Choose Wisely
We teach a lot about the power of choice in our Blackbelt Leadership Program at Krav Maga Martial Arts.
Our choices of attitude, work ethic, discipline, inputs, relationships, nutrition, mission, association and many more affect the very quality of our life.
Each and all of these are worthy and important reflections and areas of self management, and for self improvement.
But, for today’s purposes, I am speaking specifically of how we choose to respond.
Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl, the author of the classic must read book Man’s Search For Meaning, said:
“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.”
Frankl knew first hand, through horrific experience, what man can do to man and how many of our freedoms can be taken away.
But he also knew the one that couldn’t, and the power of this knowledge, through its application, became not only the secret to his survival in the concentration camps, but the catalyst of his great works after that.
Yet, we so often relinquish this freedom so easily.
Have you ever said, “he makes me so mad or she frustrates me” or some similar abdication of your freedom and power of choice?
Or, perhaps, even more insidiously, “I can’t help it, I just feel this way”.
In our martial arts, we train for control of the body and the mind.
The training of the mind is especially important- both in a self defense situation and even more in the one we are now talking about.
Noone can make you do anything; your response is your choice.
Nor does anyone have to be the victim of their own negative thoughts and emotions; this too is a choice.
I know that for many this choice is hard.
Taking control of our own minds, our thoughts and emotions is perhaps the hardest work of all.
But, for the purposes of controlling our own destiny, it is the most important work one can do.
By the way, the best and easiest way to train our minds is while we are young.
This is why we love training children at Krav Maga Martial Arts.
We know that through the mental and physical training, combined with the positive tribe, leadership lessons and empowerment of the program that we can prepare them for success in life- to a great extent through the education and application of the truth we are discussing- that, between stimulus and response there is always a choice, and that we have the power to make it.
But even for those of us that received less than optimal training at the outset, the power is there.
We can start by choosing to reprogram our negative thoughts and patterns, to create responses that are proactive and powerful instead of succumbing to emotions that are harmful or even debilitating.
Listen, if you are already a member of my tribe, you know how seriously we take the training of the mind.
On your way to becoming a confident, competent Blackbelt Leader you WILL have mastered these critical skills if you haven’t already.
And, if you are not yet training with us, I hope you will seriously consider it.
I can promise you that what we will do for your family and you is worth it- the investment of money, time and effort.
If you’d like to see for yourself, click here and register for your 2 week free trial or call 813-948-4844.
Like everything in life, it’s your choice.
Grandmaster Stephen Del Castillo
StephenDelCastillo.com
p.s. if you are a student, it’s test week! Just come have fun, do your best and learn something new! You’ve been working hard and you’re ready!
Graduation will be at the academy this Saturday from 10am-1pm. There will be no classes that day.
Basic Training and Freshman Blackbelt Training Students 10:00-10:45
Sophmore Blackbelt Training Students 11:00-11:45
Junior Blackbelt Training Students 12:00-12:45
*bring friends, family and camera!
*Class A uniform
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About Grandmaster Stephen J. Del Castillo: Grandmaster Del Castillo is the founding Master Instructor of Krav Maga Martial Arts and has been empowering lives in Pasco and Hillsborough Counties since October of 2000. He is a 7th degree Blackbelt, MBA, author, mentor and success coach, a US Army Veteran and a proud father and grandfather. He is married to Ms. Barbara Del Castillo who helps him run the school. Grand Master Del Castillo began his training in the early 80’s and has high level blackbelts in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Premier Martial Arts and Krav Maga Martial Arts as well as experience in kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do and Jiujitsu. He has high level instructor certifications from BBSI, IKMF, and KMG and has been featured in numerous Martial Arts publications and also Success magazine. He was a competitive sport karate and American Kickboxing instructor until he enlisted in the US Army where he served in the 82nd Airborne Division, where he won an Army Green to Gold scholarship and proceeded to ROTC and the University of Tampa. He was commisioned in 1992 and went on to serve in Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division and then in several other posts in the US until he left military service to pursue his dream of creating KMMA in 2000.
The Krav MagaMartial Arts Headquarters is in Lutz, FL at 1900 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., 33549. Krav Maga Martial Arts serves Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, and surrounding areas.
See stephendelcastillo.com for more information and to order my book, Developing Your Superpower, Meditations on Mastery, Volume 1.
Also, check us out on Fun4TampaKids & on Go2Karate.com