Category Archives: goals

coaching, goals, greatness, ideas, karate, life, martial arts, mind, philosophy, thoughts, zen

Integrity- Why it is essential

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Do I really need to have integrity?

The definition of integrity according to Webster’s Dictionary is, ‘a rigid adherence to a code of behavior.’ There are though many ways to look at a persons integrity. A person with integrity possesses many qualities. Three of these qualities are honesty, the ability to follow a moral code, and loyalty to yourself and your beliefs.

I would add that to have integrity means being your word. Let me clarify. If a person possesses integrity, it means that they do what they say they will do and when they said it would be done. If ultimately, all we have as humans is our word, then our relation to keeping our word is of primordial importance. If I tell someone I will meet them on Monday at 3pm, then it is a matter of integrity that I keep that appointment. This is not to say that something may occur to hinder my making that appointment. Life does happen, and many times things we do not for see can make it difficult for us to keep our word. What do we do when this occurs? We stay in communication and restore our integrity, in this particular case, if I know I wont make my 3pm meet, I call the person in question and tell them I cant make the meeting and reschedule for a time that works for both of us.

I have come to discover that without integrity as the foundation, you cannot endeavor towards or aspire to great things. Integrity is the lynch pin upon which every great undertaking depends on.

The state of integrity runs across many different spheres and disciplines. You can find the mention of integrity in ethics, philosophy,law, science, and mathematics. While it may exist in all of these areas, if it is lacking in your life then you will be constrained to living a life in which your word has very little, if any value.

Strive to have integrity in everything you do, whether great or small.

strong spirit-strong mind-strong body

Sensei Orlando

business, coaching, community, creating, goals, ideas, life, martial arts, pain, philosophy, power, thoughts, tradition

No Pain-No Gain?

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This is a saying that is heard often in gyms and other types of training halls. I would like to say that its quite inaccurate. If you are experiencing pain, its very unlikely you will continue training to make gains. Pain at its very basic level is your body signalling that there is something wrong or that it has suffered some type of trauma. The distinction I want to make here is that there is a marked difference between pain and discomfort. In addition every persons pain threshold is different.
When we are referring to making gains (i.e. growing stronger, moving more weight, being more flexible, adding muscle, greater cardiovascular capacity) there will be times when we will experience discomfort. The body being the amazing adaptive machine that it is, requires us to stress and push it if we want to make significant gains in certain areas. What we may consider to be pain may only be discomfort. When I train students, I always tell them, pain usually stops you in your tracks, while discomfort, allows you to work through it.
This is not to say that you cant train while in pain, and certain situations may require you to work through the pain. These occurrences however are not the norm and you should listen to your body if you are in pain.
Discomfort on the other hand should never stop us. If we let it, we will find ourselves making excuses at every turn because we are no longer in what we may consider our “comfort zone”. This not only applies to training, but to life. You will never have any gains as long as you remain in your comfort zone. In order to grow you have to stretch yourself, try new things and be willing to risk the comfort.
Any new endeavor will have moments of discomfort, that is when you are growing. Any training regimen contains moments of discomfort, if you are not willing to work through them you will not see the gains on the other side.
Ultimately the decision is ours to make. Are we willing to be uncomfortable in order to grow and make gains in every part of our lives, or will we strive to remain in our comfort zones- comfortably stagnant?
Sensei Orlando
strong spirit-strong mind-strong body

creating, goals, greatness, ideas, mind, power, thoughts

The Power of Intention- Mind Over Body

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The subject of the power of intention has received much attention as of late. I would like to suggest that this is not a “new ” trend, but something that has existed as long as humans have been on this planet.
It was brought to my attention many years ago that everything you can see, touch or feel was once an idea in someones head. Obviously this points to man made objects not nature. That being the case its quite a profound thought if you take a moment to ponder it. Where ever you are if you look around you will see things that were in some one’s head. If you are sitting on a chair while you do this, the very chair you are sitting on was once an idea. The ramifications of this thought process is that we exist within a world of ideas, some in a gestational stage and some fully developed and still some evolving and ever changing. How is this applicable to how you train? If you have goals as something to strive for(being fit , stronger, ripped, more flexible, whatever the case may be) the goals that are attained are the end result, and the genesis of these results have to be your thoughts, your ideas.

Everything we do begins and ends in our heads. Sometimes we may talk much but do little. We can be full of great ideas but if they are not acted upon, they remain ideas. I also believe that if you sit on a great idea for too long, it occurs to someone else who will act on it and then you can be one of those people who can say ” I had that same idea!” The only difference being that you chose not to act on the idea you had.
One example that I deal with on regular basis is in my own training. I have found that if I quit in my head, my intention being that one more set is too much or I’m too tired or its too early (fill in the excuse) what occurs is that my body follows suit and shuts down. The power of intention is so powerful that whatever you give voice to (even in your head) comes to pass in your life. This means that the thoughts we have need to be empowering ones, thoughts and ideas that further us along our goals in our lives.

May all your thoughts be powerful and full of greatness!

Sensei Orlando
strong spirit-strong mind-strong body

goals, karate, martial arts, mind, pain, power, zen

Martial Arts as Exercise

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Why engage in a martial art? Each of us will have a different answer to that question. Some for the discipline, others for the fitness, still others for the aspect of self-defense. Whatever your motivation, it has been shown by numerous studies that martial arts are beneficial as a form of exercise.

Martial arts are more than simply breaking a bunch of bricks and boards with various parts of the body. The Martial Arts are about discipline and balance. They are philosophies in and of themselves which teach good moral character, non-violent attitudes and behavior and spiritual enlightenment, the martial arts proscribe various movements and techniques which emphasize focus and centering by eliminating discriminatory consciousness and merging intention and action into an uninterrupted flow.

Many of the physical benefits of training resemble those achieved by any other form of exercise. A normal training session usually consists of a period of warming up stretching, then training. The exercise one gets from martial arts training improves balance, flexibility, stamina and posture. Weight loss is promoted through extended cardiovascular activity. These are all results of long term martial arts training. There are many different types of martial arts: Karate, Judo, Aikido, Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, TaiChi and many types of KungFu. The list is extensive. Find one you enjoy, if you haven’t engaged in physical activity, get a physician’s clearance and start.