Winning Attitude

Reflecting on today's competition reminds me how important it is to compete. Competition pushes ones spirit, something that is hard to duplicate in the class room. I saw the eyes of desire and the passion to do their best in our team. The excitement of pushing themselves finding personal success in the fruits of hard training. Tomorrow we will see if today's competition wet the appetite to push even harder finding that winning attitude.

Five characteristics to make you the uncommon warrior.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." --Calvin Coolidge

As one can imagine, nothing in my life tested me more than SEAL training. Until of course that training was tested on the battlefield. And then again when deciding to become an entrepreneur. In fact, my level of persistence is tested every day as a business owner, husband, and father. In my opinion, persistence is not an innate talent but rather a learned competency that has to be worked on and can be developed over time to achieve maximum performance. Here is a five-point perspective on persistence that every entrepreneur should embrace:

Talent. As Calvin Coolidge says in the quote above, nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. I often talk about the difference between skill and success. As most of us know, there are no secrets to being successful. It is the result of preparation, hard work, persistence, and learning from mistakes and failure. In SEAL training, it's not uncommon for elite athletes to be some of the first to quit. Talent and skill alone are not enough to be successful.

Intelligence. Many studies show that those with the highest IQ's aren't necessarily the most "successful." Success has many definitions, but its still interesting data. Similar to talent and skill, intelligence only gets you so far. It's how we apply that intelligence that counts. But a winning combination is when a person has both intelligence (in many forms) combined with the drive to adapt despite any obstacles that come his or her way.

Education. There is a saying that "C students rule the world." I don't know how much truth there is to that, but it emphasizes the point that a degree, or three degrees, doesn't guarantee anything. I have a undergraduate degree in finance, a master's in real estate finance, and studied English and history at Oxford University in England. So what? I wouldn't necessarily attribute my current success to that, outside of maybe needing to be persistent in my studies because of the drive to succeed. Oh, and I met my business partner in grad school. We own a marketing agency, not a real estate development company. At least it was good for networking!

Discipline. Setting and achieving lofty goals requires discipline. Discipline to work hard. Discipline to keep moving forward. Discipline to not be distracted by things that are out of your control. This is why I believe health and fitness are imperative for success. Getting and staying fit requires discipline. You have to have the ability to prioritize fitness as well as push yourself outside of your comfort zone as much as possible. Health and fitness are perfect for practicing the art of discipline and will impact other areas of your life.

Determination. My favorite quote from the Navy SEAL Creed says, "I will not quit. I persevere and thrive in adversity. If knocked down, I will get back up. Every time. I am never out of the fight." That mentality is so ingrained in your soul as a SEAL that I literally have a physical and chemical reaction when I think of that quote. As an entrepreneur and business owner, I face obstacles every day, because I am constantly entering uncharted waters as we move the company forward. Learning new things each day is great, but determination is the fuel that translates that knowledge into actionable strategies.

Failure and obstacles are inevitable aspects of our personal and professional lives. Without being persistent and determined, we will get stuck along the way. Never be out of the fight.

On the 7th day

Breakfast with youngest daughter, condo shopping on beach, ice cream with the wife, saw Jurassic World, Now we are watching the NBA finals. Am really enjoying the series am rooting for Warriors as that is home but don't want to necessarily see Cavs lose as they could bring so much pride back to Cleveland.

Getting stronger

Nice article for tricep development and back knuckle strikes follow link....

https://www.facebook.com/FitnessRxforWomen/posts/10153297391863567

Battle of Atlanta

Preparation almost complete final walk through a and film critique today, next week 100% training,rest day, travel Thursday then full on Friday and Saturday. Team members remember your nutrition and rest cycle are key to your personal performance.

Finding heart

Thursday I took seven Thunderbirds ready to compete in the upcoming Battle of Atlanta, I challenged them as a group to each finish their forms at competition level in 3 minutes 30 seconds, if they did not then I would give them a burpee penalty no rest and they would have to go right into the next kata for competition. If they finished before time was up that was the rest cycle. They accepted the challenge. The result was remarkable! They dug in and dug deep. Especially Ryan he really went beyond he led the burpees and went first with his kata no rest between man what a leader!

Customer service

Make or break your business. Professional service with a positive attitude resolving issues is key to log term business reputation. Having said that I had personal need to do business with Wells Fargo today. Customer service left me with the impression they could care less. So I am sharing that I will take my business somewhere else. I am happy don't know if there manger knows but they just lost a customer. 

Law of Attraction

This web site offers material one can use to improve ones intuition as well as awareness. I am not one to push the inner arts however I do believe listening to ones "gut feelings" is a valid valuable ability. This web site http://www.thelawofattraction.com has some very easy to understand information.

Crime and karate

With crime on the rise, less respect for law enforcement and a general shift in mindset toward attacking innocent people who are bystanders it seems to me more people should be taking up martial arts. I saw a news clip today where a convince store was being robbed when the robbery turned deadly by attacking people shopping in the store. No one shopping ask for it crime came to them. 

Martial arts can't stop crime from coming to you but it sure can prepare you for it. Get started today and protect your family. 

Summer Camp

We just have a few slots left for the 2015 summer camp. Call 850-785-2024 for more. Camp includes Martial arts, field trips, action sports and game day plus more.

So you want to take karate

Just get started, especially adults, don't accept excuses as the more you do the more you move away from your interest in martial arts. If the class you try isn't for you find another one their are a lot of programs out there and it may take some time to get the one that keeps you motivated and moves you forward. The idea is to just get started!