Advice From Sensei - Selflessness

“Non nobis solum nati sumus.  (We are not born for ourselves alone.)”

― Marcus Tullius Cicero, On Duties

Our culture seems to relentlessly promote the notion that “taking care of number one” should be our only goal. Everything from our politics to our economy seems to point to a certain self-interest, which, if properly examined and understood, is really the opposite of what we mean when we talk about Black Belt excellence.

Throughout history, there have been countless examples of teachers and prophets who taught us that, instead of being selfish, we should strive to be selfless. In the Bible, Jesus constantly taught his disciples to look after “the least of these, my brothers and sisters.” In more modern times, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his time, his passion, and ultimately his life to help ensure the equal treatment of African American people under the law. And, today, we see thousands of men and women who put on a uniform every day and fight for our country, patrol our streets, and respond to emergencies of all kinds.

Without the selfless acts of selfless people, our world would be quite a different place, don’t you think? And, although it might seem out of reach to be a modern example of selflessness, it’s really not as difficult as it might seem. We don’t need to be a prophet or a civil rights leader, a soldier or a firefighter to be selfless. We can practice in little ways, every day, and make our world a better place as a result of the effort.

To really show your selflessness, try going out of your way to help someone. When it snows this winter, shovel your neighbor’s walk without being asked (or paid!) to do so. Smile and say hello to the next person you see. Or maybe you can help a friend with a subject in school with which they are having trouble. Maybe a friend of yours is going down a path that doesn’t lead to a good place—you could introduce her to the Martial Arts and all the values and benefits that come with it.

Simply put, selflessness means to be un-selfish. If you do things for other people, and have their best interest in mind, you are being un-selfish. As a Martial Artist, and especially if you are a Black Belt Champion, you have a lot of power and positive influence that can be used for good. Simple acts of kindness like holding open a door and using manners are great and expected from a Martial Artist.

American writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” Emerson made it clear that it’s not what you say, but what you do that is important. Try to DO something positive for others and you will feel like a Black Belt Champion!

Advice From Sensei - Personal Responsibility

Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.

– Chinese proverb

In our last post, we discussed the relationship between the Kohai (eager student) and Sempai (mentor). Implied in the relationship between Kohai and Sempai is the idea of personal responsibility. When you think about it, personal responsibility is really the linchpin of the relationship between the student and the mentor.

What is personal responsibility? The Brookings Institution’s Ron Haskins defines personal responsibility as “the willingness to both accept the importance of standards that society establishes for individual behavior and to make strenuous personal efforts to live by those standards.”

Makes sense, right? Take responsibility for everything that deals with yourself, and make sure you’re living up to the standards of your community.

There’s another aspect to personal responsibility that’s equally important, however, and should be clearly understood.  Haskins goes on to say “personal responsibility also means that when individuals fail to meet expected standards, they do not look around for some factor outside themselves to blame. The demise of personal responsibility occurs when individuals blame their family, their peers, their economic circumstances, or their society for their own failure to meet standards.”

At the Dojo, it’s not uncommon to have a student come up for a stripe with no folder and immediately begin with “My mom forgot…” or “my dad forgot…” Without delay we will ask, “Whose folder is it? Whose responsibility is it?” Our folder is just that—OUR folder. Not Mom and Dad’s. So it should be something for which we are personally responsible.

Other examples of things you should be personally responsible for are: pulling your attendance card; knowing your terminology and answers to your questions; knowing your curriculum; getting your Intent to Promote Forms completed on time; and keeping up with all of your classes.

How, then, does the Kohai/Sempai relationship hinge on personal responsibility? Quite simply, without the student taking personal responsibility for her learning, the work of the teacher is entirely in vain. Similarly, if the teacher does not take personal responsibility and constantly improve his skills and his knowledge in the Martial Arts, he will not be the best Sempai he can be—he will not daily earn the title of Sempai.

Remember, the instructors and SWAT members take personal responsibility very seriously. We train hard and we are here to help you any way we can. Ultimately, if you are to succeed as a student of the Martial Arts, you have to take personal responsibility for your training. The best teachers in the world are useless to the student who refuses to own the hard work required to achieve Black Belt excellence! At the end of the day, the responsibility of your training is up to you.

Personal responsibility leads to becoming a responsible adult. Being a responsible adult leads to success and happiness. Start practicing personal responsibility today and you will be on your way to becoming a Black Belt Champion!

Advice from Sensei - Kohai

I'm open for possibilities. I'm open for choices. I always welcome new ideas. I'm always eager to learn. I'm never going to close my mind from learning.

