whom I stood next to in Karate class 30 years ago today. We have shared so much together through the years, we struggled together, we achieved together, we failed together and have grown as people together.

I often think back on the times we shared…. Our school…. The instructors and all of the great experiences.

Some of those friends are truly great martial artists. Guys who could kick straight up in the air and wow and audience with their performance. My best friend for one was always a show stopper. As a kid I could remember the frustration of working so hard… putting in so much effort and then standing next to him at testing and not even coming close to his abilities.

I can tell you from experience that it took allot to persevere when it seemed my best efforts were never good enough to win the admiration of the audience, the first place in forms trophy or the respect of the other students . Looking back on it now it was the patience of my instructor that kept me going. It was his ability to understand my abilities and reward me for my progress. He held me accountable for one thing only being the best that I could possibly be in the given moment. And he rewarded me for it…. He rewarded me with his time….. His attention….. And his belief in me and my abilities…..

I can still remember his advice to the class he would say, “IT IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO BE #1.… BUT IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO TRY! THE ONLY PERSON YOU CAN NEVER COME IN SECOND PLACE TO IS WHO…. (WE WOULD SHOUT BACK) YOURSELF SIR!”

Well here I am 32 years later, still kicking…. Still punching…. Still stretching and doing my push-ups!

So what is the most valuable thing that I have to offer my students? I have My perspective…. When I was in class I was not always the best….. It is quite possible to say that I may have never been the best…. I was never the most natural…. The most gifted or the most talented….. I did not in m opinion even come close!

However the words of my instructor kept me going. He told me let go of what you don’t have control of…and focus on what you can change and control. I took his advice… I focused on the one thing I did have control over which was My Attitude. I always tried to be the hardest worker. I always tried to control my thoughts and focus on the positive and to this day I am still striving to be the best martial artist I could be.

To me that is self defense…..

You see… for most of us it is not a kick or punch to the head that will get us…. It is the small things everyday… how do we respond to pressure… what do we choose to focus on…… how do we spend our time….. What are our beleifs, values and most importantly our attitudes.

So the greatest thing I have to offer my students is not a block, kick or punch… It is the ability to defend themselves against a lack of focus, confidence, self-esteem, mediocrity and negative self talk.

I know from experience that as the saying goes your attitude really does determine your altitude in life!

Attitude is self-defense!

The sense of it all....

Lately I spend a good portion of my day kicking, punching, blocking and rolling around on the floor! When I look at how I am spending my day I have to ask myself what is the sense of it all?

I mean in a world where people have figured out how to send space shuttles to the cosmos, create artificial intelligence and clone sheap I am spending my time kicking, punching, blocking and rolling around on the floor!

Hopefully all of this activity will stand for something more. Just maybe one of our students will use the focus, pereverance, determination and discipline we are teaching on the mat to become the next great scientist, humanitarian, teacher or politician that really makes a difference in the world!

Until then you can find me on the mat!

Black Belt Diet (for the mind)

The more I train the more I realize the impact my diet has on my performance. As the saying goes, "Garbage In - Garbage Out!" But what is even more surprising to me is how important it has become to have a good diet of healthy thoughts. So along with a healthy diet for my body I am focusing on the following diet of Nutrition for the Mind!



Here are the three parts to my plan:

1. Good diet of words of wisdom.
2. Daily mental relaxation through focused thought.
3. Exercise creativity on a daily basis.

Living with Black Belt Excellence means working towards your potential not just physically but mentally, spiritually and emotionally as well!

We all know that if we don't exercise our bodies on a regular basis we will lose our skills, health and fitness. It is just as important for us to incorporate daily exercise for mind into our routine to guard against negative thoughts that undermine our confidence, focus and direction in life!

The great thing is you don't have to be a Black Belt to start!

Yours in the Pursuit of Mastery,


Bryan Klein
http://www.discoveruta.com/


coming soon http://www.onetimefatguy.com/

Sat Jan 16 th

Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left. ~Hubert Humphrey

Some Advice to Myself About Negative Self Talk!

