How Are You Using Your 86,400?

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. However, there are certain rules.

RULE #1 -- Everything that you didn't spend each day would be taken away from you. The bank carries over no balance from day to day.

RULE #2 -- You may not simply transfer money into some other account. You may only spend it. The next morning, upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400 for that day.

RULE #3 -- The bank can end the process without warning; at any time it can say, “It’s over”. It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.

What would you personally do? Would you withdraw every cent? Buy anything and everything you wanted not only for yourself, but for all of the people you love? Maybe even for people you don't know -- because, of course, you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself? Would you help the less fortunate or hoard it all? Or would you just leave the money alone and not touch it at all? Would you ignore the daily deposits and nightly deletions?

The fact is that each of us is already in possession of such a magical bank; we just can't seem to see it; or if we see it, we appear to take it for granted that it will always be there.

The MAGICAL BANK is TIME!

Every morning, we are credited with 86,400 seconds – one full day. Every night, the amount of time that we have failed to invest to a good purpose is written off as a loss; never to be recovered. No balance of time is carried over to the next day. And time allows no over draft. Each day a new account is opened for you. Each night the remains of the day are burned away. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.

You can never recover the time that has passed. 

You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in happiness, and health.

Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank (Life, if you will) can dissolve your account at any time ... without warning. None of us is ever guaranteed a new day. We have only this moment.

So, what will you do with your 86,400 seconds? Aren't they worth so much more than the same amount in dollars?

Enjoy every second of your life; use it wisely.

The clock is ticking, my friends.

Make the most of today – it is the only time you have.

What You Do Today ...

The following article was adapted from a post that originally appeared on our Studio Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/barnesmartialarts) 

Talk is cheap.

We all say we care about the state of the world, that something should be done about what is going on in our neighborhoods, but until we take action -- any action, no matter how small or how grand -- until we actually do something nothing will change.

Words are powerful; they reach into our hearts and inspire, but they alone have never changed a thing; action does. Action, combined with the inspiration of powerful words and ideas, is an unstoppable force.

We cannot wait for the white knight to ride in on his steed, or the hero to swoop in and save us.

At the risk of sounding grandiose, we are the white knight; we are the hero.
Barnes Martial Arts is committed to taking action to improve our community and our world ...

Sometimes the gesture is personal, like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that we organized in 2014 in memory of my fiance's father, Ray Williams.

Sometimes the expression is farther reaching and deals with a Universal topic -- such as the current Cards and Letters for Blake Kitchen campaign through which we are attempting to shed more light on the issue of bullying.

Other times, as with the Holiday Clothing and Toy Drives, collecting food for the Al Beech/West Side Food Pantry, or even cleaning up Murray Street, our efforts are focused closer to home.

No positive action is too small.
All positive action is beneficial.

The point is that as Martial Artists we have a greater responsibility to each other. Compassion is one of the fundamental capacities of what it means to be not only a true Black Belt, but a meaningful, contributing member of one's community, and the world at large. More than that, for Martial Artists it represents balance and harmony. It is not enough for us to learn how to damage people without also learning how to reach out and help them. Too often, Martial Arts studios -- even here in Northeastern Pennsylvania -- focus on the closed fist rather than the open hand.

This is why it is so important to our identity as a Studio that our students all become engaged in our ongoing efforts to spread Kindness, to lead by example that Martial Artists are more than just fighters, and to truly take these lessons Out of the Dojo, Into the World.

It is incumbent upon all of us to leave our world in a better state than we found it.

Thank you all for your continuing efforts to help us redefine the role of what it means to be a Martial Arts school in our contemporary world, to set the bar higher than it has ever been set, especially here in Northeast PA.

By aligning with our wider, deeper Vision, we truly can -- and most certainly will -- accomplish great things.

Who Inspires You?

We live in a world that, unfortunately, tends to deify celebrity. The opinions thoughts, and actions of actors, singers, and sports figures are weighted disproportionately to the rest of us. These people are held up as heroes and role models -- and yet their behaviors and lifestyles (drinking, drug use, general disrespect) are often incongruent with the position we have assigned them.

I am inspired by very few so-called "celebrities" -- Chuck Norris and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama are the only two who come immediately to mind. 

A number of people inspire me in different ways -- my daughter, my parents, my fiance, my students, to name a few. In general, most of the folks whom I look up to are "real people", people you might actually meet at any given time. They inspire me with their strength; their attitude; their ability to overcome adversity; and the things they've done -- and continue to do -- with their lives.  They tend not to seek out the spotlight, and as a consequence, you may not have heard of them.

Tom Callos is a man whom I greatly admire.

We share a similar vision for the Martial Arts. THIS is what we strive for in our small dojo.

A Kindness Checklist

So you think that performing Random Acts of Kindness is a great idea (I do too!) but you don't know where to start. Here is a checklist of possible activities. You can do these for friends, family members even complete strangers (remember, though, if you are a younger student make sure Mom and Dad are there to supervise).

None of these take a lot of time, or cost a lot of money (most, in fact, cost nothing). The point is that Kindness is often found in the small gestures, the little things that someone does unexpectedly that can change a person's day.

Now ... get out there and change the world! I believe you will.