---Cesar Millan; The Dog Whisperer

In Japanese culture, the relationship between the teacher, or mentor, and the student is very important. The Sempai (mentor) is crucial to the success of the Kohai (eager student). Both teacher and student have a responsibility to one another and, in the best circumstances, both Sempai and Kohai benefit from the relationship they share—inside and outside of the Dojo.

To be Kohai implies a responsibility to learn. A good Kohai will listen to his Sempai and will take instruction willingly. We all know that a student is someone who learns. But the Kohai is enthusiastic, ready, willing, and raring to go.  So, to be Kohai, or an “eager student” we want to be all of these things towards learning. By accepting the lessons of our teaching with zeal and a positive attitude, we will become better students who learn faster and become better in everything we do.

Similarly, the role of Sempai also implies a responsibility. The Sempai is responsible to his or her Kohai and should always strive to perform to the best of his or her ability. Ultimately, the Sempai must always train to be “one step ahead” of the Kohai—not in order to show off or seem important, but instead to be the best teacher possible for the student. The Sempai must earn his or her title every day, and the Kohai must eagerly learn as much as he or she can. In such a virtuous cycle of willingness, excellence is sure to follow. Black Belt Excellence is the essence, the pure result of a proper Kohai/Sempai relationship.

To better understand the Kohai/Sempai relationship, think about the role a senior medical doctor plays in the life of a medical student. When the student arrives at the hospital to begin his internship, she is in the middle of a very long road to becoming a medical expert in his chosen specialty. If the intern wants to succeed and be the best in her field, she will show up on time; she will complete her assignments; she will eagerly strive to learn everything she can from her mentor, the senior doctor. By doing so, the intern will eventually develop enough expertise to one day become the mentor for a future intern. The student, if properly motivated and acting as a Kohai, will eventually become the mentor.

Similarly, the senior doctor will be motivated to be the best he can be so as to be an inspiration to his erstwhile student. He will demonstrate proficiency; he will confidently explain all that he knows and be willing to instruct his protégé in all the methods and practices of his medical specialty. In order to do this, the senior doctor will constantly train and educate himself and will daily earn the title of mentor. He will, in other words, be the best Sempai he can be.

Inside the Dojo, remember that Sensei is your Sempai. Your instructors are at the front of the class because they first learned to be Kohai, and have eagerly accepted the lessons of their seniors in the Martial Arts. If you want to demonstrate the best of Black Belt Excellence, start with being the best example of Kohai you can be. Try to be a Kohai outside of Tristar classes as well. In school, at home or work becoming a Kohai will help you to become a Black Belt Champion and the best you can be!

“Kohai means to be an…?”

“Eager Student, Sir!”

Constant and Never Ending Improvement

Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.

---Kim Collins (Olympian and 2003 World 100m Champion)

As students of the Martial Arts, we are well acquainted with the notion of working steadfastly to improve our discipline and our skills. One way to understand the discipline of constant improvement is to remember the acronym CANEI—Constant and Never Ending Improvement.

CANEI as a practice is not limited to a particular area in which to strive for improvement because it’s talking about you as a whole person. If you’re living the principal of CANEI, you will constantly work toward perfection in all areas of your life– in sports, school, martial arts, in family relationships, and other areas. We should strive to improve all the time by learning and practicing.

Students who have paid attention in their instruction at the Dojo will remember that, in our Student Creed, there is a paragraph that very strongly echoes the idea of CANEI. Take a moment. Recite the Creed to yourself and think about which paragraph really speaks to the notion of Constant and Never Ending Improvement.

When you think about it, the discipline of CANEI is extremely useful, and not just for your life as a student of the Martial Arts. CANEI means knowing that a B can always be improved to an A. It means that losing the big game can be transformed into becoming a better player. It means that doing your best is not just something you do occasionally, but every moment of every day.

CANEI also means that you don’t allow failure to define you, but rather to motivate you to do better. As Thai Martial Arts champion Tony Jaa said, “never be afraid to fail. Failure is only a stepping stone to improvement.” So, don’t let that bad grade get you down. Don’t allow a temporary setback to define you! Instead, use your low moments to inspire you to do better and to constantly improve. No matter what, you can always start to improve right now.

Part of being a Martial Artist is having the courage and discipline to take the lessons we learn on the mats outside the Dojo. Our task is to be examples, to be leaders in our families, schools, and communities of what a Martial Artist really is. Using CANEI will help you to reach your fullest potential and become the best person you can be—the essence of the Black Belt Spirit!

What does CANEI stand for?

“Constant and Never Ending Improvement, Sir!”

And, in case you haven’t discovered it yet, paragraph four of the student Creed captures the essence of CANEI.

“I intend to try my absolute best.”

This week, go out into the community and be a living example of what Constant and Never Ending Improvement looks like. You can do it!