BUSINESS

Surviving and Thriving: Tips from experts

  “Thrival Guide: 2012” four ideas to help you stay on course              Many businesses experienced a 30% drop in revenue in 2008.  How do you survive that?  What do you do when your gross income drops from $500,000 to $300,000 in just twelve months?  If your revenue has dropped and your expenses remain roughly […]

Deal With The Elephant (part 4)

DEAL WITH THE ELEPHANT or IGNORE IT?  (part 4)   IGNORE THE ELEPHANT — LOSE CREDIBILITY There’s this thing called “credibility,” and it means simply, “believable.”       The word comes from the Latin, “credo,” which means, “I believe.”   And I fear that all too few instructors realize that the value of their program is directly proportional […]

Here Comes the Elephant: Part 3

“Number three front kick and reverse punch.  Just watch Madison our JTI leader.  See….step together….kick……land….reach…..punch.   You always kick with the front leg.   OK, let’s all do it now, by the count.”  And so you begin leading twelve basic students, mostly white belts ages 7-12, down the floor.   It’s going OK, but several are challenged with […]

An Elephant in the Classroom: Part 1

  When someone says, “Gee, there’s an elephant in the room.”  He is referring to a common situation in which something has been said or done and yet no one who obviously has heard or witnessed the event says anything about it.    Everyone in the room simply ignores what is so obvious or they all […]

An Amazing Story of Life Skills in the Midst of Heartbreak

“Men are respectable only as they respect.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson All of our life skills, like discipline, honor, integrity, courtesy and respect, form the bedrock of traditional martial arts.  These values set us apart from any other sport or activity and define what it means to be a martial artist. We teach these life […]

HOW TO DEFEND AGAINST YOUR MOST DEADLY ENEMY.

“Stress is an ignorant state.  It believes that everything is an emergency”.  Natalie Goldberg–Wild Mind As martial artists, we do everything we can to prepare for outside threats such as bullies, criminals and other people who would do us harm.  But here’s the irony: We have an equal chance of being harmed by a “hidden” […]

Become an Unstoppable Achievement Machine! July 2010

“The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business–or almost anywhere else for that matter.” — Lee Iacocca This month I want to pass along two  powerful strategies to help you reach your goals.  The first is called the S.M.A.R.T. approach to goal-setting.  S.M.A.R.T. stands […]

Personal Victory

“Embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing” – Kahlil Gilbran As this year comes to a close (can you believe we’re almost in 2010?), I feel it’s important to look back and reflect on what we all accomplished this year.  You see, part of growing as a martial artist is patting yourself […]

I got my gold medal when…. Part 2 I just want everyone to know:   I have pursued a gold medal in Songahm Taekwondo many times, and never actually earned it.  Best I did was a bronze in 2010 and a silver in 2022.  The gold medals I won in 2009 XMA competition don’t count.  There […]

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Looking back over many years   NOTE:  All photos were taken on June 21, 2024 at the Southwest District Championships in Glendale, Arizona. Hello ATA Family!  It’s been more than 40 years since my wife and business partner helped me start the first ATA classes here in Phoenix, Arizona.   Over those years, I have […]

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The divinity of man       In KEEP A TRUE LENT, Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, writes: Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.  Its inner meaning and spiritual significance is the awakening and raising to spiritual consciousness of the I AM in man, which has been dead in trespass and sins […]

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WATCH THIS VIDEO The people you hang around with The people you “hang around with” really make a difference in your life and as I got more involved in Unity, I came across this concept of  “we become what we think about”    and its Lenten corollary, “giving up error thinking.” This idea became very interesting.   […]

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  Get Study Guide Here ====================================================== Who are you? You are a divine being of incredible potential having a human experience, not a human being having a divine experience.  It is that simple and there is no counter argument, although your mind and your foolish social experiences will try to convince you otherwise. How do […]

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Get Study Guide Here ======================================================= I feast on faith Simple beauty I walk by this retention basin every day.  It’s the same big hole, the same dead grass, the same few scraggly trees.   Why should I pay attention to it?   And yet, on this day, and in this ONE perfect moment, and right in the […]

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Get Study Guide     ======================================================= Lesson #11: Love I want to talk with you about love…The Beatles said….all you need is love…Leo Buscaglia taught the first university class on love……  Dr. Gerald Jampolsky said “Love is letting go of fear.”……  You can find the most famous definition of love in Corinthians 13:4-8 :  Love […]

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Get Study Guide Here ==================================================================== I fast from complaining. I feast on appreciation. What would happen if you gave up complaining?    Before you can answer this question, you first need to become aware of this pattern of thinking.  Here’s a few examples: Neighbor:  “Why does he always park his truck there?” Other drivers:  “I […]

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Get Study Guide Here ===================================================================== I fast from gloom. I feast on enthusiasm. Do you ever feel down?   Does gloom sometimes rest in your heart?   Hover over your head?  At times like this, remember these words by Martha Smock: “You are meant to be alive and enthusiastic.  You are meant to press forward eagerly.  You […]

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Get Study Guide Here ===================================================================== I fast from error thinking.  I feast on faith and hope. I suggest that you forget about giving up for Lent beer or quilting or dancing or gum or soda or tobacco or chocolate or wine.    Even if you are making a sacrifice by giving up something,  you are […]

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