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Business and Martial arts

by George Mattson

 

Okinawan karate schools in Argentina are working together to organize the 2010 World Okinawan karate.
could you please put on the  page uechi-ryu.com and the announcement of the tournament

Thanks

best

先生シリザカルロス

Sensei Carlos Ciriza  7* Dan
Uechi Ryu Kenyukai Argentina

 


 

I don’t usually get many e-mail that are worth reading. I look forward to getting them from friends . . . especially when they write to tell me how much they enjoy reading my new book! 🙂

One of the very few business newsletters I bother to read comes from an old friend Terry Bryan. He is a very successful real estate investor and dojo owner. Reading his words of wisdom is often like looking at the business world through your martial art experiences.  I highly recommend subscribing to his newsletter if this business style makes sense to you.

Here is today’s offering. . .


I had the chance to spend some time with Charles Dudley this weekend in San Antonio discussing the proper culture of a successful business. I think people that run martial art schools are kind of spoiled have a trained staff that has a team vision, discipline and a tremendous level of respect for themselves and others. I have been disappointed in the level of discipline of their time and respect of others time from many industries including investors and Realtors alike. I am amazed at the level of competence that people think is ok and expect superior results, I guess many feel that the world works in the deserving mindset, that they are owed success and don’t have to study or work hard to get it. Face it, we get what we earn and deserve. If you get something for free you will not respect it and eventually it will pull you down.

In the classical martial arts world, there are set rules of conduct for every position. A Sensei (One Who Has Walked Before or Teacher) has a role of leading others and leading by example. He has a responsibility to give openly to help his students grow and become successful and must screen those that he teaches well to insure they will represent their school and organization well.

A Sempai or senior student has the responsibility to take the junior students under his or her belt and guide them forward on the path of become a leader in the organization remembering what it was like when they started as a beginner. A Kohai or junior students has a responsibility to show respect and follow the suggestions of his teacher and senior students as he grows in knowledge and ability. Each person, now matter what their role is in the process, only works if everyone has the interest in the other members and the organization in mind.

I enjoy a good debate about politics, the economic system and what seems to be the best action at any given time as much as the anybody but have found that by picking sides is really not the answer but the truth is usually found by listening to all the conflicting opinions and finding the true solution for yourself, based on your core principles and the culture of the organization.

This week Dan Kennedy sent me a fax and in his own direct “NO BS” way explains his thoughts on achieving success, and thought you might enjoy reading it.

The day after history was made by the passing of the largest socialist scheme ever perpetrated in American history, as Kruschev predicted would eventually occur, I heard a young fellow call in to talk radio effusively grateful and relieved that he would now be getting free Obamacare. He said, “It was getting to the point where I’d have to choose between paying my health insurance bill or smoking.”

Cigarettes have gotten pretty expensive, what with all the taxes. His rock and hard place position deserves sympathy. Subsidizing his health insurance will actually subsidize his smoking, drinking, i-Phone, texting, but don’t let that trouble you. His choices are now your costs, to far greater extent than ever before in America, but that is as it should be because he has every right to those choices without consequence, and you have so much while he has so little that re-distribution of access to health care is clearly, inarguably, morally required. Isn’t it?

I use him to make a serious business point. Everyday we make choices between this or that. Doing this or doing that, investing in this or investing in that, pursuing this opportunity or that one, tackling or postponing this problem, and so on and so on. In some cases, the choosing is caused by deeply imbedded belief in sequential versus simultaneous. In other cases, it is more legitimate; finite resources of time, money, people must be allocated and the sword of “no” or “not now” must be wielded. For this, we need some navigational assets. This is why all exceptionally successful individuals have a set personal philosophy clear in their minds, that they can enunciate, that they will not abandon or compromise without extreme provocation. Most can recite 3 to 10 or so “commandments” they use in decision-making. Below this list, good leaders have principles intended to prevent seduction by foolishness, to keep them focused. For example, a recession resistance one is: beware buying (comforting) activity at expense of profitability. Another, re. direct marketing: if you can’t measure it and hold it accountable, don’t do it or pay for it. Another, re. time: is this investment of time moving me measurably closer to my meaningful goals? Etc.  As a diabetic, I have to give more thought to my food choices than most people do. Pretty much all of them are killing me, the only question is speed. But many can dramatically accelerate that process or even have very immediate, dangerous, even life-threatening consequences. For me, choosing to eat or not eat those cookies, how many, or how big a piece of one can lead to a ride in an ambulance. Most people aren’t under such pressure when choosing from a menu.  In driving in horse races, choices made in immeasurable milliseconds determine outcome and, if egregiously poor, can get you or others injured. Most people’s drive to and from Starbucks isn’t so intense; their poorest choices typically leading to mere fender-benders with them protected by a ton of metal and air bags. You won’t catch anybody driving in a horse race and texting. Most people make far too many of their day to day choices way to casually, absent navigational assets and use thereof.

I mention Kruschev to make another point. This is nearly verbatim, from remarks of his directed at us: “You will never choose communism. Nor can we force it on you. But gradually, as your economy sickens, as generations lose touch with certain values, you will allow socialism to occur, here, then there, and before you know it, you will have communism.” This refers to a moving line versus a set in stone line, such lines dependent on ironclad commitment to certain values for rigidity; compromised by tolerance for and rationalization of re-defining, “fuzzying” values. It is also another version of Zig Ziglar’s cooked-in-the-squat story, which you should be familiar with. This definitely happens as cancer within businesses. More are destroyed from within than by externals, by a gradual acceptance of evils, rationalized, justified, excused.

And there you have it from Mr. Direct himself, Dan Kennedy.

Until next week,

To Your Success,
Terry L. Bryan, Warriorwiz

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