ARE YOU CREATING A QUITTER?

Summer vacation is finally here, and now that school is done your child might also be ready to put an end to his other commitments. Whether it’s the baseball team, summer camp, or karate class, it is inevitable that at some point your child is going to want to quit. So how do you handle it?

First, realize that this is a great opportunity to talk to your child about perseverance, which s a life skill that is absolutely vital to his success. You can talk about perseverance until you’re blue in the face, but until the time comes when your child actually wants to quit it’s difficult to put it into practice.

There are a couple instances in which it is okay to let your child quit. First, if it is an unsafe environment. If during any activity, there are clearly unsafe conditions you must remove your child from that environment.  No activity is worth the chance of a serious injury.  The second is if the activity has no value.  Families are just too busy nowadays to participate in any activity that is not going to increase their child’s chances for success.  Any activity your child participates in should help him to become more confident, more disciplined, and more focused.

Most the time, however, quitting should not be an option. What if your child says he is bored?  Boredom is often a sign that your child just needs to be challenged differently. If your child says he’s bored, talk to the coach, counselor, or instructor about what you can do to re-motivate him so he can continue to grow.

He might say it’s too hard, but the only way to experience growth is to step outside of your comfort zone.  In any kind of development, it has to be hard before it is easy.  Working through that discomfort or difficulty is what is going to give your child the confidence to overcome other obstacles in the future.  

Another reason kids want to quit is that they are involved in too many activities. One of the most important lessons we can teach is time management and how to prioritize commitments.  If your child committed to something, now is a great time to teach those lessons.  Once the commitment is fulfilled, talk as a family about which activities you all think are most important to continue. Remember to give more weight to those activities that have more value.

Many times a child will want to quit when starting a new grade or school.  We know one of the best ways to develop confidence is through past experience.  In times of transition, whether it’s starting a new school or a new grade, it’s important that children have something consistent that they know they’re good at.  Even with an increased workload, they should have a positive, structured after-school activity that will help to develop focus and good work habits.

You might feel bad about forcing your child to stick with it, but why? It’s good for him, isn’t it? You force him to brush his teeth, take baths, eat his vegetables, turn off the TV and do his homework, right? This should be no different. As a parent it is your responsibility to look out for your child’s best interest even when they don’t like what that means in the short term.

Contributed by Solomon Brenner master instructor Action Karate and Author of Black Belt Parenting: The Art of Raising Your Child for Success

GET IT DONE

Let’s say an old friend called you up today and said, “I have a couple extra tickets for a group trip to the Bahamas. My boss is flying us down on his private jet, we’re staying at his villa right on the beach, you can bring a friend and it won’t cost you a dime.” Right now you’re thinking, Okay, let’s go! But then your friend says, “We leave tomorrow morning at 8am.”  Your brain immediately starts thinking about all the things you’d have to do before you can leave and you ask the friend if you can call him back and let him know.

​You wonder how you’ll possibly get it all done in time. Right away you start making a list of all the things you have to do, then you rank them in order of priority. You delegate some of the responsibilities to others, and plan out how and when you can get the rest done. You call your friend back and say, “You know what, my schedule just cleared up for tomorrow. See you on the tarmac!”

​If this scenario were true, you would probably accomplish more in one day than you usually do all week. So why don’t you go to the Bahamas tomorrow—every day? List all the things you have to do in the next three days and act as if you only have one day to get it all done. This will force you to think, plan and delegate before you start working.

​People often complain about a lack of time, but what they are really lacking is direction. By changing general goals or “to-dos” into specific self-direction, you can accomplish so much more than you usually do, allowing you to go to the Bahamas—or anywhere else you want to go—in the tomorrows of your life.

​Procrastination is a habit, but it only takes three weeks to create a new habit, one that involves getting the most out of every day. By immediately taking care of the things you have to do, you will have much more time to do the things you want to do. Time can be an ally or an enemy—it all depends on your determination to use it fully.

