Motivational Questisms

Motivational Questisms
  As we work towards our goals, we often are hit with stumbling blocks whether it be our training levelled off and we no longer see the same gains, or we have run into some energy vampires and let them get to us.  Here are my top 4 Questisms, things that I have said to help myself overcome some sort of challenge in my life. When challenged with a situation that threatens to hold you back, say one of these that apply, and feel the energy surge! Whenever possible say them out loud and with authority as if you are demanding that it happen.  When you say things out loud you activate more than one sense that helps to energize your body, mind and spirit!

  Coach Flower – “Who am I?  I am a Champion!” Regardless of your station whether you compete in tournaments or in life you are a Champion!  You are not here on Earth to be mediocre, or to “just get by” You are here to flourish and be abundant!  Instead of asking “What do you want?” ask “What do I expect!”

  Master Zaleski – “Do it Now Do it Right Do it All!” Procrastination is the assassination of Motivation.  We all have things we do not want to do…Use this long standing Questism to keep you motivated to be disciplined doing what you HAVE to so you can do what you WANT to!

  Les Brown – “If you can look up you can get up!”  You will fall down during training for your black belt, and at other times as well.  It is not the fact that you fell down, but what you did when it happened!  If you can look up you can get up…it won't always be easy but it will always be possible!

  Grand Master C.K. Choi – “A warrior is always ready!”  For whatever maybe asked…Think about the belt testing, blue belts should know all the things from previous belts so that if asked you can demonstrate them for a junior.  If asked to perform your pattern you should be able to do so to the best of your ability!

Not only do these quotes apply to our martial arts training, but to any area of life.  You do not need to be a Champion Tae Kwon-Do player to be a Champion in other areas, and by “Warrior” I am referring to the fact that we are all still in a battle against negative thinking every day.  Sometimes from within!  Stay Positive and use these tools everyday!      

Respectfully,
Mr. Chris Rowe

Being pulled in different directions?

Many people think of life's balance as a marble at the bottom of a bowl.  Actually, this is static equilibrium with no pressure being exerted on the marble from any direction.  The marble just sits there.

When you turn the bowl over and put the marble at the very top of the bowl, that's balance.  The marble could fall in any direction and any movement could cause the marble to fall.  That's a good picture of what balance is in your life.   Balance means balancing the tensions that come from the various areas of our life.

Everyone has tension in life:  What bills should I pay this week?  Should I spend the evening with the family or work on this report?  What am I going to do this weekend, go to the beach or to the office?

In order to handle this tension in your life you need to realize that it is a constant in life.  Your life is going to be pulled in different directions and your job is to try to keep them in balance.  Just as you would shift the bowl to keep the marble from falling off one side or the other, you need to shift your focus from one area to another to keep your life in balance.

The four areas to keep in balance in your life are social, physical, mental, and spiritual.  Physical needs are health and economic needs.  Social needs are relationships.  Mental needs are the stimulus to grow and prosper in your life.  Spiritual needs are those needs that every human being has to know themselves and where they come from.

Like the marble how will you stay balanced with tension?

What areas of your life do you feel you need to work

on to stay in balance?

Balancing Your Life

How can an out-of-balance view of life cause you

 to miss out on much of what life has to offer?

A young boy was walking through the park.  As he looked down he saw a penny shining up at him out of the grass.  He picked it up and was so excited and pleased with his find that every time he went out he would always look for money on the ground.

Over the years by keeping his eyes on the ground he found many pennies, nickels, quarters, and even a couple dollar bills.  The total he found over his life was $20.86.

Looking at the ground to find the money hadn't cost him anything, so he thought.  But in reality the true cost of this unbalanced way of looking at life had cost him plenty.  It cost him about 30,000 sunsets and 500 rainbows.  It cost him watching his children on the playground and other places as they grew up.  It cost him noticing the birds in the trees, the sun in the sky, and all kinds of beautiful things.  All because his look at life was so unfocused.

If we live our lives out of balance we can become like the little boy.  We will have a view of the world that misses the full panorama that the world offers us.  Balance your life. 

 Don't settle for the change on the ground.

