Dear Students, Teachers and Friends,

Congratulations to those that made their conditional black belt this
weekend. It was a great test and you should be proud of your
accomplishments. It was also great to have Kyoshi Montoya and his
Texas crew here to witness and be a part of the testing.

Belt test for the north school students will be this coming weekend,
while students from the central location will be tested the
following week. Make sure you have all your stripes, register early
and are ready to earn your new belt.

HENRY FORD:
If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're
right.
VIKTOR FRANKL:
We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked
through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of
bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient
proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the
last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given
set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

Lesson of the Week

Shisei – Attitude

A person's attitude is the most important element in martial arts
training and in life itself. While technique is important in self-
defense, it is the attitude of wanting to survive that usually
dictates the overall outcome. An attitude is created by our self
thoughts which create our levels of personal self-esteem and self-
confidence. This is why a good martial arts instructor emphasizes
90% attitude and 10% techniques, especially in the beginning student.

Attitude is a personal choice. Since our attitudes are developed by
our thoughts that we have, and each of us are in complete control of
what thoughts we have, then each of us are able to create any
attitude within us that we want. Successful people learn to hang
around other successful people with positive attitudes. They see
their winning ratio go up, when they surround themselves with other
winners, people that are setting goals and possessing positive
attitudes about the achieving what they want out of life.

The black belt attitude of a true leader eliminates can't out of
their vocabulary. They cease to see problems, but only opportunities
for using their most powerful weapon of all – their mind – to
overcome challenges as they come their way. They plan ahead, and
have analyzed any potential problem that could ever happen, and have
an action plan ready should this situation develop.

So how does one develop a black belt attitude? Well, it is a lot
easier than you think. Read positive books and magazines on a
continual basis. Listen to positive audio-books and tapes while in
your car… your university on wheels. Always look for the good in
people, places and things. Should a set back occur, sit down and say
to yourself – "This is good, what have I learned from this
experience?" Hang around other positive people, give them support as
they work towards their goals and they in turn will support you. And
lastly, always have faith that you can do anything that you set your
mind to. This is the path for creating a black belts attitude.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan, Kyoshi