Master Cotter’s Blog

“Do what you fear and the Death of Fear is certain!” tony robbins

“Inner Beauty is the easiest thing in the world to see when you’re looking for it.”

If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside you.

We continue to expand! People in Mandarin and Jacksonville are beginning to feel our steam as our newest location begins its growth. As with other beginner schools, we must walk before we run. We are walking now, but watch out as our pace becomes faster!

Sign up now for a great day! Saturday we will travel to Jacksonville for a Krav Maga Seminar that is sure to provide you with many new self-defense skills you may not have been introduced to.

Sign up now!

It’s said that people put on 5-10 pounds during the holiday season. Then they wish to have a New Year Resolution to lose the weight they gain.

This is just stupid!

The meals and lifestyle during the holidays should not change. Yes you are tempted by all the great foods, but eating them is not the end of the world.

I myself enjoy a large meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the rest of the time I continue to eat healthy. Thus, I maintain, or if I feel it is needed, I lose weight.

It’s not that easy for everyone, but develop a plan. If you need guidance I can help.

Have a great holiday season…

And don’t worry as much about the calories.

We are going green at North Florida Tae Kwon Do!

Newsletters will now be sent by e-mail beginning in December.

Recycle bins are positioned around our school.

We have adopted two sections of highway to remove litter.

We are conserving energy at all of our schools.

Everybody chip in and do your part to help the environment!

Thank You,

Another young girl killed….

Who would do this?

Only a coward….

I hate it for the family and I hate it for the people that have to investigate, report, or deal with the situation in a way that none of us have to. These people deserve a gold medal!

Parents, please teach your children these life lessons and let them know that this is unacceptable! YOU! Did YOU hear me? I said YOU are the first line of defense your child will go by!

I hate to use another person’s loss as a lesson, but if one person can learn from a loss then the loss will be a blessing to the lossee!

My heart goes out to family that has to deal with this loss and if there is anything I could do to help I will be the first to step up to the bat!

Master Cotter

WHINERS are negative, pessimistic, re active and love to whine about everything and anything….

WINNERS develop self-discipline in order to bring out their absolute best in themselves and in others….

WHINERS lack discipline of their minds and are often critical of themselves and others….

WINNERS condition their minds and bodies for Peak Performance in and out of the dojo….

WHINERS blame others for their problems and always make excuses for Poor Performance in and out of the dojo….

WINNERS give value to others, they train hard and make a positive contribution to their team….

WHINERS love to moan, groan and complain, and their negative attitude takes away from their team….

WINNERS brighten up a room when they enter….

WHINERS brighten it up as they exit….
CHAMPIONS ARE ALWAYS WINNERS – NEVER WHINERS!
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What’s your Ultimate Goal or Objective with your Martial Arts training?

Do you have a clear picture of what you’d like to achieve with your Martial Arts and overall fitness in the next 1-3-5 years? How about 5-10 years? The greater clarity you have on any goal, the more likely you will attain it.

Having clarity on your long term goals and desires, makes it easier to stay motivated in the short term. It also makes it easier to overcome any short term setbacks or obstacles.

During a recent Black Belt pre-check, I was speaking with one of the Moms of a young Black Belt candidate. She was also a student but was dealing with an old injury that had her very concerned about training for her Black Belt. To the point that she has stopped training and wasn’t sure if she was going to return.

I was surprised because I could tell she really enjoyed it. However, the fear of injury and the possibility of needing surgery had her considering throwing in the towel. As we spoke, I shared with her my views that I’ve never had an injury or setback that could stop me from achieving my Ultimate Goal in the Martial Arts.

Helio Gracie trained until his passing at 95 yrs old. I hope to train to at least 100 yrs. “If you look at the principle of competing as if it were against yourself, you’ll see that it’s really about self-improvement. Becoming better than you were the day before!”
– Kyoshi Steve LaVallee
Are you a Winner… or a Whiner?
WINNERS are positive, optimistic, pro active and excited about their goals and activities in life….

A 10-step approach to developing and protecting Self-Esteem.

1. Always remind your child of their past victories and accomplishments. Let their self-image be built upon a recollection of past successes. Let the memory of failures and disappointments fade away.
2. Help your child strive for improvement….not perfection. Help them to
create reasonable expectations for performance.
3. Develop a family heritage. Teach your child to be proud of your family. Tell them about the achievements and sacrifices of their parents, grandparents, and other relatives.
4. Do provide feedback; don’t be overly critical. If you do have to give
negative feedback, especially to an older child, always criticize privately; on
the other hand, always praise publicly!
5. Teach him the value of telling the truth. Lying steals Self-Esteem!
6. Appearance counts! Guide your child into taking pride in their appearance.
7. Try to guide her toward friends who have high Self-Esteem. Help her to avoid
negative people.
8. Paint the big picture with your child. Help her to dream big dreams about
her future!
9. Be healthy! Exercise regularly; eat a balanced diet.
10. Become an expert! Pick a couple of activities that are important to your
child and help him to MASTER them! Don’t allow them to flit from activity to
activity.

The Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a
pole, which he carried across his neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and
always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot
arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only
one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for
which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own
imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of
what it had been made to do.

After 2 yrs of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the
water bearer one day by the stream. ‘I am ashamed of myself, and I want to
apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because
this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your
house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t
get full value from your efforts,’ the pot said.

The bearer said to the pot, ‘Did you notice that there were flowers only
on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?
That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower
seeds your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you’ve watered
them.
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate
the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this
beauty to grace the house.’

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots, but
it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so
very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for
what they are, and look for the good in them.