Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Congratulations to those that tested for their new belt. Although the
color of a belt wins no battles for you, it is great to move forward
and learn new material.

Next weekend we have a special training session with 4 great teachers
at the main dojo. This mini-training camp will have Kyoshi Jeff Ader,
Sensei Daryell Johnson, Kurt Frankenburg and Master Sterling Chase
sharing their perspective arts with our students. Although I have a
previous seminar I have to attend and will not be there, I am sure
that you will find it very informative and for only $25 a great
value. In an effort to provide the best instruction possible, we are
hoping to provide this type of training on a quarterly basis.

We also have our in-house tournament scheduled for the 19th at the
main dojo. This will be great practice for the state-wide event to be
held in November. We will also be hosting out Halloween party at the
main dojo on the 29th. For information on any of these events, please
contact your Sensei or talk to Sensei Mary.

Lesson of the week

First Things First

The Japanese teacher speaks the words "Hajimeru Juuyou Jiko O Yuusen
Suru" which translate basically as "prioritize the essential
matters". In another land, Stephen Covey explains this concept in his
Seven Habits programs as keeping "First Things First". Whether one is
discussing military campaigns, personal self-defense tactics,
business strategies or weekly time management, this is one of those
key principles towards success.

In the classic work "The Book Of Five Rings", Miyamoto Musashi
identifies nine rules for success in combat. Let us briefly discuss
these as they relate to the First Things First strategy.
1. "Think of what is right and good." All actions, from personal
goals setting, to national security begin with establishing the
values of the mission. The reason for this is that in order for a
mission to be successful, the actions must be congruent with the
underlining values of the participants.
2. "Practice and cultivate the science." Understanding what each
action will generate as a consequence is a science, based on the law
of cause and effect. From the use of the kamae or posture in our
forms, to the shifting of military troops for a show of force, these
actions bring forth specific consequences and results. It is the
knowledge of this tactic that allows a leader to develop successful
campaigns in any endeavor.
3. "Become acquainted with the arts." What ever your chosen
career or mission, you should throw yourself into becoming a lifelong
student of that art. Now days one needs to spend 30 minutes to an
hour everyday, reading and studying just to keep up because of the
rate of increasing knowledge in all areas. Only by knowing all the
options available to you, can you be assured of making the right
decisions. Seeing successful actions from other disciplines is how
one learns of these options.
4. "Know the principles of the crafts." In the martial arts,
there are teachers that enjoy teaching a variety of techniques that
they have learned from a variety of sources and yet the system that
they are teaching is not really a system at all because it is not
based on specific and congruent principles. Like the saying, "Give a
man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you can
feed him for a lifetime," the teacher that teaches principles of
success, empowers his students to learn to be successful in any
situation, not against a specific attack in a set way.
5. "Know the harm and benefit in everything." Understanding the
reactions of all parties to a given scenario, allows a person to
understand all the possible outcomes before acting in the first
place. Careful consideration of all the possibilities before acting
is the key to successful implementation of any action plan.
6. "Learn to see everything accurately." Each of us sees the
world not as it is, but as we want it to be. We constantly need
feedback from others to gain a better understanding of the way things
really are. In conversation, it is imperative to ask questions and
get feedback to truly understand what others are trying to say. In
creating a strategic action plan, it is imperative to understand all
the stakeholders involved and what is in it for them. Only by seeing
the entire picture can you create a win-win action plan that can be
bought into by all the parties involved.
7. "Be aware of what is not obvious." The warrior learns to see
what others do not see through specific training of the senses. In
law enforcement, the Streetwise officer notices a bulge inside a
piece of clothing, or sees a curled hand, which indicates a possible
weapon being hidden. The business man does his research and enters
negotiations, knowing at the end of the meeting, a deal will be
struck because he understands what the absolute minimum offer that
will be accepted going into the meeting. The modern warrior is an
expert of verbal and nonverbal responses, seeing the person's desires
and intentions, where many people simply do not have a clue. This
ability makes him a very effective communicator, simply because he
sees what others don't see.
8. "Be careful even in the small matters." When one develops an
action plan, it is imperative that every little detail is written
down and then later it is prioritized into which needs to be done
first. Each and every small action has consequences and can affect
the whole process. Only by paying attention to detail can you be
assured success.
9. "Do not do anything useless." This is the foundation to the
first things first strategy. In strategic planning, whether you are
doing your personal day planner, a corporate business plan trying to
increase your return on equity, or developing an action plan to
overcome an enemy in combat, it is important to follow specific
actions that have produced successful outcomes for generations.
Successful action plans include identifying your goals or objectives
and which strategies you are going to use to achieve them. A written
plan would include an objective look at your strengths and
weaknesses, as well as, any opportunities or threats you recognize.
Once you have identified the action plan, you identify what needs to
be done and in what order.

In identifying what is most important for us to do on a weekly or
daily basis, we use a letter system to identify the priority of their
importance.
A. An "A" task is one that must be done.
B. A "B" task is one that has mild consequences if it is not
done.
C. A "C" task is one that has no negative consequences if we
put it off till later.
D. A "D" task is one that we can delegate to another.
E. An "E" task is one we should eliminate all together.

In prioritizing your actions, simply ask which activity will project
you towards your goals. If an action is directly responsible towards
an increase in effectiveness towards your goals and only you can
perform this action, then it is probably an "A" priority. Truly
successful people never spend time on a "B" task when there is an "A"
task yet to be done. The "first things first" strategy is based on
the constant feedback from the following question, " What is the most
important thing I could be doing right now?"

Like a journey of a thousand miles beginning with a single step,
success in any endeavor begins with a single action. The key is
identifying that first step as a number one priority, and staying
focused on that task till completion.


Respectfully,

Terry Bryan