Positive Attitude

A smile and positive attitude go a long way. I believe if you smile, you will feel better, make more friends and the hard things will be easier. A great mentor of mine, Master Dave Kovar of Satori Academy of Martial Arts once quoted, “Attitude is contagious, who has caught yours today?” I instill this philosophy in my staff and instructors. I believe if you practice a positive attitude you will attract positive people into your life. A positive attitude will inspire your students and staff. It will make your martial arts business a great place to come to. On the downside, a bad attitude can greatly compromise your martial arts business. We’ve all been served by someone who has a bad attitude. It is the one thing we are guaranteed to remember long after leaving that establishment and the number one reason why we will never return. Have you ever woken up in a bad mood for no reason at all? You are not responsible for that. You are responsible if you choose to stay in that bad mood throughout the day. Master Kovar proposes the question to instructors to ask ourselves and students, “How are you doing today?” He says a great response would be, “Feeling good and getting better.” When I wake up in a bad mood, I look in the mirror through gritted teeth and say that mantra. Even if I don’t truly feel it, I know if I “Fake it until I make it”, eventually I will feel better and my mood is transcended to a more positive state. I practice having a positive attitude with devotion because I know it is the most important key to being a great martial arts instructor, school owner and an even better person.

Surround Yourself with Quality People

Make it a priority to develop and nurture quality relationships. From your employees, to your mentors and friends, spend your time with quality people. Define what that means to you. I suggest that include people who are goal oriented, compassionate, unselfish, confident, community oriented, spiritually grounded and devoted to their family. They should exemplify all the qualities you admire in a person and aspire to be. They should inspire you to greatness. They should be people that offer constructive suggestions but never criticize you. They should be one of your greatest reasons to love and do what you do.

Having Goals

It is important to have goals. They build your self-worth and help you grow your life and business. Remember being a white belt in the martial arts and dreaming of one day earning your black belt? Dreams and goals are often synonymous. To achieve goals, you must be able to visualize them. If you can visualize it, you can achieve it. Write down your goals. Divide them into three lists; “A”, “B” and “C”. The “A” list are daily activities such as teaching quality classes, training, eating healthy, picking your kids up at school and getting enough sleep. The “B” list are tasks that must be accomplished in four to six weeks and requiring planning and preparation such as a monthly belt testing, a demonstration at a local mall or making a dinner reservation at the best restaurant to celebrate your anniversary with your wife . The “C” list is your wish list filled with all the things you dream about such as a vacation around the world or a new home or going sky diving. This is my favorite list because it allows me to use my imagination where the sky is the limit. To be successful with all your lists you must follow through. Talk is cheap. Walk your talk. Ever find yourself saying, “One day I’ll do this” or “I should of have done that?” Stop making excuses and take responsibility for all your actions and choices. Eliminate the words “I can’t” and “But” from your vocabulary. These words only set you up for failure. Remember to write down those lists and follow through. Review them on a weekly basis. Whatever goals you did not achieve this week get transferred to next’s week list. Do this until all your goals are achieved and I promise you a more fulfilling life.

Balance

Balance. It is defined by nurturing your mind, body and spirit equally. If I take care of my mind and spirit but abuse my body, by not training and having poor eating habits, I will be imbalanced. If I properly nourish my body and grow my mind by learning but have no spirituality then I am imbalanced. All three must be fed equally to create balance. Feed your mind by learning every day. Feed your body by eating healthy, training and managing your stress. Invest in your spirit by finding your own spiritual path. Create balance by spending alone time every day. Share quality time with your family and friends. Take vacations every year. Humbly accept your limitations. Recognize you cannot do it alone. Always be grateful. Accept life on life's terms

Sustained Passion

Sustained Passion: “To sustain passion on a daily basis is the art of a true master.” It is easy to be great for one day, a challenge to be great for a week but very difficult to be great consistently. Sustained passion is the first key to constant growth in your martial arts business. It is also vital to maintaining a quality life. The foundation of sustained passion is focus and discipline. My definition of focus means to “Pay attention”. Look with your eyes, listen with your ears, think about the best choice to make, and take the right action. All four must be fully engaged to be focused. The second is discipline; simply defined as, “To always do your best”. It does not matter if you are tired or in a bad mood, you must always do your best. Discipline takes great skill on a daily basis. Focus and discipline are life skills that must be mastered to sustain passion.