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.

Thank you Lord...

My heart is filled with humility. I am so grateful to be a husband, father, martial artist, a teacher and small business owner. God has blessed me, even though often times I don't feel very deserving. God offers me his love and mercy in spite of my shortcomings. He lifts me up when I am down and gives me hope when I feel hopeless. God shows me with a lot of hard work and a "never give up" attitude that dreams can come true. God has given me a beautiful loving wife, a prosperous business supported by the best group of people anyone can imagine, my health and most of all, a spiritual relationship that gives me the strength to want to be a better person. I thank you Lord for giving us your only son, so we may see the true love and mercy we should all exemplify for the world and each other. I thank you Lord for blessing me with so much. I am humbled by your greatness. I love you God. Happy birthday Jesus...

Happy Holidays

Amazing. Another year has almost passed and the holidays are upon us again. How often I have heard people say, “I survived the holidays”. I do not want to survive. I choose to live. Living embraces such qualities as passion, giving, accepting challenges and always doing our best. It reminds me to be humble and grateful for every breath I am offered. It says never take a single person for granted and be present in every moment I am blessed with.

As I reflect upon 2007, I have so much to be thankful for. First of all, my personal relationship with God. The strength, faith, and love God gives me are the foundations of my life. To my wife Kim, and my family, you are my heart. To the parents, students, and members that are One Martial Arts, you allow me to live my passion and truth. My dedication to serving you is my strongest conviction. To my staff and parent organization, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for giving me unconditional support and belief. You represent the true meaning of teamwork.

As I look forward to a new year, I will hold fondly the memories of our Tournaments, 5th Annual Appreciation Picnic, Easter, Halloween and Buddy Day parties, Child Identification with SFPD Reserves, SF Food Bank Food Drive, SF Firefighters Toy Drive, countless belt tests, private lessons and classes. Together we have achieved so much. I know together in 2008, with God’s love and mercy, the possibilities are endless. I am humbled to contribute to helping so many of you be your best. I am grateful for the trust you offer me. Thank you for your patience as we grow and constantly strive to be a better martial arts school. Your honesty, dedication and understanding is the driving force behind One Martial Arts.

I thank you with a child’s heart. My prayers and gratitude are with each and every one of you. Happy Holidays!!!

Respectfully,

Professor Beliso

Thanksgiving

I want to be fully present with every breath I take. You never know how many more you will be blessed with. I say this with a deep sense of love and compassion not fear. My love of life and living it completely is my discipline. It defines courage, knowing you are afraid but choosing not to allow that fear to paralyze you. It says do not think about losing, then you will surely lose. Embrace the humility of simple victories and feel God's mercy. So I offer you this: Kiss yourself in the mirror at least once a day, act like a kid more often than not and give of yourself, unselfishly to your family, friends and community. In honor of Thanksgiving I recognize the gift of family that we have been given. However we define family, it is the main social aspect of our lives that give us a true sense of belonging. Feel humility that you have been blessed with truly wonderful people to love. Embrace gratitude knowing you never have to go through life’s ups and downs alone. Our family are the people we should always offer the kindest words of love and compassion. They are the greatest gift offered us. It is an honor to be a part of something so beautiful as family. I thank God for helping me realize this each and everyday. I am grateful for the entire One Martial Arts family.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Respectfully,

Professor Brannon Beliso

What is inside your heart?
I do not care if you make
100,000 dollars a year,
Tell me what makes you cry?
There’s no mystery or magic.
Simply feed your
Mind, body and spirit
Equally and you create
Balance and harmony.
Neglect any of the three
And you create imbalance.
Freedom is the key.
Choose to put down
The thick high walls
That keep out all the light
And you feeling nothing
Except the same mistake
That you make over and over
Always asking yourself why?
So I challenge you to
Laugh ten times a day
And always be in love,
With yourself, others
And life in all its
Glorious mysteries and
Funky twists and turns.
I’d rather go through life
With my eyes wide open,
Then asleep with only
A gold watch and a pension
To show for after thirty years.
This is only my perception.
Find your own perception
Inside those places that you
Cry alone to, late at night,
When no amount of
Distractions or lies
Can prevent you from
Hearing the truth that
Cries out from your soul.
"I’m alive in here"
"I am alive".
And then all you hear is
The sound of silence.
You’ve broken through to
To the other side,
Past your fears,
Past your past
Into the gap of unlimited
Potentiality where
Love is the light
That shines through the
Darkness in your heart.
I am humbled to
Share my heart with you
And will always choose
To love completely
Each and every time
God grants me this opportunity.
This gift that calls to be
Fully appreciated in
All its simplicities but
Makes no promises...