6 Human Needs

Anyone who has travelled with me in a car knows I love listening to self-help cds. It is one way that I invest in myself, as well as utilize my time to the fullest. Rather than listen to negative media, or bad music all the time I listen to various speakers, Les Brown, Brian Tracey, Craig Grochel and probably my all-time favorite Anthony Robbins. Anthony Robbins talks 6 essentials of what we as humans need. Sometimes they conflict with each other and sometimes they can cause both pain and pleasure. But if we dig down through everything we will discover these 6 basic needs.  Once we understand these 6 basic needs, we can use this knowledge to help to change our habits. Here are Anthony Robbins 6 Human Needs

1. Certainty: assurance you can avoid pain and gain pleasure.  If I want certainty, I replay the same song or movie because I know what to expect. There are no surprises. The past does not equal the future.

2. Uncertainty/Variety: the need for the unknown, change, new stimuli. There is uncertainty in everyday and what we do with that uncertainty that shows our character. The only certain thing in life is that there is uncertainty.

3. Significance: feeling unique, important, special or needed. We all want to be important or standout, and have a purpose.  We can heal ourselves from so many things by holding onto our purpose.

4. Connection/Love: a strong feeling of closeness or union with someone or something. The thought that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves will drive us to want to connect with people.  If I help enough other people get what they want I will always get what I want and deserve.

5. Growth: an expansion of capacity, capability or understanding.  Constant and never ending improvement towards a worthwhile goal it is the foundation of the daily habits we need to create for ourselves.  What are you doing today to help you overcome what you could not do yesterday?  Step in to the unknown by choice!

6. Contribution: a sense of service and focus on helping, giving to and supporting others.  Understanding that you do not climb the high mountain alone and if you want to get to the top of the mountain then you have to help others get there before you.  Live full Die Empty

Respectfully,
Mr. Chris Rowe

Uncommon Success

I watched a video from one of my favorite authors and a mentor
Robin Sharma and here are some key highlights...
Know your ONE thing – Do not try and be all things to all
people…if you own your own business what is your one thing
that will be your game changer? That one thing, that will have
the greatest impact on your business. Maybe it is focussing on
your gift or talent. Know your one thing.
Three Key Habits – These are not goals, these are fundamental
changes that you NEED to make to get that uncommon success.
Those keys steps, that will be a part of your greater action plan,
things that will allow you to really get the most out of each day.
Here are some examples.
           a. Get up earlier so that you have time to read
           b. Journal Each day
           c. After work, take a few minutes before you go
                inside your house to set your mind clear on
                loving your family
           d. Training 2-3 times/week
Remember that you have to do something for 66 days before it
replaces old thinking.
Delete Energy Vampires – those people that when you are
around, they are complaining about…everything. How is your
day? And they unload all the bad things that have happened.
You tell them your dream or vision of your awesome future and
they try to sabotage it, by telling you how dumb it is, or that it is
stupid. Politely let them go, so that you can surround yourself
with people who will encourage, support, and drive you to
succeed.
Invest in Personal Development – Invest in seminars, books, in
audio books, anything where you can hear or read a great
message, or meet great people. It will come back at least 30
times to you. Every time you go to an event you just have to get
one good idea, lead, or confirmation to make it worthwhile.
(Personally I have many CD's of Anthony Robins, Brian Tracey,
audio books of Les Brown, Books by Robin Sharma, Steven
Covey, Paulo Cohen that I just keep listening to, or reading) Try
to go to one seminar or event each year. (Leadership Summit –
here in Kelowna in October is a great one!)
Seek out BIG Joy- First get joyful, happy, find peace and that will
lead to success. Once you get into those states you boost your
dopamine, become more energized, and have more focus. Do
those things you want to, don't wait for that promotion, for
some future event to give yourself permission to seek out BIG
joy…Do it now Do it Right Do it All applies everywhere not just
during tasks we do not want to do.
Respectfully,
Mr. Chris Rowe

The Benefits of Age Specific training in Martial arts

Most martial arts schools will have classes spread over a couple of different ages groups.  As with any business it is dependent on the number of kids in the program.  For most schools you would want to see about 5-1, or 6-1 depending on the age range of the kids, and their ability.  At Quest we have implemented a new SKILLZ program that targets a very specific age range with a small ratio of kids to instructors, and here is why…

3-4 year olds love physical activity and anything involving play. They have a rich imagination and strong desire to be less dependent on their usual caregivers. The problem we discovered is that many children this age have a hard time with structure in a group environment like what is commonly found in most Martial Arts schools. The solution we found is to provide them with their own program that targets their stage of development in a manner that keeps them entertained while at the same time building skills that set them up for success. With that said, a structured program introducing early skill-based training in Martial Arts has proven to be very successful.