​I find that writing things down—goals, to-do lists, reminders—keeps me organized and makes it possible to achieve more. Be as specific as possible in your goals and set a timeline for yourself. No one else is going to hold you accountable—you have to be your own referee, coach and cheerleader. That means admitting when something didn’t work, figuring out how to do it better next time, and giving yourself a pat on the back each time you make progress, rather than punishing yourself when you don’t do something you needed to.

​This kind of self-discipline takes a lot of practice, and for that reason it’s something you should try to teach your kids at a young age. For kids, pretty much everything they do is based on someone else holding them accountable. They do their homework because if they don’t, their teacher will discipline them. They do their chores because if they don’t, their parents will discipline them.

When they grow up, however, there won’t always be someone there to hold them accountable. That’s why it’s important for you to set the example that doing things you don’t necessarily want to do has its benefits. If you live every day to be as productive as possible, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to sit on a beach—and do nothing.

Contributed by Author of Black Belt Parenting and Action Karate Master instructor Solomon Brenner

THERE AIN'T NO FREE LUNCH

Many years ago a wise old king called the most intelligent men in his kingdom together and gave them an assignment. He wanted them to compile the wisdom of the ages and put it in book form to leave it for posterity.

The wise men worked for a long period of time, then finally returned with twelve volumes they proclaimed held the wisdom of the ages. The king looked at the twelve volumes and, concerned that no one would want to read such a lengthy collection, asked the wise men to condense it. The wise men again went off and worked for a long time to condense it, finally returning with one volume. The king, however, knew that it was still too long, so he told them to further condense their work.

The wise men reduced the volume to a chapter, and then to a page, then to a paragraph, and finally to a sentence. When the king saw the sentence, he was absolutely thrilled and said, “Gentlemen, this is truly the wisdom of the ages, and as soon as all men everywhere learn this truth, then most of our problems will be solved.” The sentence simply said, “There is no free lunch.”

Many times the reason we become disappointed or discouraged when trying to reach a goal is because we have unrealistic expectations. You can’t eat whatever you want and exercise only when you feel like it and expect to lose weight. You can’t skate by doing the bare minimum at work and expect a promotion. You have to work for everything that you want.

Hard work can sometimes seem like a dirty word, and there are those who avoid it like the plague, but when you get down to it good old hard work is usually the best answer for how to get from where you are now to where you want to be.

Some goals can seem dauntingly large. Breaking it down can help it seem more manageable. Create a schedule for yourself in which you work towards your goal a certain amount of time everyday. Take classes, attend seminars, read books. Do all that you can to prepare yourself for success and create the right mindset for what you want to achieve.

You as an adult know that no one is going to hand you things just because you want or ask for them, so why treat your children that way? It’s tough saying no sometimes, but you are the parent and have to think about the lessons you are teaching you kids when you give in to their demands.

You’ve probably been in this situation before: you’re in the store and your child is insisting that he must have a toy. Your instinct is to quiet your child immediately by whatever means, especially if he’s crossed over into tantrum mode.

Instead of handing over the goods, make your child work for the things he wants. For young children, create a system by which they can earn a special treat by doing chores or being extra nice to their siblings. If they are older, you can let them buy it themselves once they have earned the money through chores or a part-time job. This can teach them a great sense of responsibility. That way when they are out on their own they won’t expect the world handed to them—they’ll know there’s no free lunch.

Contributed by Solomon Brenner Author of Black Belt Parenting and Master Instructor for Action Karate

WHAT FLEAS CAN TEACH YOU

Ever wonder how people train fleas for a flea circus? Probably not, but the flea trainers actually have an important lesson to teach us about reaching our full potential.

You train fleas by putting them in a jar with a lid on top of it. Fleas jump, so initially they will jump and hit the lid of the jar over and over again. Eventually, they will stop hitting the lid. They adjust the height at which they jump to prevent themselves from hitting the hard surface. You can then take the lid off the jar and the fleas won’t jump out. They have conditioned themselves to jump to a certain height, so they won’t ever jump higher than that.

