Make Hard Choices to Have an Easy Life
Lone Warrior
How to create your own Vision Board

As we continue our discussion from classes on goal setting we move into the realm of vision boards. A vision board is one of the most powerful weapons in your arsenal of life. Understanding what you want to achieve and have happen, and being able to visualise it is extremely powerful. Without a target to aim for you simply drift through life. Achieving this, not doing that, but not focusing on what you really want to have happen.

A vision board is a great tool and one supported by just about every successful person on the planet. But how do you create one?

Luckily I have some insights for you. There are many ways and types of vision boards and they can be laid out any way that suits you and with any number of items. Let’s make a simple 9 quadrant one.

1. Grab an A4 sheet of paper.

2. Fold it into thirds then fold it in half. You should now have 6 quadrants when you unfold it.

3. Starting top left to right and working our way down number them 1 – 9

4. In each quadrant write the following words – 1. REWARD, 2. DESIRE, 3. MENTAL, 4. RELATIONSHIPS, 5. PERSONAL, 6. FAMILY, 7. WORK, 8. MATERIAL, 9. TRAVEL

5. Now grab another sheet and write 5-6 things for each heading. Take the first thing that comes to mind when you read the words written down. It can be anything. Now write short(6 months or less) or long term(more than 6 months) next to each one.

6. We are going to create a 6-month board. Of your 6 items pick the top 3 you would like to achieve in the next 6 months.

7. Go to the internet and search in Google for the 3 items you have written down. Grab any pictures or words that you find that envisions the item you have written down.

8. Here is the tricky part. You can either print out the pictures and cut them to shape or if you have access to a graphic software package like photoshop you can use this. Arrange the words & images you selected in each corresponding quadrant. Don’t worry about neatness but focus on your internal expression.

Hey, presto. You now have a Vision Board of your own. Place it up somewhere you can see it every day. I have mine on my wall in the shower and as a background of my computer screen.

Take the time every day to look at your board. Perhaps focus on one area. Dream of your goal. Picture yourself achieving that goal. Then go do your day. Watch what happens over time.

You can make Vision boards for any length of time but you must revisit them. Reassess your goals and create new boards every time from scratch. The effort of creation solidifies the desired outcome in your mind’s eye.

I would love to see your Vision Board and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. The only thing that holds you back from achieving everything you want is yourself. So why would you hold yourself back?

5 ways to build focus

Being able to concentrate and focus is one of the most important skills for anyone to learn. It relies on self-regulation and understanding how to be in the moment.

Many studies say how well a child can navigate life depends on their ability to self-regulate. It determines their ability to use tools in their toolbox for life and create successful social interactions.

There is a lot of evidence that clearly shows that self-regulators are more likely to be school-ready, have a greater sense of well being and will see greate academic success beyond their childhood years.

So what is it that self-regulators know that others don’t?

  • They understand that success or failure is under their control not governed by external forces. They are accountable for their own decisions.
  • They see failure as the fertilizer that develops success. 
  • They understand that success involves practice and hard work. That these cannot be avoided but should be embraced as the pay off for putting in the effort will well be worth it. 
  • Self-regulators will generally take on more challenges than others.
  • Self-regulated learners are generally more at peace, happier and successful in life
  • Self-regulation is all about teaching kids in particular how to follow instructions and persist even when they encounter enormous challenges. They understand they will find a way to overcome the challenges and reap the rewards.
  • Self-regulated children can listen, pay attention, think, strategise and then act.

But how do you build self-regulation into your own or your child’s life?

Generally, there are three components to building self-regulation into your life that will improve your focus and concentration.

  1. Develop a working memory. This means learning how to hold information in your memory while taking in new information.
  2. Develop mental flexibility. There are always many ways to reach the end goal. Being able to think outside the box and flex your mental muscle on different possible journeys and strategies is great for building mental flexibility.
  3. Develop self-control. Learn and understand appropriate behaviours rather than just doing whatever you want to do. This means you need to be able to evaluate your environment, your audience and then behave appropriately to interact or communicate.

Developing and applying self-regulation strategies at home is easily achieved. Applying these tools will help your childs focus and concentration and build those life long regulatory skills. Here are a few games you can play that reinforce these strategies.

  1. Play Simon Says. Paying attention, listening and follow directions is critical to the success of this game. It will help your childs concentration levels.
  2. Heads shoulders knees and toes. We all know this game. Listening, Identification, Concentration, being in the moment and focusing are all key elements. However, you can take the benefits of this game up a notch if you get the players to do the opposite of what is asked. Saying Touch your head means touch your toes. Flex that mental muscle.
  3. Opposites. Improving concentrate and mental flexibility is achieved in this game by showing a picture and asking the child to say the opposite of what they see. For example, show a card that displays the moon. You would expect the answer to be the sun.
  4. Colouring in. Colouring in sheets have been used for years to develop concentration and focus in children. Staying in the lines. Imagination expression. Colour management. Storytelling all come from simple coloring-in sheets. Take it up a level using Mandela’s. Circular complex abstract designs with evenly distributed patterns. these create a feeling of balance and harmony and are a great way to calm stressed kids who are looking for structure and balance in their lives.
  5. Freeze. Dance along to music and then freeze when the music stops. Like musical chairs. Dance slowly to slow songs and fast to fast songs to connect rhythms and movement. When this is mastered flip the script and dance slow to fast and fast to slow. But don’t forget to freeze when the music stops. Concentrate and control.

The 5 simple games above will help develop great self-regulation skills and improve focus and concentration even in the oldest kid. Have fun bonding and playing these simple games and watch what happens over time. You may even notice variations on the above games within our martial arts classes. Flex your mental muscle and see what you can see.

TIPS FOR KATA FROM SMA KARATE

Performing kata can be a nerve-racking experience. However, if you can maintain your composure and work your way through the kata carefully end to end you will find it a very rewarding activity.

There are some key things to consider when doing your kata. Judges do not necessarily know the kata you are performing so the way it is judged is not on the kata movements specifically but on your execution of the kata.

Key aspects such as Eye and Head movement, Crisp strikes, and blocks with balanced movement are being looked for.

Key factors:

  1. Conformance (to kata) Using the actual movements as performed in the kata.
  2. Technical overall performance
  3. Stances & Techniques
  4. Transitional movements
  5. Timing/Synchronisation
  6. Correct breathing
  7. Focus (kime)
  8. Technical difficulty

Athletic performance:

  1. Strength & Speed
  2. Balance
  3. Rhythm
  4. Athletic performance
  5. Speed & Timing
  6. Kata is not a dance or theatrical performance. It must demonstrate strength, power, and speed — as well as grace, rhythm, and balance.

If you make a mistake do not freak out. Just keep going as though you did not make a mistake. Display confidence in your execution.

Take your time, do not rush. Keep your head up and track your strikes and blocks clearly with your eyes and head. Breath throughout the kata exhaling on strikes and blocks.

The best tip for performing your kata is “PRACTICE”. Ensure you have practiced your kata again and again so the movements are second nature and you do not have to think about them too much. A great way to practice is to video yourself doing your kata and then review using an eye with the above items in mind See what you need to change and then repeat the process.

Kata is a rewarding and excellent teaching activity. Focus on the movements and techniques involved and break apart what you have, looking at possible applications.