From the Love Like a Black Belt blog…

Times are tough. For many the thought of spending a lot of money on Valentine’s Day can add pressure you certainly don’t need. The good news is you don’t need a lot of money to create a nice Valentine’s Day for your sweetheart.

As martial artists we spend a great deal of time learning, practicing and perfecting techniques. Granted, those techniques are usually focused on causing pain and injury rather than expressing love and gratitude, but as I always say, the process is what’s important!

Throughout my adventurous and colorful life, I’ve had many opportunities to practice and perfect techniques for crafting memorable moments with the barest of resources and during times of great challenge and adversity. Today I share some of these techniques with you…

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE…

Watch for the upcoming release of the new book: LOVE Like a BLACK BELT co-authored by Dr. Jackie Black and Jim Bouchard!

Nina offers discounts to all Black Belt Mindset Institute at Northern Chi members and families! Stop in TODAY for your fresh Valentine’s flowers!

Pauline’s Bloomers

Owned by Nina Hirth-Porter, Parent

• Flowers
• 149 Maine Street, Brunswick…in the Tontine Mall
• 729-5952

Check out Pauline’s Bloomers and other member’s businesses in our new Member’s Biz Directory!

Would you like your business featured here and in our new Member’s Biz directory? Email Alex at: AArmstrong@NorthernChi.com!

This is what your kids will learn at the Black Belt Mindset Institute at Northern Chi Martial Arts Center…

Call 721-0299 to schedule a FREE Trial Lesson TODAY!

Now, imagine signing up for my karate program only to have an instructor tell you, “Read these books; then when you think you’re ready we’ll schedule your Black Belt test!”

What would you say? I assume you’d turn right around and walk out the door; yet in the business world managers and executive take this approach every single day.

As I said, those manuals contain all the knowledge and functional information you need to get to Black Belt. The problem is that whether you want a Black Belt or success in your business, you need the discipline, focus, confidence and perseverance to apply that knowledge and information to achieve the results you’re looking for.

Without proper training, expert instruction and continual development in those areas, all that knowledge and information may as well be printed on a roll of toilet paper in your staff wash room. In martial arts, knowledge is always secondary to training…particularly training the mind to embrace the rigors of the rest of the training process.

Have you ever attempted to install a new process or procedure only to find that implementation falls flat and results, if any, are negligent? If so, you’re not alone. Most people in business have had this experience at one time or another; not for lacking in good intentions but simply because in their enthusiasm they overlooked a very important fact:

“Without the proper mindset, no process is effective.”

Mindset is the foundation for all effective execution, in the dojo, in your sales force, your production line or in your C-suite. You can train your people in any process, but that process only works when your employees and managers have the discipline, focus, confidence and commitment to excellence that transforms that process into tangible results; ultimately your bottom line.

This process never ends. The Black Belt is not the end of the trip for martial artists; it’s an important milestone in the process of continual personal development and self-perfection. Mindset characteristics are never fully developed; the real challenge in life and in business is to embrace this process and commit to never-ending learning, training and improvement.

Professor Nick Cireo continues to have a profound effect on my philosophy and mindset. One of America’s martial arts pioneers, the Professor taught that the achievement of a Black Belt is most of all, the development of a strong learning attitude. Achieve a Black Belt and you develop the mindset qualities you can apply to learn and master any skill.

How valuable would that mindset be in your organization? If you’ve already got Black Belt Mindset, what are you doing to share and imprint that mindset on everyone in your company?

Discipline, focus and confidence are skills that can be learned, developed and applied by anyone willing to make the commitment. The continual development of these characteristics requires the commitment of the individual and the organization.

Before you install any process, make sure the people working within that process have the mindset characteristics necessary for success. If they don’t; train them in mindset first. If they do; train them to even deeper levels!

“Perfection is not a destination; it’s a never-ending process.”

To learn more about Black Belt Mindset visit THINKLikeaBLACKBELT. org!

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Every person in your organization can THINK Like a BLACK BELT…FREE!

Call 721-0299 TODAY to book Jim Bouchard, speaker, media personality and author of the Amazon bestseller THINK Like a BLACK BELT for your next business event…

…courtesy of the Black Belt Mindset Institute at Northern Chi Martial Arts Center in Brunswick!

Includes:

THINK Like a BLACK BELT Keynote! (Available in formats from 30 to 60 minutes!)

FREE WEEK of martial arts lessons for your staff and families!

FREE BONUS SESSION: Self-Defense for the Business Person with Center Director Alex Armstrong!

For booking call Alex Armstrong at 721-0299 or email aarmstrong@northernchi.com!

Just how important is a soft skill like DISCIPLINE to the success of your business? How can you develop more FOCUSED and DISCIPLINED employees?

Read Jim’s white paper: The Hard Asset Value of Soft Skill Training

Click here for your FREE online edition!

View or download your FREE copy of "The Hard Asset Value of Soft Skills Training" here!

START THE NEW YEAR WITH DISCIPLINE, FOCUS, CONFIDENCE AND COURAGE…THINK LIKE A BLACK BELT ON KINDLE FOR JUST $1.99 NOW!

