Happy Monday KMMA Tribe!

First, welcome to the first week of summer- at least for our purposes!

This is week one of the Krav Maga Martial Arts 10 weeks of summer celebration, in which we are focusing on a different theme, skill and country each week! 

This week is Sports (wear a shirt or jersey from your favorite sports team), Kicking and Korea!

We’re also reviewing month one (April) curriculum in p[reparation for belt test this month!

I hope to see you all!

I’ve got a great Blackbelt test planned for tonight, so I especially hope to see all my Blackbelt Leaders at 7:15!

Second, I am proud and grateful today.

On my moving meditation yesterday, I thought about all the things I have to be proud and grateful for, and how far I have come in life.

I am a 7th Degree Blackbelt, an Author, an MBA.

I served in the 82nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions, won an Army Green to Gold Scholarship, and my undergraduates in Philosophy and Communications.

I was borne to very humble circumstances, but through personal and professional development, hard work and realization of the blessings along the way, have been able to better myself and enjoy some of the American Dream.

I built a Leadership Development Academy that happens to also teach the most practical self defense, that has been serving the community and empowering lives for over 22 years.

I was a martial athlete for many years, but with age and injury had let myself go. I decided to do something about that and in a little over a year lost over 50 pounds and have been getting back fighting fit again.

But, to be honest, I share all of this only to say that it is not myself that I am most proud of and grateful for.

It is of the many amazing Blackbelt Leaders that we have had the honor of growing over the years, their contributions to the dojo and the world, and the amazing stable of students and Sensei coming up today!

I am proud and grateful for our tribe, our Mission, and where we’re going next!

Finally I want to talk about choice and consequence.

I’ll keep this thought short and simple for today.

This will be an unpopular point with those that most need it but, truth be told, those that most need it probably aren’t reading this anyway.

But just in case it’s useful to you, or you know someone who really needs to hear it.

We are free to choose. In most cases, in this country, we are blessed with the freedom of choice.

But we are not free from the repercussions of our choices.

Where we find ourselves in each tomorrow- with our health, our finance, our relationships, indeed all of our outcomes- is predominately determined by the choices we make today.

We can choose to eat healthy, to exercise, to read, work and grow deliberately…

or we can choose, via action or neglect, poor health, stress, stagnation and suffering.

As the great Jim Rohn taught:

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”

I choose Discipline, and will do my best to help those i care about to do the same.

How about you?

Prepare To Live; Empower To Lead!

Grand Master Stephen J. Del Castillo
Founding Master Instructor, Krav Maga Martial Arts
TampaKravMaga.com         StephenDelCastillo.com

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 commissioned 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