People are the same way. When we first start going after our goals or ambitions, life seems limitless. Along the way we hit roadblocks, fall down and drag ourselves back up again. We are susceptible to the negative influence of other people. Eventually we stop trying to jump quite so high. The realm of possibility seems much smaller.

A great example of this is Roger Bannister. In 1954, the thought of a runner doing a four-minute mile was unheard of. Everyone, trainers and doctors alike, agreed that it could not be done. Roger Bannister didn’t let this lid keep him down. In 1954 he ran the first four-minute mile. Less than six weeks later another runner broke the barrier. Soon athletes the world over started running four-minute miles.

So what happened in those six weeks? People didn’t suddenly become physically faster. The barrier was mental, not physical. People were breaking it because someone had shown them it was possible.

Creating these mental blocks for yourself (or letting them be created by others) cheats you of your true potential. The second you think, “I can’t,” it becomes true. If you don’t believe you can do something, there’s no way you’re even going to try, let alone succeed.

For example, let’s say you want to start your own business, but then tell yourself there’s just no way you’ll ever be able to afford the initial investment you need. You’ve just officially given up on your goal. You will never open your business because you’ve told yourself that it’s impossible.

Instead of saying, “I can’t,” start thinking, “how can I?” You open yourself up to a whole new world of possibilities. Maybe you couldn’t afford the investment by yourself, but by changing the terms of your thinking you might find another way to attain outside investors. Always explore more than one avenue. The mind is like a parachute: it only works if it’s open. With the right mindset, you can jump out of the jar.

Contributed by Solomon Brenner Author of Black belt Parenting and Master Instructor for Action Karate.

APRIL NEWSLETTER

We were thrilled to see so many of you at the AK5K yesterday. It was a beautiful day for the event! Coming up next is the Action Karate Invitational. Hope to see you there. ASAH!

REMEMBERING MARK HOWIE

Last week we lost a very wonderful assistant instructor, Mr. Mark Howie. In his memory, his friend Mr. Joe Collins wanted to share these kind words. 

MARCH NEWSLETTER

Check out the March edition of the Action Karate Newtown monthly newsletter. We have some great events coming up. Hope to see you there. ASAH!

Post-Promotion Humility

After a big week of Promotion nights, I take a few minutes every Friday and reflect on the past weeks events, and if any changes could have been made. “Tweaking”, we call it. We often learn that things we thought would work didn’t, and things we were worried about, went very well. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, but we can always strive to make it even more awesome for the next time.
We now know that we may need to block out more time, have more available seating, and resolve a small parking issue. Nothing earth shattering. Over the years we have streamlined the promotion process, and I have to admit, I was very pleased with how efficient the nights were!

I love my job. When someone asks me what I do for a living, I say I have fun working with my kids. My kids. Not my students, not the yellow belts. My kids. I try my best to take the time out of every class to chat with a few of them. Find out how they are doing, how school is going, what they ate for lunch. It does not matter to me if they are shy, nervous, bold, brave, disabled, blind or outgoing. I want to learn everything about them. It helps me stay grounded, and gives me humility when I think I have it all covered. Promotion nights to me are the times when families come together to watch their child promote, succeed, and overcome challenges. I have seen parents cry, laugh, cheer, and wave banners. It can get a little crazy in the parent seating area sometimes! 

We work very hard to make it a “different” type of fun. When the week is over, complete and utter exhaustion sets in right around 12:00 on Saturday. Our brains are mush. Our bodies are hurting. We are looking for a nice sunny vacation. But then, on Sunday night we remember why we do what we do and pick ourselves up and set up a brand new rotation for the following Monday. New forms, katas, kicks, punches and drills. Exciting stuff! Games, goals, sparring drills, and ASAH Shark silliness. We set our yearly calendars to promotion weeks. It is a goal for us, just like it is for the kids. And for the adults also!