I had a friend e-mail today about a diet he has recently started. He told me that it cost him $500 to join a 90 day fitness challenge. He continued to explain that he was hoping that it would work for him because maybe the pain associated with loosing the money would possibly provide enough incentive to follow through.

I responded by asking him to replace the words hoping, maybe and possibly with something like this:

"I am ready to make a change and I am confident that I will attain my goal because....."

Then I thought about all of the times during my test preparation that negative thoughts began to creep into my mind:

"Am I good enough?"

"Can I loose the weight?"

"Will I ever get this split?"

I truly believe that the way we / I talk to ourselves truly determines how far we go in life. I also believe that it is not a kick or punch that will get us in life but often times it is our own limiting beliefs that due us in!

In other words; I must truly believe I will have the split, I must truly believe I will loose the weight and I must truly believe that I have the confidence to succeed! Every comunication to myself or others needs to support that beleif!

So, from this point forward I have decided to make "Mental Self-Defense" part of my test(as well as part of the test for anyone that ever tests for Black Belt under me).

Here is how it works:

1. I will make a conscious effort to notice when I express something in a negative way either to myself, out loud or in writing!

2. I will immediately re-phrase the statement in a positive manner.

3. I will continue to do this until the thought is completely replaced with a positive message that reinforces my belief in myself!

So that is my advice to myself on "Mental Self-Defense".

Yours in Black Belt Mastery,

Bryan Klein
www.discoverUTA.com
www.BlackBeltMastery.blogspot.com

PS: Please feel free to leave positive coments in the blog or pass this along to a friend as a link. It is always nice when someone enjoys what you do!

PPS: Keep an eye out for my new web site that is coming soon....
www.OneTimeFatGuy.com

What is a Black Belt? (At Least As I See It)

Just a few more months to go to the test. To date I have done thousands of push-ups and sit-ups, hundreds of pull ups, countless kicks, punches and form repetitions. But what is it all worth….

· A black belt around my waist…
· Another board broken….
· Another repetition completed…

NO! I have to remind myself that this test is about so much more;

1. It is about first learning to care for myself: martial arts is a way for me (us) to optimize our health. Without our health…. nothing else matters. By optimizing our health I am (we are) defending ourselves against the things that will really KILL us in life… HEART ATACK, CANCER and DIABEETES! Optimizing our health allows us to enjoy life to the fullest.
2. It is about learning to care for my family: My kids are with me every step of the way, with every kick and punch! My hope is that they will learn through my example that we must all find our passion life and follow it! NEVER FOLLOW THE CROWD!
3. It is about learning to care for my community: All those kicks and punches have got to be good for something more then breaking boards! The focus, concentration, self-discipline, determination and perseverance must be put to good use. I will do everything I can every day to make a difference in my community not just through large projects like the 200 Smiles Project but through small daily actions.
4. It is about learning to care for my world: “People are People” there is to much us versus them and not enough of “We are all in this together”. I will strive every day to set an example for my own kids and extended family at the school that we can make a difference, not only in our own lives and the lives of those around us but in the lives of people half way across the world whom we will never meet!

So to me this test and martial arts in general is not only about kicking, punching and blocking. It is about learning to care for myself, my family, my community and my world!

Yours in Black Belt Mastery!

Bryan Klein

Pushing a Bolder Up Hill!
This past week has been a tough week for training…. I have hit a plateau and progress seems non-existent.

I keep reminding myself of the advice I give my students when they are “stuck“ in their training (or any area in life).

1. Try Your Hardest!
2. Never Give UP!

I have to continue to push through towards my goal not just for myself but as an example to all of my students.

It has to get easier….. It is like pushing a 200 lb boulder up hill. It gets progressively harder until you reach the top, and then gravity takes over!

Until then Quitting is Not an Option!