Yesterday my mentor told me that as part of her practice, at every meal she leaves something on her plate to share with her family. And she doesn’t leave food on her plate because they don’t have enough food…it’s because she works to think less of herself and more of others. Now that might be … [Read more…]
My teacher’s daughter told me the following story exactly like this, without exaggeration: When he was six years old, Mr. Vizzio sat on his instructor’s doorstep every single day for a year. But his instructor – the master – did not acknowledge him. Then at seven years old, Mr. Vizzio was allowed to get tea … [Read more…]
During the five years between blue belt and purple belt, I was the enforcer in the classroom. If you’re a sports fan, you know that in hockey, the enforcer’s function is pressure and intimidation. His role is to set a precedent with the other teams: he sits on the bench and when things get sticky, … [Read more…]
When I visited Japan, the most profound thing that I noticed—and that I didn’t expect in my wildest imagination—was that, in Japan, there were no garbage cans. If my life depended on it, I could not throw a piece of paper away properly. And on the streets in Japan, any place we went, there was … [Read more…]
Those of you have trained over at 13th Avenue know that on Friday nights the neighborhood can seem pretty wild…and Dunkin Donuts is a hot spot—dozens and dozens of kids go there to hang out. So there’s usually some kind of conflict brewing. One recent Friday night, two teens got into it out on the … [Read more…]
Mr. Vizzo and I were discussing an acquaintance we share from decades ago. He’s an accomplished sportsman on the world stage and a gold-medal Olympian, among other achievements. But I’ve begun to notice that recently, his social media posts really diminish what’s going on in his sport. He writes things like, “Yeah, these guys now … [Read more…]
We’ve been speaking in the classes this week about the black belt principle of “being a good-finder.” When I first heard the expression, I thought it was corny until I pondered it further and then saw its potency. Being a good-finder means that you find the good in everything, everyone, and every situation. Seem extreme and completely impractical? Well, … [Read more…]
I recently had a conversation with a former schoolteacher. She told me that she believed that one of the hallmarks of being a good teacher was that students should never feel that a teacher is playing favorites. I agreed. She then went on to say that even though a teacher may have favorites, the students shouldn’t realize … [Read more…]
Yesterday, I had a very interesting conversation with my mentor. She told me a story about how one of her family members, who is in the medical field, was required to take a fire safety class. The fire marshal who was running the class asked the attendees whether they knew what the number one cause … [Read more…]
Sometimes avoiding a fight isn’t what it appears to be. I’ll explain in a moment, but first a question: Do you ever feel like you’re in your own way? I know for me, sometimes I feel like I’m cut off from what might be possible in a given situation. This can easily lead me into … [Read more…]