Author: Master Dufour

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Mindfulness

Do you ever feel like you are everywhere but where you are? Constantly? You are not alone. Even the famous jedi master, Luke Skywalker, was chastised by Yoda for his inability to stay present. So what do we do to not feel so stretched out and more in the moment? Glad you asked.

Here are a few tips to help with being more mindful.

Slow Down
Our society moves at a very rapid pace. When you start to feel yourself falling into the fast lane, stop and take a breath. Slow down and focus on what you are doing.

Practice Makes Better
Just like anything else we talk about, you just have to work at it. Start with simple tasks like brushing your teeth, eating food and conversations. Build that mindful muscle daily:)

Smell the Roses
Have you ever noticed the difference between driving in a car or walking the same route? Yes, one is quicker. However, the experience is different. When you walk, you have the ability to see more things around you. Take the time to go for a walk and see the beauty of the world we live in.

The next time you feel yourself being stretched in a million directions, slow down and take a breath. This practice will help you with enjoying the beauty around us.  Best wishes in your journey of a better you. Tang Soo!IMG_0170

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Flexibility

Do you ever find yourself so stuck in your ways that compromise is not an option? Trust me, I understand. I’m a very stubborn person. However, I’ve found more peace when I remember to be flexible.

Here are a few tips to help with being flexible.

Take a Breath
When you find you are losing patience with a person, stop and take a breath. Breathing helps us to calm down and be more flexible. Feel the emotions, but breathe to supply you with the needed flexibility to find the solution for the situation.

Practice Makes Better
To improve any area of our life, we just have to work at it consistently. Start with being flexible in trivial situations. Strive to be less rigid and more understanding. Becoming more flexible in small ordeals will help us to become more rational when the big challenges hit us in life.

Win By Losing
Often times, we may feel like we are losing when we choose to be kind over being right. The thought of listening to another person’s perspective is often viewed as weakness. Personally, I feel it takes a great deal of strength to truly listen to a different opinion. By being flexible in those type of situations, we can be respectful and build bridges.

Flexibility is great for both the mind and body. By taking a breath, working at it and letting go we will find more peace and balance in our daily life.  Best wishes in your journey of a better you. Tang Soo!

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Competition

As a kid, I loved to compete with others. You name it, we competed with each other. Ultimately, we all pushed each other to improve.

As an adult, my focus has changed with competition. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy winning just as much as the next person. My focus has switched from the desire to beat the other person to beating my last (you fill in the blank). This shift in focus has given me more peace of mind and clarity. It’s so much healthier.

Here are a few tips to help with competition.

Create Improvement
Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” If you want to do better than the previous competition, you need to do the consistent work required. Be disciplined and reap the benefits.

Feedback
One of the first steps for improvement is to be honest with your performance. Seek feedback from individuals that will be honest with you. If you play the blame game, you will never improve. Develop a plan around the honest feedback you receive.

Measure
This is such a great method to improve yourself. Through measuring, you can quantify to see if you made progress. If it’s a race, did I run faster than last time? Faster by one second? That’s progress. If you don’t measure, you don’t know where you are.

Competition can be a great way to grow. By creating improvement, seeking feedback and measuring your progress, you will discover a better you. Remember to look in the mirror each day to find your biggest competition. Best wishes in your journey of a better you. Tang Soo!

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Grit

Have you ever wondered what was the driving force for successful individuals? Research from West Point has shown that talent and discipline are not exactly the only important ingredients. Discipline is great for staying on task, but not for high challenge achievement.

Individuals that possessed grit were found highly likely to be successful in high challenging environments. So what is grit and how can we get more of it?  Grit is the ability to stick with something and refuse to quit. It’s passion and perseverance. So how do we improve our personal level of grit? Here are a few tips.

Clarity with Purpose
If we know the reason why we are doing something, it makes it a lot easier to stick with it. Reflect on the last thing you gave up. Most of the time, we lost our purpose.  What are your dreams and goals? Be clear with your purpose. Write it down, post it and read it daily.

Nurture Your Enthusiasm
Having enthusiasm is not something that occurs by accident. It’s like taking a shower. You have to take them daily. Find positive ways to build your enthusiasm. The best time is when you start your day. A few examples include listening to positive speakers, reading inspirational material, doing kind deeds and working out. When we are enthusiastic, we are more likely to stay on task with our goals.

Make The Time
When we don’t work on our goals, we run out of fuel to reach our goals. By making time for our passion, we will find improvement and motivation. This is better known as practice:) Again, staying the course is what grit is all about. Block out time and stick with it.

