"Doing the Reps"
Onegaishimasu Parents and students,
Welcome Back to what I can only describe as our best restart ever. What an amazing restart. I am totally blown away by the tremendous level of focus, and discipline exhibited by the students and you the parents. Way to raise the standard! To build on this tremendous momentum, I wanted to take this week’s Mokuso and talk about something truly remarkable that may just change how we achieve, and perceive success, and get your child ready for their best year ever at school.
You may be familiar with the old success thinking of "Massive results come from Massive Action" While this has merit, I realize after much doing, and careful consideration, it may not be entirely accurate. Massive results do come from massive action, however not when taken in a few large chunks, but moreover when they are taken continuously and consistently over time!
“How do you fill a bucket?” One drop at a time.
Success comes from our habits!!!
It is your small habits compounding over time that either cause your success or failure in life. Our habits become, disciplines, and this comes from the things we repeatedly do. Repetition is the key. More on this in a moment but first…..
Most of us already knew this about habits, but what makes this a life changer is when we truly engrain a habit to the point it becomes a discipline, and transforms into our IDENTITY. It becomes who we are. It becomes the very essence of our being. That’s really what identity and culture are. They are the inevitable result of the many or few things we do consistently overtime until it becomes who and what we are.
So here’s the game-changer
REPS/HABITS=DISCIPLINE=IDENTITY!!!
You may have already noticed this week as part of our “I ALWAYS START STRONG” initiative, the instructors are increasing the amount of repetition in your child’s karate basics. This not only hones your child’s karate technique to a razors edge, but also sharpens your child’s skills in “doing the reps” .
Higaonna Sensei and every Sensei in the IOGKF use the saying "Don’t talk….DO!” Stop talking . . . and do the reps!" Actually you wont hear anything but the sound of karate gis and Strong Kiais in any of their classes.
So, we will need just a little help from you. You can help greatly with the reps part at home. Teach your child "Stop talking . . . and do the reps!" Teach them not to humm and haaa, or negotiate, complain, or drag their feet. Just teach them: DO THE REPS!! Because this is also a habit.
Have you ever seen a child who cannot be told to do anything without whining? Our children do not have to like what they are doing all the time, and they do not have to be good at what they are doing either. They just have to learn to trust YOU (and their teachers at school) and just DO IT. Does this mean we sometimes have to make our children do things they do not want to do…YES!
This is what builds discipline and work ethic. Self discipline and work ethic are just habits. Keiko students are known in the IOGKF as some of the hardest, if not the hardest working students. Keiko students work hard all the time!! We barely even know why any more.
The reason is this has gone beyond a habit. It has become our IDENTITY! It is the essence of who we are.
We always Start strong.
We always work hard!
We never give up! and…..
We are never afraid to do the reps!! Stand by...There is more to come next week.
Have an amazing week, and your best year ever!!
Sensei and Your Keiko TEAM!!!
Keiko Karate – “Actually we do make Ninjas and Superheroes here………………we turn kids into Ninjas and we turn their parents into their superheroes!”