People with a negative self image typically will lack true confidence. This manifests itself either in extreme introversion or overcompensation through arrogance. Everyone knows people like this, and it is no secret that they simply feel unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives.
A person with a positive self image is able to assert themselves with a sense of quiet confidence. They feel no need to use other people as stepping stones in order to elevate themselves. Looking at yourself positively is a necessity for those wishing to have a true sense of happiness in their life.

Your Daily Food Plan helps you manage your daily intake by recommending the amount of food you need from each food group. Your portions at each meal do not need to be any specific amount-but to stay within your energy needs, the total amount you eat each day should match the total amount recommended for each group. For example, 1 regular slice of bread counts as 1 ounce of grains. This doesn’t mean that you have to eat a sandwich with one piece of bread. It just means that if you eat two slices, you should count them both toward your total grain intake for the day.

On top of preparing yourself for Martial Arts success, enduring the pain and hardships of training can then prepare you for the rest of your life. From one preparation, you enter another. Whether it be at school, home, out for your friends, or in training, you have to prepare yourself for challenges and prepare to prevent danger and trouble. You can always connect your life struggles back to the struggles of your training, then use those same inspirations and motivations to help you overcome adversity anywhere.

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot summer day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. “How powerful the sun is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be the sun!”

Preparation is a key to success. In order to achieve your goals, you must write down a clear and specific plan. A clear and specific plan is like a blueprint for a house or a map for finding a location. If you don’t write out your plans, they will become easy to forget.

You eliminate fear, anxiety and stress. You can’t be happy and depressed at the same time. It is impossible. When you decide to be positive within yourself the negative has to leave. It is just like walking into a dark room, you don’t yell and scream at the darkness and tell it to get out. You don’t try to grab it and physically remove it from the room so the light can get in. No!

A young man kneeled outside the gates of Shaolin, motivated by the desire for vengeance. His goal was to learn Kung Fu in order to take vengeance for the murder of his father at the hands of an oppressive foreign officer. His motivation was so strong that he endured the patience test just to enter the gates.

Be in control and set out to accomplish the goals that you have given yourself. And remember, you have the right to take care of yourself.

Wishing you a Happy New Year with the hope that you will have many blessings in the year to come.

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."
- Benjamin Franklin