We can all use a little or a lot more grit in our daily lives. By being clear with our purpose, nurturing our enthusiasm and making the time to improve, we will have more grit than John Wayne. Good luck in your journey of a better you. Tang Soo!

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Diligence

When was the last time you heard the word diligence used in a conversation? Exactly. I can’t remember either. As a preacher’s kid (pk), I would hear this word all the time:)

So why are we talking about diligence this week? It is all about becoming the best version of ourselves. Let’s take a look.

Diligence is the quality of being constant with careful effort. It’s something that a lot of people struggle with in their daily journey. Let’s face it. Being constant takes work and can be challenging at times. To help us get on the right track, here are a few tips for you.

Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance
This is such a great one. Having a plan will give us a road map to where we are headed. No plan = no diligence. Prepare for success with a solid plan.

Manage Your Time
A diligent individual manages their time to ensure they accomplish their goals. Sometimes you simply have to say no to things/activities that will interrupt your ability to stay on task.

Track Your Progress
When we can see that we are closing in on success, we stay motivated. If you are a visual person, create a chart that helps you see your progress.

The word diligence is not used often these days, but we could use more of it in our society. By making a solid plan, managing your time and tracking your progress, we can be more diligent. Good luck in your journey of a better you. Tang Soo!

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Confidence

Nothing beats the feeling of confidence and everything beats the feeling of a lack of confidence. We’ve all experienced both sides of the spectrum.So what can we do to avoid that fretful feeling and replace it with a strong sense of I can do this type attitude?Here are a few tips to build your confidence.

Consistent Practice
By working at something regularly, you are going to get better at it. We all know that as we improve in an activity, we receive the gift of confidence. Do the work. Be relentless.

Avoid Stinking Thinking
It’s easy to be positive when we are good at something. If you are lacking confidence, keep focusing on the positive. Find the silver lining.  PMA (positive mental attitude) will help you to the road of having more confidence.Stand on the

Shoulders of Giants
Study individuals that are great at what you want to be great. See what they are doing that you are not. No need to reinvent the wheel. There’s always a map to success. Find it follow it and become more confident.Build more confidence in your daily life by being relentless, staying positive and learning from the greats. It’s your time. Go get it!

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Labor Day

In observance of Labor Day, we will be closed on Monday, September 2nd.  We hope you have a safe and enjoyable time with your family and friends.

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Belt Promotions

We are looking forward to everyone getting promoted to their next rank on Thurs., Aug 29 (during class time) at the dojang. If you are unable to make it, please send us a quick message so we can plan on promoting you and/or your child at the next class.  Unless told otherwise, we will promote our After School Prgm students during their class time. Congratulations to everyone on a job well done!
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Balance

I’ll never forget the day that I discovered a simple way to improve my balance. Let me explain.When I was a kid, we would do an exercise in class that would require balance on one leg. The non supporting leg would be bent and rotate clockwise then counter clockwise. Many of us would wobble around, while the senior students would stay steady and balanced.After feeling a bit frustrated, I carefully watched my instructor, Master King. I discovered one thing that she was doing that I was not. She focused her eyes on one point and was extremely balanced.

I gave it a try and my balance improved immediately. This revelation sparked motivation in my heart. I started to apply this with other areas of my training and life.

This simple lesson in balance is a great life lesson in finding more balance in our daily life. Often times we are imbalanced due to our lack of focus. Slow down, focus on the task at hand, be present and discover more balance in your life. It’s a simple adjustment but one that will spark motivation within you.

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Consistent

When starting something new, it’s easy to be excited. After the newness has worn off, most people struggle with being consistent.  So how do you stay consistent? Great question. In my humble opinion, there’s more than one thing that we need to do. Here are a few tips to help you stay consistent.PURPOSE
When we know our why, it’s easier to be consistent. I want be healthier, so going for this walk will be enjoyable. If you’re a visual person, try writing down your purpose and post it in a visible place Read it daily.

START WITH THE END IN MIND

When you are struggling with being consistent, try thinking about the result of doing the task. We all know the feeling we get from completing a task or doing something to help complete the task.GET IT IN THE HABIT
We are all creatures of habit. With this in mind, develop activities around the goal that you have set forth. Be specific. On this day/time, I will do (fill in the blank) . If we give ourselves too many outs, we will derail ourselves.

BELIEVE & ACHIEVE
Our belief system has a dramatic effect on whether we are consistent or not. Be aware that stinking thinking doesn’t creep in and ruin our pursuit towards success. Keep telling yourself, I CAN DO IT.If you are struggling with being consistent, be patient and keep plugging away. Life can be challenging, but we can find more peace and joy through consistently doing the right things.

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