Last week something wonderful happened at one of the promotion nights. One of my kids was very nervous about performing an advanced kata called Tiger. This young woman has been through a lot since the day she came into this world. Over the last five years I have watched her grow and blossom into a lovely, smart, caring, BRAVE person. A front kick five inches off the floor was a huge challenge for her when she first walked into my studio. She never gave up, always tried harder; she sets goals for herself and achieves every one. She earned her Junior Black Belt alongside the rest of her class with zero complaints. With a smile on her face the entire time. Now, if you have tested for your Black Belt, you understand how tough it can be. She pushed the other kids to keep going when they wanted to give up!
Last night, she admitted to me that Tiger kata can be intimidating. I agree! She felt she needed a guide next to her for balance issues. I have to admit, I was nervous, I haven’t performed Tiger in front of a large group in a long time. When it was her turn to perform, I stood right next to her, we did the kata together. And when it was all over, I felt my heart burst out of my chest. I have never been so humbled to the point of tears. I am so incredibly proud of this young lady. A standing ovation, cheers, cow bells were ringing - it was overwhelming. One simple phrase “Thank you Miss Anne” and a HUGE smile on her face made it the best night ever. That was more than enough.
Jenna, you are my inspiration. Thank you for grounding me this week, helping me overcome my personal challenges, and making promotion night at 7:00 Thursday, February 21st the most inspirational night of the year. You ROCK! I wish you success in everything you do in your life. Thank you for being a part of my fun job, and my life. You made me remember why I do what I do and why I love it.

P.S. Tiger kata ROCKS! Chhhh……

Miss Anne
Instructor, Action Karate Newtown

EYE ON THE PRIZE

The air on the Santa Monica pier is usually alive with the emissions of countless biological organisms, giving it that fresh, faintly fish-smelling sourness that lets you know that you're in the midst of life. And this despite the fact that tons of raw sewage are dumped there into the Pacific every day. So, it was a natural choice a few Saturdays ago to head down to the sea for some lunch and some air.

As I got toward the end of the pier, I noticed a large barrel by the door of one of the restaurants. As I got closer I could see that the barrel was full of live crabs, clawing, clanking, crawling all over each other. I looked around and saw no one near the barrel and I thought to myself how could anyone leave a barrel full of crabs outside? Wouldn't more than one of them with aspirations of sweet freedom crawl out and take a headlong dive a la Greg Louganis into the deep blue? This was bad business practice I said and I went inside to tell the manager I thought so.

I found the honcho and began laying it down. What were you thinking? A bucket full of live crabs near the water? I told him he was a fool for leaving so much of his business to chance, and at the sound of these words, the man perked up and began to fire back.

"You're the fool," he told me calmly. "Go outside and watch those crabs!"

I wondered what he was talking about. Perhaps there was someone outside watching the beasts to make sure they wouldn't crawl away; some young teenager perhaps in need of a summer job to pay for his martial arts classes. Or perhaps there was a clear lid on top of the barrel I had missed in my earlier observation.

But as I got outside, I looked and there was no one watching and no lid over them. But what I did see was remarkable. In the orgiastic clambering, if one of the animals attempted to crawl over the side of the barrel, the others around it would latch on and pull it back down into the abyss of crab Hades. None of the crabs could get out because the others made sure to it; it's in their nature.

There was a lesson to be learned there on that pier. There are crab equivalents in my life, I thought. There are those around me that try to pull me back down when I have my eye on the prize; the kind of people who, not always intentionally, draw me away from the goals I've set for myself.

We all want out of the bucket; in fact we go through great lengths to make sure that someday we will. But we all have crabs around us; boyfriend or girlfriend crabs, mother, father crabs, best friend crabs; the people who call us up to go out to a movie when it's time to train. And maybe it's in people's nature as well, after all, no one wants to go to a movie alone.

Then I realized there isn't much I can do to minimize my contact with some of those people around me because they're so close to me, but what I can do is keep my eye on the prize, stay focused on my vision and stick to the flight plan like I talked about before. The crabs may get their claws on my body, but if my mind can escape their grip, then the body will soon follow.

The grip of prying claws may not be easy to escape, but there are great rewards beyond the boundaries of the confining barrel. If you are able to identify those who are keeping you back, and free yourself from the allure of slacking off, you will find a vast ocean waiting for you to escape into as well.

Action Karate Newtown Awarded Business of the Year

Action Karate Newtown has been awarded Business of the Year by the Newtown Business Association for 2012! Chosen by the Board out of over 250 businesses in Newtown. 

This distinguished award is to honor and recognize an exemplary NBA business. The companies members had dedicated, time, support, and participation, in an effort to help the NBA as an organization, in turn supporting the NBA's mission of promoting Newtown as an ideal place to live, shop, and work.

To celebrate this accomplishment, we are offering a $20.12 Deal for NEW students. You will receive a First Lesson, Uniform, and a Free month of class. If you enroll during your month, you will receive a discount of $20.12 on your tuition for the first 9 months! 

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

There are only two ways to change your own attitude:

1.) Change your physiology: practice being in slumped position. Then go to good posture. …clapping jumping…fist pump, etc.

2.) Ask your self the right questions - What am I happy about this week? What am I proud of?

The process of human change begins within us. We all have tremendous potential. We all desire good results from our efforts. Most of us are willing to work hard and to pay the price that success and happiness demand.

Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential—that produces the intensity of our activity and predicts the quality of the result we receive—is our attitude.

Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.

No one else "makes us angry." We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose, not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.

If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.

If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value, which must be protected accordingly. Beware of the vandals and thieves among us who would injure our positive attitude or seek to steal it away.

Having the right attitude is one of the basics that success requires. The combination of a sound personal philosophy and a positive attitude about ourselves and the world around us gives us an inner strength and a firm resolve that influences all the other areas of our existence.

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

If you haven't had a chance to yet, you can check out the Action Karate Newtown monthly newsletter on our blog for updates and announcements. You can also pickup a copy in our parent area during class. ASAH!

WHAT IS TACT?

Everyone has been taught that honesty is the best policy. The truth is not always pretty, however. Sometimes the blunt truth can be extremely hurtful. Tact is the ability to know how to express the truth in carefully worded terms to avoid hurting others’ feelings. If you must make a statement that could upset another person, then use the skill of tact to say it in the least hurtful way. Tact will also help you to avoid insults and rude replies.

As a martial artist, you should use tact as a natural part of your everyday manners. It’s the responsibility of every martial artist to protect others, and that includes their feelings. Feelings are extremely valuable to people. It is important that you always protect those feelings by learning and using tact. Let’s explore some examples of tact and how to use it correctly.

Example 1: One of your classmates invites you to his birthday party. A rude reply: “I don’t like you, so I won’t be there.” A tactful reply: “I won’t be able to make it, but thank you for the invitation.”

Example 2: Your friend asks you, “Do you like my new shoes?” A rude reply: “Those shoes are ugly.” A tactful reply: “They’re not my style, but they look good on you.”

Example 3: You are visiting a friend’s house and his mom serves meatloaf, which you do not like. A rude comment: “I hate meatloaf.” A tactful reply: “I do not usually eat meatloaf, but thank you for offering me dinner.”

In each situation above, there is the potential to hurt the other person’s feelings. By making a tactful reply, you demonstrate good character. You should choose the tactful way to respond all of the time. Remember, you need not lie to be tactful. You are tactful because you care about others’ feelings, and you want to avoid hurting or offending them.

People who use tact tend to have more friends and they are better leaders. They attract people because they make others feel good. If you want to be a great friend and leader, then you should always think about using tact when speaking with others.

SELF-ESTEEM

Self-esteem is an important tool in your child’s development. The way a person views himself affects not only the way the rest of the world sees him, but also how far he will go in life. If a child lacks the self-esteem needed to work towards his goals, they are never going to reach them.

One way children develop their self-esteem is through praise. For children, especially at a young age, this may be one of the only ways they can judge right from wrong. Praising children when they do something right, behave well or even give something their best effort will encourage them to continue acting that way.

