Achieving Success and Happiness

Last January my wife gave birth to a baby girl and we are absolutely delighted to have a daughter. However, after being grateful that she’s healthy, we started thinking about what we want for her future. After careful thought and long discussions, we decided that we simply want her to be happy.

It seems simple, but how do we help her to become a happy and successful person? That’s a really difficult question to answer. Or is it?

Aside from the joy that I’ve gotten from having a wonderful family and friends, the only profound joy that I’ve experienced has come from hard work. It doesn’t matter what I’m working on; if I try my best and sacrifice, irrespective of the result, I feel good about myself after I’ve completed my task.

This has always been true in karate, it was true in college and law school, and has been true in my professional career. In fact, whenever I have a difficult task or chore to perform, I make a game out of it. If I honestly try hard to do a good job, then irrespective of what other people might think or say, I feel good at the end of the process. It’s that simple!

For example, if you want to become great at karate, then you should make an honest attempt to practice hard in class and at home. Make a list of the things that you want to improve and a time limit for improving them. Then, if at the end of the time period you have not accomplished your goal, you didn’t work hard enough. No excuses.

But, how do you know if you’re working hard enough? In karate, if you finish class and your uniform is dry, then you know that you haven’t worked hard enough because you have not sweat. In karate you’ve got to sweat to make progress. So, you can’t fool yourself.

Studying and school work are the same. If it’s Sunday night and you know that you’ve got a quiz on Wednesday, you decide how many times you need to review the quiz material in order to score well. Then, if you haven’t completed your review by Tuesday night before you go to sleep, you haven’t worked hard enough. Here again, you can’t fool yourself.

So, don’t waste your time searching for some “secret” to success and happiness because there isn’t really a secret. Just sweat to get what you want and most of the time you will succeed. And, if by some chance you don’t succeed, then you can still feel good about yourself because you will have made an honest effort and you can always try again.

OSU!�

Much is Given and Much is Expected

Growing up in the U.S. can be a wonderful thing because the sky is the limit for our dreams and goals. However, this wonderful opportunity has a sticky flip-side because if we don’t try hard we appear lazy and spoiled.

In childhood our proud parents often praise us. How often have you heard “you’re very intelligent,” or “you can do anything that you set your mind to”? Well if those things are true, does it reflect poorly on us if we don’t work hard to achieve our goals?

Yes, it does. Here’s why.

There are severely disadvantaged people here in the U.S. and abroad who have far fewer opportunities than many of us enjoy. In fact, some disadvantaged people are unable to attend school because they cannot afford tuition and others can’t even find work because there are no jobs. Notwithstanding, many disadvantaged people achieve greater success than is achieved by people who do not suffer disadvantage.

So, when we meet a successful person who was once disadvantaged, most of us are either inspired or embarrassed. Inspiration comes from understanding that we can overcome nearly any obstacle when we work hard. Embarrassment comes from the stark realization that our efforts to achieve our dreams have been mediocre.

In sum, if one works hard, his chances of achieving success are as good or better in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world. So, it’s both a great advantage and a burden to be a young person in the U.S. because to those to whom much is given, much is expected.

Seichou Karate® challenges and provides teenagers with the confidence to make the most of every opportunity that this great nation offers. OSU!

Consequences

In my first semester of law school one of my professors taught us that most people obey the law because they’re fear the consequences of disobeying it. He believed that people don’t follow the law out of goodness or morality.

For example, according to my law professor, most drivers don’t obey the speed limit for safety; they obey it because they don’t want to get a speeding ticket; most people don’t steal money because they’re afraid of going to jail – not because it is wrong to steal; most corporations don’t pollute because they don’t want to get fined, not because it is wrong to pollute.

Intelligent people can disagree on this question. However, we have a true-life case study that might help us to understand this problem.

In January NBA star Gilbert Arenas was charged by DC authorities with the crime of carrying an unlicensed gun. He could have gone to jail for several years for this serious felony. However, last week, Arenas learned that he would not go to jail. He is a very lucky man because a jail term could have ended his professional basketball career and wrecked his life.

Before learning that he would not go to jail, when he was terrified that he would lose everything, Arenas publicly apologized for having broken the law and disappointing his family, fans and teammates. Arenas must be very elated that he has been giving a second chance at life, but has he learned from his mistake or will he repeat his error?

Only time will tell. However, my law school professor would probably argue that Arenas will continue to engage in criminal behavior that places others at risk because he did not suffer significant consequences.

What do you think? Are consequences (jail time) necessary to keep Gilbert Arenas from breaking the law again? Or, will this experience be enough to keep him from repeating his mistake?

Let us know what you think below. OSU!

A Horse's Tail

A wise person once said that a man's fortune can change with the swoosh of a horse's tail.

On January 14, Washington Wizards star guard Gilbert Arenas was charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business. That's a felony, which means that Arenas could serve at least a year in jail.

Apparently, he had an argument with one of his teammates and pulled a gun on the other guy in the team locker room. The question is: why did he do it?

Arenas is a famous star athlete who had a 111 million dollar contract to do something that he loves... play basketball! So, why did he behave so recklessly?

No one can know what was going through his mind when he made the decision to carry an unlicensed firearm. However, it's clear that he KNEW that his conduct was illegal. So, he KNEW that he has taking a big chance with his career and life.

Arenas' problem was that he did not appreciate how lucky he was. He had great health, talent, money, fame, and family and friends who loved him. He thought that he was invincible, but he was wrong. He never considered that - just like Michael Vick and other pro-athletes - one poor decision could wreck his entire life.

Anything that is truly valuable in life takes time to achieve or cultivate. It is difficult to master Seichou Karate. So, when we achieve that black belt, we should appreciate all of the work that we invested to in achieving that goal.

Wise people treasure their health, family, friends, and career because they know that these things are fragile. We can lose them in an instant or with swoosh of a horse's tail. Don't repeat Gilbert Arenas' mistake. OSU!

Say "OSU"!

Have you ever walked into a room and said "hello" to someone in that room but not gotten a response?

If that's happened to you, I'll bet you didn't like it very much. It's bad manners and hurtful to ignore people. In fact, ignoring others is a sure way to put distance between you and them.

That's why it's a Seichou Karate rule that everyone must say "OSU" when entering or leaving the dojo, or when stepping onto or off of the mat. By saying "OSU" loudly, you let everyone know that you're happy to see them and eager to train with them. This creates a good connection between you and others. This is powerful because - just like a big snowball - your "OSU" rubs off on other people in a good way. Then, people get along well and the dojo becomes STRONGER!

So, make certain that you always say "OSU"!