• Open the door for someone.
• Give a helping hand when you see someone carrying a lot of stuff.
• Give a homeless person your leftovers from a restaurant.
• Purchase a some umbrellas, blankets, ponchos at a dollar store and keep it in your trunk – when it’s a rainy/cold day, find a person who needs it and give them one.
•  Give a lottery ticket to a stranger.
• Leave anonymous thank you notes to teachers.
• Invite a friend to the movies or dinner.
• Put change in a vending machine.
• Leave a book you have already finished somewhere for someone else to read.
• Drop off a toy or game at a homeless shelter.
• Pay for a bridge toll for the person behind you.
• Send someone a small gift anonymously.
• Drop off flowers at your friend or neighbor’s house.
• Buy a meal for a homeless person.
• Buy a movie ticket for the person behind you in line.
• Pay for someone’s meal behind you at a fast-food drive-thru.
• Write an inspirational note to someone who needs inspiration.
• Send a card to someone in the military overseas.
• Put something you no longer need on craigslist.org for free.
• Drop off a toy or game at a hospital.
• At the post office, leave some extra stamps at the stamp machine.
• Buy a phone card and give to a homeless shelter for them to give to someone.
• Open the phone book, pick a name, and send them something (movie tickets, thank you card, book, etc.) anonymously.
•  Take flowers to a hospital ward and give them to someone who hasn’t had any visitors.
• Drop off teddy bear to police department to give to traumatized children.
• Drop a few coins in an area where children play, where they can easily find them.
• Write letters of appreciation to groups who are helping the community, the environment, etc.
• Go to a tourist spot and offer couples/families to take their pictures with their camera.
• If you know someone who is having a hard time financially, pop $5, $10 or $20 in an envelope, disguise your writing or type the envelope, and mail it to them.
•  Tape some change to a payphone with a card saying it is for whoever needs it.
• Write anonymous, loving post-its for strangers to find.
• At a restaurant, pay for a table’s lunch or dinner anonymously.
• Pay for someone’s groceries.
• Volunteer your time at a non-profit organization.
• Smile!
• Acknowledge the cashier who’s helping you and genuinely ask them how they’re doing.
• Wave back to children who wave at you.
• Say hello.
• Reach an item off a high shelf for someone.
• Give up your seat to someone who needs it more.
• Remove debris or other obstacles from a road or path.
• If you arrive at a stop sign at the same time as another driver, let them go first.
• Pay someone a compliment.
• Help someone with their groceries or bags.
• Offer to help an elderly neighbor with their household chores.
• Call a friend randomly and let them know you’re thinking of them.
• Bring a treat to work to share with your coworkers.

What is "The Art of Living"?

 "Martial arts practice; ethics; redefining self-defense; and taking the practice of Martial Arts out of the Dojo and into the World ... " -- Tom Callos, 6th Dan

Those goals are shared by Barnes Martial Arts.

When I was a young boy, someone who was bullied throughout my grade school and high school years, my impression of Martial Arts came mostly from watching Chuck Norris' movies. Those movies were pure escapism! I could imagine myself dispatching my foes with the same ease and ferocity that Mr. Norris did. It wasn't until later, when I actually enrolled in Martial Arts classes, I began to see that there was more -- MUCH MORE -- to the Arts than learning how to kick butt!

My training was tough and very physical, my instructor extremely demanding; but underlying every sore muscle, every bruise, every ache and pain, were deeper lessons of perseverance, honor, integrity, focus, and personal discipline. To me, these were warrior qualities that were missing in the world.

Still later, when I opened my first studio, I began to see an even bigger picture ... of how the Martial Arts could be a springboard for greater possibilities.

My teachers always stressed that Martial Arts are a way of life. And that is certainly true. But they are beyond that ... Martial Arts ARE life itself, and to incorporate their practice into our daily existence, to draw breath every day and to find and maintain our place in this world is the Art of Living.

Awhile ago I read something written by Tom Callos, a 6th degree Black Belt and internationally recognized authority on the Martial Arts. Tom is one of the loudest, funniest, most persistent voices in the martial arts community for things that represent the best of the best we can be as martial artists. He champions things like anger management training, dietary self-defense, community engagement, peace education, environmental issues, philanthropy, leadership training, transparent and ethical business practices, and any number of issues that stand for the "good stuff" in the martial arts community.

Anyway, many years ago, Tom wrote to Rosa Parks, the black woman who, by a singular act of defiance --refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person -- sparked the Civil Rights movement. He wrote to her, I suppose, to tell her how much he admired her and what a difference her example had made. In 1993, Ms. Parks wrote back. Her letter made Tom wonder if 100 martial arts MASTERS could, collectively, equal the power to influence, and make positive changes in the world as did the diminutive 42-year-old seamstress who, that historic day, simply refused to give up her seat.  

I am proud to say that in a small way, I am affiliated with Mr. Callos; we share the same Vision of the Martial Arts. I believe that we all – but ESPECIALLY Black Belts (AND Black Belts in Training!) – have a responsibility to our world; to leave it a better place than we found it.

Like Mr. Callos, our mission is to use all of our skills, experience, and determination to re-define the role of Martial Arts teachers, students and schools in today’s world.

To do that Barnes Martial Arts strives to redefine the meaning and definition of “self-defense.” In short – EVERYTHING is self-defense. Everything from understanding issues such as healthy eating, dietary health issues (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.), gender discrimination, violence, non-violent conflict resolution, leadership, bullying, and a number of other topics that make us smarter, better leaders and teachers, and more important, participating members of our communities and this world. It all counts – and as I learned early in my Martial Arts career, the “food” that enters our minds and Spirits is equally important as the food that enters our bodies.  

So welcome to "The Art of Living" -- the Official Blog of Barnes Martial Arts...

In these pages you will find informative articles, videos, and links designed to enhance not only your experience at our Studio, but to spark thinking and hopefully, action.

Consider this blog to be the digital, online newsletter of our Studio ... and so much more.

It is going to be an EPIC journey. I am so glad to have you along with me.