Slow Dance

The following poem was shared in our Adult Karate class by a junior student. It is one that moved her and she wanted to share her emotional connection with others. It moved us as well so we wanted to share it with as many others as possible.

Part of taking control of your life is about opening yourself up to emotional attachments and letting beautiful words speak to you.

Here is Slow Dance.

Slow Dance
by
David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Do you run through each day on the fly
When you ask "How are you?" do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away...

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Universal Kempo Karate Schools Big Show

One of the many ways you can control your life is by joining with others who have similar goals and sharing your life with them. Universal Kempo Karate Schools Association is a great place to build positive relationships, learn self-defense, build moral character and stay in good physical condition; all things that go into taking control of your life.

Please enjoy this short clip from our bi-ennial Big Show. You will see hundreds of future Black Belts showing you how they focus and control their own lives and are building a brighter future for themselves.










Success in the martial arts helps build the character and discipline that can lead to success in all other aspects of your life.



Call 282-6885 to ask about a free introductory lesson! Or visit www.coskarate.com
Universal Kempo Karate Schools Association at Frontier Elementary in north Colorado Springs offers a fun safe environment for children and adults to learn the art of self defense and promote physical fitness and confidence that will last a lifetime.

Take Control Lesson 6: Are you rudderless?

Lesson 6

A life without goals is like sailing a ship without a rudder.

You may see some interesting sights but the choice wasn't yours.

 

What are your goals? Amazingly enough, most people can't answer this simple question. If pressed, they'll come up with generalities like "To be happy" or "To be a better person" but very few people can express specific, measurable long-term or short-term goals. As a result, they lead their lives on auto-pilot.

Get up. Go to work. Come home. Eat dinner. Watch TV. Go to bed. Repeat.

But we were put on this earth not just to survive but to thrive. And I truly believe that setting goals is the best, most assured way to take control of your life and be happy.

Understand that a goal is different from a resolution. A resolution is often meant to correct a negative – lose weight, quit smoking, etc. These are fine efforts in themselves but they are not positive, constructive goals. A goal should be something that adds value to your life or the lives of those around you. Getting a degree, raising money for charity, learning a new language… the list goes on and on.

You should start small but you should start. Read a book on goal setting (I recommend the author Brian Tracy but there are many others to choose from). Set a goal, work on it and check it off your list. You'll be amazed at how satisfying that will be and how much control it adds to your life.

 

 

Senior Head Instructor Brad Mears
Universal Kempo Karate Schools Association
at Frontier Elementary in Colorado Springs, CO
www.COSKarate.com

Take Control Lesson 5: You influence others through more than your words

Lesson 5

You cannot control someone else's life but you can and do influence them every time you are together.

This influence will either be positive or negative and will come back to you eventually.

 
You are a person of influence with everyone you meet. Your words, behavior, actions and attitude influence how they feel about you. And how they feel about you drives how they respond to you. Influence them in a negative way and they will be uncooperative and will not look for ways to help you. But if you influence them in a positive way, they will truly enjoy being around you, working toward a common goal and helping you in many different ways.


 
Imagine how much control you would feel in your life if there were dozens of people you could call on for help. If there were people that looked out for your best interests even when you aren't around. If every suggestion was met with open ears and an open mind. Think how much more you could accomplish.


 
All that and more is possible if you understand that your influence over others is always happening. Invest the effort to make every contact a positive one and the feedback will be tremendous.


 
Senior Head Instructor Brad Mears
Universal Kempo Karate Schools Association
at Frontier Elementary in Colorado Springs, CO
www.COSKarate.com

Take Control Lesson 4: How do you handle change?

Lesson 4

There are changes in your life that will occur as the result of age, injury or disease and the effects of these changes can range from trivial to quite pronounced.

But how you respond to these changes will have a far greater impact on the quality of your life than the changes themselves.

 

It is the rare person that can go through life without injury or disease and we all know how getting older can slow down the body. These things are unavoidable. You can wish that they didn't happen but you'll have better luck standing in the front yard wishing it would rain gumdrops.

 

When you are faced with a change due to age, disease or injury, you have two choices – you can focus on the things you can't do quite the same any more or you can focus on how to do the things you can. In most cases, there are ways to overcome limitations if you look hard enough.

 

The most important thing to remember is that "stepping up" beats "giving up" every time. When you live your life the very best that you can – with the body that you have – you will have a far richer life than you would if you sat dreaming about what might have been.

 

Senior Head Instructor Brad Mears
Universal Kempo Karate Schools Association
at Frontier Elementary in Colorado Springs, CO
www.COSKarate.com