Random Thoughts This Afternoon

Some thoughts I had this afternoon (some written here before):

1. Try your best.
2. Don't try to outdo others -- challenge yourself to be the best you can be.
3. Improve a little each day.
4. If you don't have something nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all.
5. Don't speak ill of others.
6. Don't start something unless you are going to finish it.
7. If you say you will do something, do it.
8. Your word is your bond.
9. A job worth doing is worth doing well.
10. Demand more from yourself than you do of others.
11. It is better to be very good at one or two things rather than being mediocre at many things.
12. When you make a decision, stick to it -- unless you discover that you are clearly wrong.
13. Even when you are sure you are right, remember that you could be wrong.
14. The reasons people give for their actions are often not the real reasons (and they are often not aware of their true motivations).
15. When you hear the two sides of a story, it will often seem like two different stories.
16. You are only as big as the smallest thing that upsets you (or can get you to react).
17. Give credit and accept responsibility.
18. Everyone is at a different stage of personal development. You can't expect everyone to think and act the same.
19. Focus on "doing" rather than talking about what you have done.
20. Your actions speak for themselves.
21. Actions speak louder than words.
22. Being kind is more important than being enlightened.
23. When you are making a lot of money, save some. There will always be a rainy day.
24. If you really love Karate, seek the best education possible. It will make you better able to understand and teach Karate and may give you a lifestyle that allows you to practice and teach without depending on tuition.
25. The secret of Karate is practice, and that is not a secret at all.
26. Mistakes are formed quickly but take a long time and great effort to correct.
27. As a student or a teacher, you are a role model whether you like it or not.
28. The real dojo is daily life.
29. Everything you need in Karate is within you.
30. Be polite. Gentlemen should open doors for ladies and the elderly.
31. You can learn from the mistakes of others -- you don't have to make the same mistakes yourself.
32. When you die, you won't count your money or possession, you will probably think about your loved ones.
33. No one is perfect.
34. If you aren't doing what you enjoy, when will you do it?
35. Even the greatest Karate masters grow old and die. Karate should help you to live a long and healthy life and help you to be a good person.
36. If Karate is useful for self defense only, it is probably not the best use of your time.
37. Don't cheer others' failures. We all have failures in our lives.
38. Don't envy other Karate peoples' skill, rank, or titles. The only way to earn anything of value in Karate is through your own hard work.
39. Don't neglect your loved ones, or you might lose them, and even if you don't lose them, you will not deserve them.
40. Find ways to praise rather than criticize. If you criticize a student's technique twice, try to compliment him at least once.
41. There is nothing more precious than children (and new students).
42. What makes a martial art good or bad is the people who practice it.
43. Your teacher counts, not associations.
44. You will save a lot of money and grief if you don't smoke, drink, or take illegal drugs. There are many better things to do in life.
45. Get in the best shape possible, particularly before you are 50. Then stay in good shape.
46. I never heard a person say that they wish they had less education or that they had spent less time with their children.
47. Everyone's fart stinks. (This is another way of saying that people are basically the same.)
48. Recycle.
49. Count your blessings.
50. When you don't get what you want, be careful. Perhaps you were being saved from something.
51. Life is short, and the more you live it, the shorter it seems.
52. When the rice stalk is mature, it bows under its own weight.
53. A Karate expert remains calm in an emergency.
54. Preparation is key.
55. Karate is a last resort. When it become the last resort, anything goes.
56. Hitting is easy. Repairing the damage is hard.
57. Don't complain. The squeaky wheel gets replaced.
58. There is always someone stronger and faster.
59. If my children or students are better than me, then I win!
60. Think before you speak.
61. When you are angry, calm down before you act.
62. If you don't like yourself, you will probably try to make everyone else miserable.
63. Karate and religion are two separate things.
64. When everything is going great... be careful.
65. Make sure you have sufficient supplies for an emergency. When the emergency happens, it will be very hard to get them.
66. There is one thing you are better at then any other person in the world... being you.
67. The person you criticize or dislike may save your life one day.
68. When you do well, move on, When you do badly, learn from it.
69. Prayer is one of the greatest healing forces.
70. Don't settle. Your reach should always exceed your grasp.
71. Don't plant a seed unless you are willing to water and care for it. This applies to Karate students too.
72. Karate should not be a punishment... it should be something you enjoy.
73. You can learn from anyone and from any experience.
74. Being smart is not enough.
75. Do the right thing because it is right, not because you have to.
76. Stick up for the little guy. We are all "little guys."
77. Don't let possessions possess you.
78. Beauty is on the inside.
79. If you compromise on your values a little, you have compromised a lot.
80. As you read this, are you aware of yourself reading this? I say "hello" to you both.

Time to go home and get ready for class tonight.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin