Reading

Every week i try my best to read at least one book that will improve my business or self, and one book that will let my mind go to mush...:)
i find myself coming back again and again to a book i read last summer. It was written by Malcolm Gladwell, called "Outliers"
He also wrote another more well known book called 'the tipping point' which i have also read.
What brings me back to outliers is a portion in the book referencing schools in north america and schools in the orient. The comparison between the two was mind blowing. Basically, the children in the orient (Japan and Korea to be exact) spend a lot more time in school, studying and practising, then their North american counterparts do. And because of that, the stats show that the oriental schooling fairs way better than the North american version.
In the book, the author sampled a school in New York that was experimenting with the same attitudes and procedures that they do over there. A typical day in the school life of one of these children is starting school at 6:30 am (not taking in to consideration the travel time getting there) , they would go to school until around 6pm, be given on average 3 to 4 hours of homework per night. They would also do a half day on Saturdays. They would get two weeks off during the summer, and one week off at Christmas and that was it. Every child that attended this school placed in the 95th percentile for their age group when it came to marks. There was, as you can imagine, a huge waiting list to get into this school as every child that graduated, went on to schools like MIT, Harvard and other very prestigious schools. These are all loose quotes and stats, but the point i am trying to make is that maybe we need to take a look at how things are done in our culture. Our children take 9 weeks off during the summer (check in to the reason why they get this time off, the reason is outdated)two weeks at Christmas and another week for March Break. Many parents i have talked to want this break for their kids, so that they can 'be kids'. I am not saying i agree or disagree with this belief, i just want people to question why, just a little.
The thought behind the book was that it takes houndreds of thousands of hours to perfect something, as well as having the right chances and everything fall into place at the right time. Maybe we should be looking at how we can affect this situation for our children. We only want the best for them, right?
Read the book...its a neat read.

http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html

These are the rattlings in my head,
Dusty

Comfort zone

Since we are having our spring black belt grading this weekend, i thought now would be a good time to discuss what makes us tick.
Do be able to do what we do, you have to have a certain mind set.Going for black belt and beyond is not for everyone. Many people start the martial arts, but only a handful stick through it to black belt.
I think the stats are something like out of every one hundred that start the martial arts, only 1 will get to black belt. and out of that, if you have a hundred black belts, only one will become a master and continue on teaching and passing their knowledge. The math may not add up, but basically it is every good martial arts instructor is one in a million.

A couple of poems from a well known martial arts writer, Karen Eden. The first one puts the black belt thinking into perspective.
The second one explains why we keep going.

"I am a martial artist." I see through different eyes. I see a bigger picture when others see grey skies. Though many can't conceive it, I stand...facing the wind. My bravery, not from fighting, but from my strength within. I am a martial artist. I'll walk the extra mile. Not because I have to, but because it's worth my while. I know that I am different, when I stand on a crowded street. I know the fullness of winning, I've tasted the cup of defeat. I am a martial artist. They say I walk with ease. Though trained for bodily harm, my intentions are for peace. The world may come and go, but a different path I'll choose. A path I will not stray from, no matter, win or lose.
-Karen Eden

and:

Master

The higher I climbed, the more humbled I became.
The more I learned, the more I realized how little I knew.
They call me "Master." What I have truly mastered.
is a deep understanding of what it means to never quit.

-Karen Eden

Good luck to everyone testing this weekend.

These are the ramblings in my head.
Dusty