5 Myths About the Gasshuku

5 Myths About the Gasshuku

1. I am going to get promoted just for showing up. This is the biggest myth of the Karate Gasshuku. Some people think that just because you come to the gasshuku you will get promoted. This is not the case. Although some people have been promoted at the gasshuku, this is not a guarantee. If you come to the gasshuku and work hard, there may be an opportunity for you to earn stripes and/or possibly get promoted…but you have to EARN IT! If you want to get promoted….earn it.

2. I am not going to learn anything new. Only if you choose not to. If you have an open mind you will always learn something new. I guarantee that I can show you the same thing ten times and you can learn ten different things…but will you? We have a saying, “Open Mind, Joyful Training”. Look for new…it will appear.

3. I am too young for the gasshuku. That depends! If you are in one of the regular karate classes then you are not too young. I think the youngest participant we’ve ever had was 6 years old, but they were in our regular karate program. If you are a Knee-High Samurai, then yes, perhaps you need to wait till next year.

4. I am too old for the gasshuku. You may be. Our oldest participant was Mr. Arturo Domingo (may he rest in peace). He was in his seventies as was Mrs. Domingo who came year after year. So, you are only as old as you feel. So let me ask you…are you too old?

5. I’ll never get to practice what I learned at the gasshuku. That’s up to you. Once you learn something, you can practice it as much as you want. You can go back to your dojo and practice with all the people that attended the gasshuku. This will keep your skills sharp and keep your skills at their highest level.

Thought of the Week

If you become discouraged, think of Helen Keller, who, though she was deaf and blind, inspired her more fortunate contemporaries through her books.

The life of Helen Keller is an outstanding example of the triumph of the human spirit over a physical handicap. Even today, decades after her death, her life stands as a beacon of hope for those who must constantly struggle just to perform routine tasks that most of us take for granted. Whenever you feel fate has been unkind to you, all you must do is look around you and you will begin to appreciate how fortunate you are. Make sure your life’s plan includes giving something back to the community without expecting anything in return. Giving time and effort, not just money, reinforces your connections to your community, provides you with concrete proof of the effectiveness of deliberate action, and reminds you of the inspiring power of determination in human endeavor.

Thought of the Week

A positive mind finds a way it can be done. A negative mind looks for all the ways it can’t be done.

Someone once said, “There are no truths; there are only perceptions of truth.” Whether or not you accept this statement, whatever you believe to be true will become your reality. Your subconscious mind will believe anything you tell it — if you repeat the words often and with conviction. When you are faced with a daunting task that you’ve never attempted before, focus on the potential for success, not on the possibilities for failure. Break the job down into smaller elements and tackle each one separately. The only difference between success and failure in any job is your attitude toward it.

Thought of the Week

You come finally to believe anything you tell yourself often enough — even if it is not true.

If you repeat something over and over to yourself, your subconscious mind will eventually begin to accept it as fact. When something has been accepted as truth by your subconscious mind, it will work overtime to transform the idea into physical reality. You can take advantage of this by programming your mind to think positive thoughts. Use self-motivators or affirmations to persuade your subconscious that you are capable of doing anything you wish. Repeat the self-motivator several times a day until it becomes an automatic reaction to recall a positive phrase whenever you begin to doubt yourself. Replace “I can’t” with “I will!”

Thought of the Week

A closed mind stumbles over the blessings of life without recognizing them.

To the untrained eye, a geode looks pretty much like an ordinary rock. But a trained geologist knows that inside the geode there is a beautiful crystal lining. The story is the same for those who refuse to examine new possibilities because their minds are closed. Life’s greatest opportunities, like the geode, often come in ordinary packaging. Do not allow yourself to become such a creature of habit that you simply go through the motions and let life happen to you. Just taking a new route to work, putting together a jigsaw puzzle, reading a newspaper instead of watching television, or visiting a museum at lunchtime will stimulate your thought processes and may help you open your mind to new possibilities.

Thought of the Week

Just what are you waiting for and why are you waiting?

Far too many people spend their entire lives waiting for that glorious day when the perfect opportunity presents itself to them. Too late, they realize that each day held opportunity for those who sought it out. If you have not formulated a plan for what you would like to accomplish in your life, don’t waste another minute. When you have Definiteness of Purpose fueled by a burning desire to reach your objectives, nothing can stand in your way. Don’t wait around waiting for life to happen to you. When you know what you want and how you expect to earn it, life will agree to your terms, not the other way around.

Thought of the Week

If you start at the top, you can move in only one direction — downward.

Perhaps the worst thing that might have happened to you would be to have been born with the proverbial silver spoon in your mouth. For had you been born into privilege, you would have been deprived of one of the world’s greatest gifts: the opportunity to reach the highest levels of success of which you are capable, solely on the basis of your own merit. If you were born with less than most, don’t resent others who seem to have more advantages. In truth, the real advantage is yours, for you will develop the self-confidence that comes only from meeting life’s challenges on your own terms. As you progress, you gain the strength and knowledge necessary to assure your enduring success, things that cannot be given to you, but must be earned.