Your Choice

Everything in life is a choice.

Some people hate it when I say that.

Some accurately say “not everything is a choice; there are all kinds of things outside of your control.”

They are correct in the latter part of what they said.

I believe that it is true that there are all kinds of things outside of my control, and that it is also true that everything in life is a choice.

I can choose to ignore the things that are outside of my control and out the superpower of Focus to work on the things that are.

Energy flows where Focus goes.

Furthermore, I can even choose to ensure that the energy that I flow where it should go (through my selective Focus) is moving in the direction of where I want to go.

   It is in this way that I decide exactly who I will become and exactly what I will accomplish!

We decide who and how we will be in the world in a year, in 3-5 and more years, largely by the decisions we make and the actions we take today.

Now I also believe in God’s will and direction in my life by the way and don’t believe I could do any of it without him.

I am so grateful for God’s grace, hand of favor and hedge of protection that allow me to do what I do.

And I am also grateful He gave us the power to choose.

Think about it, we are the only beings in his creation that can do that.

What a gift!

We owe it to Him, to ourselves, to our families and to our followers to choose wisely.

Here are a few of the most important choices that have made the greatest difference for me, and that I think could for you too:

1. I choose to be positive
2. I choose to be grateful.
3. I choose to have faith and to be always optimistic.
4. I choose to always be the best I can be, in every way that’s up to me:
   1. I smile and am courteous to everyone I meet wherever I go and find I usually get the same in return.
   2. I give 100% of myself to my work and my calling.
   3. I try to be the best husband, father, son, brother, grandfather I can be.
   4. I sow my very best into my fields (my Team, students, customers) and trust God that I’ll reap what I sow.
   5. I try to make right choices and make it a point to learn from my mistakes and to apologize when I harm another.
   6. I do my best to make healthy choices and am deliberate about what I consome, nutritionally and mentally.
   7. I try to learn something new and grow every day.
5. I choose my associations carefully:
   1. what I read,
   2. what and who I listen to,
   3. my friends,
   4. my mentors,
   5. and even my students.
6. I choose my reaction. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. I don’t claim this is easy but, like all good habits, it gets easier with practice.
7. I choose to Focus on the things that I can control and to not be distracted by those things that I can not.
8. I choose to trust God and live my life in a way that honors Him.

One closing note so that nobody reading this thinks that I claim to be better than anyone or holier than thou.

I don’t even claim that I succeed at living up to each and all of these choices all of the time.

I only profess that these are my choices and that, by choosing them, I live a happier, more productive and positive life than before I did.

In my youth life just happened to me, and I had no such deliberate method to choose my life.

I am so proud when I look at my son, Shihan Harley, and all of the other young Blackbelts that grew up here and I know that they are already living so much better than I was at their age, and even planning and preparing for the amazing future they will enjoy.

I can’t go back and make my past any better; nobody can.

But I can improve my future, and help those that I lead to do the same.

For this I am grateful.

And this too, I choose.

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TampaKravMaga.com and Krav Maga Martial Arts have been empowering lives through the martial arts in the Tampa Bay area for 20 years!

Founded in 2000 by Grandmaster Stephen J. Del Castillo, a 7th degree Black Belt and Sr. Master Instructor, Krav Maga Martial Arts and Karate lessons for pre-school children ages 3-6 and elementary age kids ages 7 and up are designed to develop the critical building blocks kids need – specialized for their age group – for school excellence and later success in life.

Krav Maga Martial Arts Adult Krav Maga training is a complete adult self defense, fitness, and conditioning program for adults who want to learn real world self defense, lose weight, and/or get (and stay in shape).

If you have any questions about our program, or would like to go ahead redeem your 2 weeks FREE, you can call us anytime at 813-547-6368 or visit our Krav Maga Martial Arts website.

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.

Also, check us out on Fun4TampaKids & on Go2Karate.com