Exercise the mind
By freedom of thought.
In the imagination
Stop signs melt
And fly away.
Pretty funny if you ask me,
To see an elephant
Green as can be.
Or the nations
having a pie eating contest
To satisfy their greed.
Today I am a imaginist.
A mindset that only
Lives in images.
Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Images,
Of...of...
Don’t think!
Let your imagination run free.
Had a conversation with an ant today.
It was interesting indeed!
We spoke of dog shaped clouds
And two ton grasshoppers,
Whose songs are deafening
To the tiny ear of the ant.
Imagine if you will,
A place like Willie Wonka’s
Chocolate factory
Where everything is edible.
Kinda like the world use to be huh?
Elvis is alive!
I spoke to him yesterday.
He’s running a peanut farm
Down in Georgia.
Makes some pretty righteous
Peanut butter too!
Oh well, my imagination
Needs some food.
Maybe I’ll have some
Liver and strawberry ice cream
With banana chow mein and
Fried cucumbers.
Nah, how about chocolate
Lizards and pickled yak balls
With parsley? Hah, hah!
No, how about steamed butterflies
And the frozen eyes from the
Face of a politician?
Imagination my good friend
Holds the key toUnlimited potential!
Use your imagination and
Set yourself free...

Round one thousand
Eight hundred and thirty two,
Brannon vs. Self-doubt.
Self doubt has dominated
The early rounds but the
Tide seems to be turning.
Brannon’s corner has told their fighter
To quit fighting self-doubt
And embrace it like a best friend.
This has left his opponent
Confused in the later rounds
And the momentum is changing.
Brannon is on his toes,
Bobbing, weaving and sticking
Self-doubt with explosive jabs
Of positive reinforcement.
He knows he can win this fight
With self-acceptance
And looks like a true champion.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Self-doubt is down for the count!
In a flurry of love,
Brannon has knocked out
Self-doubt to win the
The championship of self-worth...

See the baby
Taking his
Very first step.
So much thought
And preparation
Is involved.
The importance,
Negotiation and
Planning bears
Great significance.
The child is amazed,
Overwhelmed, excited,
Delighted and determined
To complete his task.
He lifts his appendage
With calculated precision
And gingerly, no awkwardly
Leans forward to
Plant it firmly in
Front of himself.
The red alert is over
And the green light
Signals a successful mission.
The first step has been
Taken and many more
Trips lie in the future.
Just imagine what
It’s gonna be like
When he starts running...

Honor

This year I have had the extreme honor of attending services for the passing for four very special and loved people. They were all well into their eighties and nineties. This fact humbled and amazed me.As I approach forty six, I have begun to accept the reality of my own mortality. I find myself asking, “What is the key to a long and prosperous life?”. After hearing eulogies for these four individuals, I realized they all shared many great qualities. They were all very giving and unselfish people. They possessed great faith in God. They believed in good family values. They were simple souls who did not put great value on material things. They passionately gave to their communities and country. They represented an era when their word was upheld without compromise. They were conservative and never wasted. They never took anyone or anything for granted. They were loyal and trustworthy. They were greatly respected, loved and admired by family, friends and associates. They were not judgmental people. They lived humble lives. They worked hard and never complained. They exemplified integrity and the true sense of pride. I realize many of the qualities they all had in common, we strive to teach in the martial arts. I was even more honored to recognize this. I will continue to do my best to teach and live by these values. God willing, I will be blessed with a long and prosperous life.Respectfully, Professor Brannon Beliso

Practice

The key to being great at anything is practice. If I want to be great at reading I need to practice. If I want to be great at riding a bike, I need to practice. If I want to be great at martial arts, I NEED TO PRACTICE. Most people, especially children, find the repetitive nature of practice to be boring. Most children’s definition of boring is “It is not fun” and “I don’t like it”. No one is great at most things right away, so of course at this stage, most people don’t like it and its not fun. If they practice and practice, they will eventually become great at anything they choose. At this point, it does become fun and most like it. Practice through the boredom, knowing that likeability, fun and greatness is on the other side.