Balanced Life Skills Martial Arts

In many ways, Aikido is a lifelong journey. There’s always something to learn around the corner,always something just out of reach. This is what makes practicing Aikido so rewarding. You are always on the path, and the path never ends. I have practiced with Aikido practitioners who have been on the path for many years but [...]

The summertime offers more free time and our kids are going to want to do things online more than ever.  So what are some guidelines that we can set and how do we keep them safe.  This article that just came out covers this material very well.  It is at the Common Sense Media website. As [...]

The first word we here in trustworthiness is ‘trust’.  Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote,” I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”  There are many ways of losing that trust and it is not just with words.  As we get older, teens and adults, it is [...]

Announcement: Balanced Life Skills introduces the first in a series of public websites that will address issues that our children, parents and teachers will be interested in following.  The first of this series is Bully Prevention Partners.  This public site will have information for all on it, but will also invite everyone to become a partner [...]

This is a question that every parent has asked themselves, just not understanding how “their child” could possibly do this to them.  Children lie for the same reason that their parents do, they are attempting to solve a problem. Problem: I want to go outside to play  and I have homework – Solution: Tell mom and dad [...]

One of the differences between one who reaches their goals and has a successful career and life and those that do not is in this quality of trustworthiness.  Those who consistently tell the truth, keep promises, keep secrets, do not cheat, follow the rules, do the right thing because it is the right thing to do [...]

Loading…

On the subject of internal arts and the effects of emotions, I’d like to talk about anger a bit. It is the emotion that I am most aware of struggling with in my own training, and I see it every day in others. I think the allure of anger is that anger feels powerful. When the [...]

  Each month we define and discuss a word of character development and life skill with all of our students. This month the word is  Trustworthiness and will be defined this way. Young students: Trustworthiness means, “You can count on me, to do the right thing.” Older students: Trustworthiness means:  Worthy of trust by being Reliable, Accountable and [...]

Our legacy or how we are remembered is a day by day, place by place, person by person event.  If we are the guests of someone in their home and are disrespectful or leave a mess – that person will remember us for that event.  If we are in school and we are good listeners [...]

Lately as I think about what I want to write in my blog, my ideas seem to move in a more philosophical direction. I hope that I can still provide anecdotal illustrations of life in China, but for the next few months I expect I will be writing more about what I am thinking related to [...]

Each of the Black Belt candidates wrote an essay about their journey.  The winning Best Essay will be read at the closing ceremony on April 22, 2012 at Camp Letts.  In the mean time I thought it would be nice for all to see some of the excerpts from all of them.  We are looking [...]

This week as we started to talk to our students about LEGACY, one of them had their grandparents with them.  After the class the grandparents were sure that we had had that discussion because they had been in the audience.  Unfortunately too many times we think of leaving a legacy about those who have already [...]

  Each month we define and discuss a word of character development and life skill with all of our students. This month the word is Legacy and will be defined this way. Young students: Legacy means, “This is what people remember about us.” Older students: Legacy is a gift, lesson, or reputation handed down from one person or [...]