Respect

We have all been raised to show respect to our parents, our teachers and our elders, but people who live their life with respect as their foundation are also well mannered, honest, and trustworthy. At school you have the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds, maybe different countries and cultures. You show respect for other people’s viewpoints and traditions by listening to them, and by accepting their individuality. We all want to feel respected. The secret to getting respect... is to give respect.

• When someone is speaking to you, look in their eyes and listen with your full attention 
• Use good manners by saying “thank you” and “please”
• Limit interruptions when other people are speaking 
• Greet your teachers with “Good Morning” when you arrive at school
• Ask a teacher or a friend about one of their family’s traditions

I bet you and your family can improve your respect today!!  Here are some ways to show respect in your martial arts class:

• Bow when you walk in the door and say, "Hello ma'am, Hello sir!"
• Always say thank you to your instructor when you're done with class
• Try your best in every class and try to get better
• Make sure your uniform is clean and ironed and your belt is tied correctly
• Say goodbye to your instructors when you leave

Reblog-Personal Achievement Academy: Be Courageous

When talking about self-defense, more specifically for kids, there are 3 dangers.  Throughout the year, our Personal Achievement Academy instructors will conduct seminars that cover "Stranger Danger," Bully Defense, and Peer Pressure.  Between all three, you gotta have courage!  But let’s face it, demonstrating courage and standing up for your beliefs can take guts. You need to develop self-confidence that will allow you to remain comfortable with your ideals even in the face of peer pressure. Sometimes it’s tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure, but you can do it! There are 3 ways you can increase your self confidence: You need to know yourself (what you stand for), accept yourself, and be yourself. And remember, peers can pressure each other into doing what’s right. With self confidence, you can become one of the leaders of the group that makes the right choice!

Resolutions are for Dummies!

The actual definition of a resolutions is a determination for something.  Over the years, that definition has actually become - something that I want and dream about.  What is the missing link? Action, of course!  The hardest part of achieving our goal is the work it takes to do so.  The work is something new for everyone - if it was something we are already doing or are used to doing, well, then we'd already have achieved the goal, right?  Experience my exercise in focusing on your goal and achieving it!  I'm going to use the example of "I want to lose 20 lbs" as my goal for my exercise.  We all fail at achieving our goals sometimes - try these Skills to become more efficient in goal-getting:

Skill #1 - Don't become "disenchanted"
Starting out, I decide that I'm going to eat more fruits and vegetables and get rid of the snacks in my house that are messing up my diet.  Then, I sign up for an exercise class so I can work out a little bit to go along with my good diet.  Then, I eat some junk food and I slip into the "one bag of M&Ms isn't so bad..." mindset (but I really feel guilty about it) and then miss one or two of my exercise classes (and feel guilty about it).  I make excuses to cure the guilt - I can't stand life without chocolate, I eat good all the time, it's ok and I was really busy and worked extra, plus I'm sore, that class doesn't fit my schedule.  One of these days I'm going to get into a new class that fits my schedule better. 
Here's how to change this up:  First off, you have to expect the possibility of wanting some M&Ms and missing a class here and there, don't feel guilty about it.  You should commit to the better diet and workout class and make sure that you don't set yourself up for failure.  Every once in a while, you can reward yourself with a little candy!  Just because you missed a class doesn't mean your done - set a goal to make the next one... Which leads us to skill #2:

Skill #2 - Set your big goal (lose 20lbs) and plan out the smaller checkpoints along the way
Think of it like this: Start off by setting a goal date - let's say Thanksgiving 2012.  That's 20 lbs down in 12 months.  That would mean about 1.6lbs per month.  I want to set a goal this month by losing 2 lbs.
Plan out how you are going to lose 2 lbs each month by planning what you're going to do each week and each day.  A little bit each day adds up to a lot of progress over the week/ month/ year.  The best thing about this plan - you get to reward yourself when you reach your goal (just don't do something that's going to mess up your goal!)

Skill #3 - Unreasonable commitment
The commitment side is obvious but what you'll need is an unreasonable commitment.  That means that you will not let reasons and circumstance ruin the commitment you set.  The goal you want to achieve out weighs any reasons that you can create for not achieving it.  Tell your friends and family your goals, post it on facebook, add it to your voicemail message, be creative and make sure everyone knows that you're going to be a different person in a few months!  Stick to your plan and be commited.  But with that, there is one more Skill you must have...

Skill #4 - Be honest with yourself.
This is something that is tough for some to understand but I'm going to do my best.  Some people will not achieve their goals because they aren't honest with themselves.  They have every intention of achieving it and they really want the results but they are scared of failing.  What if you tell all your friends, change your facebook status and voicemail message and then you don't do it?  What if you try and it "just doesn't work."  For most people, changing diet and exercise with an unreasonable commitment is all you need.  But I hear that there is a glandular problem, injury, health issues, etc.  There is always a reason for not achieving your goal (that's why we call it UNREASONABLE).  Be honest and go for it, don't be afraid of failing!  Fail your butt off but be honest about it.  "I failed because I didn't try hard enough," "I failed because I couldn't do it on my own and I was too scared to ask for help," "I failed because I didn't follow the plan I came up with."  If the goal is still important to you, regroup, don't make the same mistake twice, and get what you aim for!  Here are some last resources for you:

Nutrition Supplements:  HERBALIFE at Elkton Nutrition: and many other health clubs around Cecil County and New Castle County

Workout, Exercise for people that want to do it alone and life heavy weights:  Body Force Fitness: in North East or Elkton, MD - we like this one because the owners are regular people that understand weird schedules, ability levels, and care about getting the results we want.