Something you might try in your own home to help a child’s self-esteem is setting up a star chart, similar to what many school teachers do. If the child does a good deed or is especially good all day, they get a gold star on their chart. Each time they misbehave, a star is taken away. Set up a certain number of stars the child needs to reach in order to get a special prize like a trip to the park or their favorite dinner.

As your children pursue their goals, they will turn to you for help. Simply praising everything they do will leave them no room for growth, but don’t set them up for disappointment by aiming for perfection either. Instead, set reasonable expectations and goals for improvement. By taking on a method of constructive criticism that reflects the positive aspects of your child’s attempts but also gives suggestions for improvement, you will help them overcome obstacles that may get in the way of reaching their goals as well as give them a healthy self-esteem. Be sure to point out something positive before and after you give suggestions for improvement. Always criticize privately and praise publicly.

When pointing out the negative and the positive at the same time, it is important not to use the word “but,” which will cause your child to focus on only the negative aspect. It puts a wall between what they are doing wrong and how they can improve. For example, compare these two sentences: “Great job finishing all of your homework, but these two questions are wrong.” “Great job finishing your homework. You might want to look these two questions over again.” Do you see how the first sentence seems only to point out the flaw? The second sentence not only offers praise for the homework being done, but it also offers suggestion for improvement.

Letting your children be themselves is an important part of giving them high self-esteem. If you are judging them all the time, they will eventually come to view everyone’s judgment as a dictation of how they should act. They should learn that it doesn’t matter what other people think as long as you believe you are being true to yourself and doing the right thing.

To encourage individuality at a young age, let your children pick out which clothes they want to wear. As long as you make sure it is weather-appropriate, this is a great way for them to express themselves and get a sense of independence. Be sure to praise the great job they did, even if the clothes don’t exactly match. Letting children make harmless decisions when they are young is good practice for real decision making when they are older.

Self-esteem is not something that your children can learn. It is something that needs to be developed and nurtured in order to grow. You don’t want your child thinking he or she is better than everyone else, but having a strong sense of self-esteem in essential to your child’s success in life.

Contributed by Solomon Brenner.  Author Black Belt Parenting "the art of raising your child for success" Master instructor of Action Karate

WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?

A group of rail workers were doing some repairs at a railway station when a train rolled to a stop. The president of the railroad company they worked for stepped off the train, and spotted one of the workers there. “Dave! How great to see you. Why don’t you step into my car for a bit?”

Dave joined the president in his train car, which was fitted with all the modern fixtures and amenities that any person could wish for. The car had heating and air conditioning, a TV, reclining seats and ample legroom. It was twice as large as any of the other cars on the train and the president had it all to himself.

After some time Dave emerged from the train car and his fellow workers rushed at him with questions, demanding to know how he, a mere worker, was on a first name basis with the president of the company. “Jim and I started working for this company on the same day,” Dave replied.

The two men had put in the same number of years with the company, yet one had risen to become president while the other retained pretty much the same position he had on his first day. The difference is that Dave went to work for $1.75, while Jim went to work for the railroad.

Like Jim, we have to take pride in whatever we do. If we try something half-heartedly or settle for good enough, we will never improve. No one can make you give your best effort; that is up to you. You may not like your job, but you’re never going to like it if you don’t do something to change, whether your goal is to move to a higher position or save enough money go after the job you really want.

Your child might not like math, but if he only puts in the bare minimum amount of time he should be studying or doing homework, he will never improve--and he will always hate math.

Sometimes it's hard even putting enough effort into the things we do want to do. If you are exercising to lose weight, build muscle, or just keep yourself healthy, you're never going to improve if you only do the a few reps. You've got to push yourself to your absolute limit.

If your child wants to start on the football team, but he skips practice once a week and barely pays attention when he is there, he's not going to reach that goal. He has to focus his energies in order to see results.

We all know that in life there are things we want to do, and then things we have to do. If you only focus on what has to get done without putting forth your best efforts in whatever you do, you are headed for a life of mediocrity. If you want a great life, you have to be great.