CLICK HERE!

Self-esteem cannot be gifted. It’s earned by facing progressively more difficult challenges and by accomplishing personal goals.

At the Black Belt Mindset Institute at Northern Chi these kids learn this lesson early! “Little Dragons” range in age from 4 to 6 years. Quarterly, the Little Dragons show their achievement by performing in a skills showcase for friends and family. Here are some highlights from today’s Winter Showcase:

The Little Dragons demonstrate their punching techniques.

Little Dragons advanced students demonstrate a skit they prepared themselves. Could the next Jackie Chan be in this bunch?

The moment they prepared for. Little Dragons are recognized with their next ranks, awarded by Black Belt Mindset Institute founder Jim Bouchard.

The Little Dragons proudly display their new ranks with Instructor Sarah Grinder, Junior Instructor Josh Flanagan and Instructor Adam Gamache.

Improve your child’s self-esteem, focus and attention span; enroll at the Black Belt Mindset Institute at Northern Chi Martial Arts Center.

Try our Little Dragons or Junior program for a WEEK FREE during National Self-Esteem Month! And – it’s not just for kids! Grown-ups enjoy a FREE MONTH of Kenpo Karate classes through February!

*New members only. Cannot be combined with other offers.

That’s the MSNBC headline describing last week’s story of a man who was knocked from his bike while riding on a woodland trail during what he says was an attempted robbery. In self-defense, the cyclist shot and killed one of the assailants; Julius Johnson.

Three youths attacked a man who was apparently minding his own business riding on a rural bike trail. According to NBC 10 in Philadelphia, Berks County, Pennsylvania District Attorney John T. Adams reported that the boys cut school to commit robberies and had already attacked two other elderly men earlier that morning.

This incident has again ignited the ageless debate over the proper use of deadly force. It also clearly shows why deadly force is an appropriate, if regrettable option in cases like this one.

There may not be any outcry had the headlines read:

“Three strong young men viciously attack elderly cyclist; one killed in attempt” 

The loss of life is always regrettable in a self-defense situation. Few victims of assaults kill attackers in a blind rage intent on murder. The death of an attacker is one of the possible outcomes in a righteous self-defense situation when the victim decides to fight back; armed or unarmed. When you make the decision to train responsibly in self-defense, armed or otherwise, this is a serious consideration.

In a situation like this, there is no time and should be no obligation for the victim of the attack to analyze the ultimate intentions of the assailants. We do know in this case that Johnson, the assailant who was killed, was continuing to attack the cyclist. When he was shot, he was trying to kick his target in the face.

We also know that Johnson “had a criminal record and was on probation at the time of the incident. He was even on electronic monitoring, officials said.” (NBC 10, Philadelphia)

Declaring that no charges would be filed against the shooter, DA Adams added:

“While I do not condone violence, the bike rider had no choice…”

Adams is wrong in one respect.

The “bike rider” did not commit an act of violence. The violence was perpetrated by Johnson and his accomplices. Righteous self-defense is not violence; it is an appropriate response to unprovoked violence.

In this case, the gun was not a tool of violence; it was a life-preserver.

Ancient martial arts proverb: 

“It is better not to fight. 

“When attacked, it is better to injure than maim, 

“It is better to maim than kill, 

“It is better to kill than be killed, 

“For all life is precious and can never be replaced.”

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Story from FOX News...

What Calysta did right:

She fought back. I’m the first one to say that a kid has a slim chance of defeating a larger assailant in a physical encounter, but fighting back always increases the odds of survival.

She picked the right time to escape and said all the right things when she made her move. Instead of yelling help, Calysta ran into a convenience store and yelled that the man with her was not her father. That attracted the attention of people who could help her.

She paid attention to what she had been taught. Too often kids are placed in perfunctory self-defense sessions in school or elsewhere and the advice simply goes in one ear and out the other. Calysta retained what she had been taught, particularly by her mother and did all the right things when the time came to act.

It is always my hope that the self-defense training we give kids at the Black Belt Mindset Institute will never be used. It is still important that children know the dangers they may face in today’s world and know how to react. There is nothing you can do for your child that is any more important than enrolling in a good martial arts program; for self-defense and for the values of respect, practice and self-confidence that your child will use in every aspect of life.

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Not just for kids!

FREE karate classes for adults now through the end of February at the Black Belt Mindset Institute in Brunswick, Maine! Call 721-0299 for details TODAY!

Now through February, FREE martial arts classes for adults at Northern Chi Martial Arts Center at the Black Belt Mindset Institute in Brunswick, Maine!

PLUS…for every class you attend now through February, you earn a chance for great bonus prizes including:

• Full ONE YEAR adult program!
• Discounts on full year programs!
• Uniforms & martial arts shoes!
• Signed copy of THINK Like a BLACK BELT!

Forget about resolutions…this year strap on your belt and get to work! We’ll help you reach all your fitness and personal development goals!

Call 721-0299 today…

…or drop by our Brunswick center at 25 Stanwood Street, across from Brunswick Home & Garden.

DON’T WAIT! Every class you attend gives you another chance to win our great prizes!

*New adult students only. Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires February 28, 2012…