5-6 year olds are the most enthusiastic students. They love creativity and problem solving, which makes them ideal students in the Martial Arts. The problem we discovered is they are so progressive in following tasks, some teachers tend to treat them like their older peers. This is a problem because they still do not have

the basic skills necessary to keep up with children ages 7 and up. The solution we found is to provide them with their own program that targets their stage of development in a manner that adapts to their social and intellectual curiosity while at the same time building skills that set them up for success. With that said a structured program introducing basic skill-based training in Martial Arts has proven to be very successful.

7-9 year olds are what most people consider "the golden age." They are proficient in their vocabulary and problem-solving skills, yet they are not at the age where they want complete independence from adults. This makes the teacher-student relationship stronger than ever. The problem we discovered is they still lack core skills, and although they are highly intelligent, they struggle to keep up with students ages 10 and up. The solution we found is to provide them with their own program that targets their stage of development in a manner that adapts to their adventurous attitude and youthful nature while at the same time building skills that set them up for success. With that said a structured program introducing core skill-based training in Martial Arts has proven to be very successful.

10-14 year olds are the smartest students in the school. Yes, they are smarter than most adults! They are also physically competent and can excel in most physical challenges that are presented to them. The problem we discovered is they are so focused on what is socially acceptable that they have a hard time keeping themselves emotionally driven to the task at hand. The solution we found is to provide them with their own program that targets their stage of development in a manner that nurtures their social and emotional instability while at the same time building skills that set them up for success. With that said a structured program introducing extreme skill-based training in Martial Arts has proven to be very successful.

As a parent it is important for you to know what your child is learning and who it is impacting them.   Make sure you stay and watch your child play and compete in martial arts class so that they can show you how they are doing, and you can encourage them at the same time.  

We think of it as martial arts skills but lessons for life.

Goal Setting for 2014

Every year at this time we tend to set New Year Resolutions,
most of which are dreams, or a vision of a Utopia that is not obtainable.
The difference between goal setting and dreaming and vision comes
from the simple act of writing it down. Only about 5% of people will set
(write down) their goals. Then even fewer take continued steps to
achieve their goals. Here are some basic steps from author and coach
Brian Tracy to remember as getting ready to make 2014 your best year
ever!

Goal setting - be SMART. Every morning take some time to review
your goals, re-write them in the presence tense as if it has happened
already. That way you begin to imbed them deep into your super
conscious. Visualize either just with your mind or use a vision board,
and get excited about the reality you are creating. It will open your mind
to the potential of the day, and you will begin to have the LUCK you
were waiting for. Really there is no such thing as luck, just your good
fortune masked in the form of your hard work.

Planning and Organizing - if you fail to plan you are planning to fail.
Plan your next move for the following day. Before bed utilize the aspect
of journaling to release any challenges that occurred that day as well
as set your super conscious mind in motion for what it will need to
work on threw out the night. Just ask the question and let the Universe
work it out. It is important to plan on paper, it helps with keeping the
goals in the front of your mind instead of hidden under the day.

Concentration on your High Value Activities - Do it Now, Do it Right,
Do it All! Do not let yourself get distracted by "tasks". Things that
could get done either by someone else or at a later time. What is the
one or two things that will bring the biggest bang for your buck!
Exercise and Proper Nutrition - Garbage in Garbage out! Your health
is more important than anything else. By disciplining yourself to
exercise regularly and to eat carefully, you will promote the highest
possible levels of health and fitness throughout your life. As well
when you FEEL physically strong you will be mentally strong.

Learning and Growth - Learners are Earners! Your mind is like a
muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Continuous learning and
personal growth is the minimum requirement for success in any field.
Time for Important People in Your Life - Self, Family, Business. It all
begins with you...it is not selfish to take time for you to do something
that inspires you. Maybe that is coming to Quest to train, maybe sit and
meditate or read. Then remember that without your friends and family
any success you have will feel hollow. Be sure that in climbing the
ladder of success, you do not find it leaning against the wrong building.
Build time for your relationships into every day, no matter how busy
you get.

Finally it all comes down to Action! It is not what you know but what
you do with what you know! The best laid plans or of no use unless
you take the steps to make it happen. Watching the most motivational
videos, or read books does nothing if you don't do something with it.


Respectfully,
Mr. Chris Rowe