Contributed by Solomon Brenner Master Instructor Action Karate and author of Success Secrets of Black Belt  Masters" For more info call 215.355.5003

EARN 10x MORE: FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS

It’s that time of year again, the time for New Year’s resolutions. Rather than make some unrealistic proclamation that you know you’re going to forget about by February, why not set a real and achievable goal for yourself, and plan out the steps you will take to reach it?

A great way to help you make and maintain your resolutions is to set SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for the criteria you need to follow when setting and following you goals. It stands for Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Roadblocks, and Timetable.

First, Specific: you want to make your goals as specific as possible. The more detailed the better. Don’t just say you want to lose weight. Say how much weight you want to lose. Say how you’re going to lose it. How many times a week are you going to exercise? For how long? What diet changes are you doing to make? By being specific you not only give yourself a clear vision of you goal, you also lay out the steps you will take to achieve it.

You want to make sure your goal is Measureable. By this I mean you can look back and say definitively whether or not you achieved your goal. If your goal is to spend more time with family, it’s difficult to look back at the end of the year and say whether or not you achieved that. To make your goal more measureable, you might say, “I want to spend three extra hours with my family each week by having a family dinner every Sunday.” At the end of the month, it’s easy to say whether you did that or not. By making goals measureable you give yourself a tool to see if you are staying on track, and an opportunity to decide what to change if you are not.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when setting goals is being to general or by trying to achieve too large a goal all at once. This is how we become easily discouraged. You want to make sure your goals are Attainable, that they are really things you can achieve within the realm of possibility. That’s not to say you should limit yourself; quite the contrary. By setting attainable goals you are setting yourself up for success. For example, your goal for 2013 shouldn’t be getting your PHD if you never went to college. Getting your PHD could be a goal you eventually have, but there’s no way you’re going to achieve that right now. An attainable goal would be to get into a college degree program, or take the necessary exams to apply to a degree program. It’s easier to focus on smaller goals as a means to reaching an end goal than to try to achieve everything at once.

When you’re thinking about ways to keep your resolutions, you also want to consider the Roadblocks that will stand in your way. Consider what will be difficult about the task you have set yourself, not to talk yourself out of it, but to come up with ways around these roadblocks before they actually occur. If your goal is to run a half marathon, but you know you have trouble getting out of bed to go running before work, figure out a way to deal with that roadblock before the alarm is buzzing at 5:30 am, whether that’s running later in the day or buying an incredibly loud alarm clock that you keep on the other end of the room so the snooze button is out of reach. By preparing ahead of time, you’ll be able to deal with obstacles easily and continue on your path to success.

Lastly, you want to set a Timetable within which to complete your goal. This goes hand-in-hand with specificity. You have to put that pressure on yourself to act NOW, or nothing will ever get done. You want to take more vacations… when? In 10 years? When you’re retired? If you say instead I want to take another vacation by the end of the year, now you have a deadline for when to have your funds saved up and a reason to save those vacation days at work. Setting a timetable makes you accountable for taking action.

So when you’re watching the ball drop and thinking about what you want to be doing by the time 2014 rolls around, remember to make sure your resolutions are SMART.

Contributed by Solomon Brenner master instructor of Action Karate and author of Success Secrets of Black Belt Masters. For more info call 215.355.5003

SETTING SMART GOALS

Howard Hill was the greatest archer of all time. He won all the contests he entered. In fact he was so good at hitting the bulls eye with the first arrow, on his second shot he split the first one. Now I think you can beat Howard Hill. 

I know what you are thinking, "How is that possible? He is the best." Well there are a few conditions.  

1.) Have a good breakfast so you'll have energy. 

2.) A few archery lessons so you know the general idea. 

3.) Blindfold Howard Hill, spin him in circles and make sure he's facing the wrong way. 

I am confident you will win! Why? Because if Howard is blindfolded, he can't see the target! 

If you can't see the target you can't hit it. If you don't have a goal you can't achieve it. In class this month we will be working on SMART goals. Adults this is the month for you, goals can help you at home, work, and karate class. 

All new adults are FREE in January at Action Karate Newtown. Do something for yourself!