Exercise for people that want something fun that they'll actually STICK with: ATAfit Program at ATA Elkton

September Lesson of the Week #2

     Here is our special video for our lesson of the week: "Aerobic vs. Anaerobic."  This was a "mat chat" that we did in our White, Orange, and Yellow belt class this week.  The kids were so engaged and interactive, I couldn't have even scripted a better mat chat.  It was really cool.

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Comment at the bottom and let me know!

Personal Achievement Academy Lesson of the Week!

     This month our Personal Achievement Academy theme is “Martial Arts Athlete.”  We focus on being healthy, getting exercise, and eating right.  For this week, we’re going to focus on a highly effective method to fast-track an athlete’s ability level – Private Training.  Tiger Woods is considered one of the greatest golfers in the world and he has a private trainer teach him every day.  If you enjoy something and want to become really good at it, try taking a private lesson to help you perfect your techniques. 

Here are the missions!

• Schedule a private lesson to learn something you have always wanted to learn. 
• Train and practice for at least 10 minutes with someone who is better than you.   
• Ask a friend to teach you something you want to learn.    
• Ask a family member to teach you something you want to learn.
• Take a seminar or special class (semi-private lesson) on a subject you want to learn. 

Turn in your missions and receive a green stripe!  It's a new month, new missions, new lessons, and we're working on this muscle to be community leaders!  Our PAA party (for anyone that turns in their worksheet) will be November 5, 2011!!  

KID POWER: Success Course coming up!

Our first of many KID POWER courses are coming up and this one is called the Success Course for earning A+ Grades.  To start off with, I, Josh Hayhurst, work with a non-profit organization called Personal Achievement Academy.  What's cool about it is that we do courses for the community for free - we don't charge to host these events.  PAA schools are all over the world and they work with kids, adults, and the school systems.  Other organizations use PAA instructors to inspire families like churches, boy scouts, cub scouts, girl scouts, and 4-H.  Now, let me tell you a little about the Success Course for A+ Grades!

This class is very exciting because the instructors are going to inspire the kids to try their best in school by using martial arts techniques as motivation.  I don't mean we're going to teach them how to kick and punch and use it on their friends and family members, we're going to have a class where the kids learn something completely new from instructors that they'll love while we teach the life skills that parents have been telling them all along!  Here are the life skills that we are going to teach the students:

Aim for your goals!

Act like an A Student!

Attitude - try your best!

Attention - 3 rules of Focus!

Awesome: BE AWESOME!

Always study hard

Achieve the grade you want

See how the students will learn the Straight A's to becoming an All star student?  There is nothing like this in our community and the instructors from PAA-Elkton are really excited to share it with everyone.  To register, call the YMCA in Elkton.  They charge $25 for this one-hour course if you are not a member of PAA-Elkton or ATA Martial Arts in Elkton, MD.  There are two class times - one is 11am and one is 12:30pm.  Register right away because there is only 50 kids allowed per class!  See you there!

Personal Achievement Academy Events

     "Martial Arts Instructors making a difference in their communities" is the motto of the Personal Achievement Academy.  As Instructors, we are used to talking in crowds and are good at inspiring kids, teens, and adults to be successful in life.  We use motivational martial arts classes to inspire kids to try harder at school, not to be afraid of bullies, and live a happy and successful life.  We create champions for the game of life!  We have three events that are coming up and they're going to be held at the YMCA in Elkton, MD.  Here are some of the basic information on them:

KID POWER: Success Course - September 24, 2011

     This class is an exciting way to turbocharge children into doing great in school.  We focus on the "Straight A's to becoming an All Star Student."  A few of the life skills that the students will learn are:  Aim for your goals, Act like an A student, Attitude - Try your best, and important bully defense and stranger danger self defense techniques.

KID POWER: Defeating the Bully - October 15, 2011

     One of the five greatest dangers facing children these days is bullying.  In this seminar, students will be inspired NOT to be a bully, how to handle mean comments, and how and when to defend themselves against another kid. Students will be empowered to remove fear from their lives and achieve great goals.

KID POWER: Child Safety Course - November 19, 2011

     Unlike medical-related deaths, many injury-related deaths can be prevented.  Therefore, to achieve a reduction in injury-related deaths in our community, ongoing public education on safety, supervision, and mental health issues must be expanded and strengthened.  Help the Personal Achievement Academy instructors save lives!  Together we can educate our youth.

ATA Members can do this event for free and guests and members of the community will be $25.  First seminar is 11:30am - 12pm (for community) and the second is 12:30pm - 1:30pm (for ATA members and guests).  RSVP at ATA Elkton or at the YMCA Cecil.