Stay Focused on the Big Picture by Harvey Mackay

A reader of this column sent me an email recently, thanking me for a column I had written on getting outside the box. She then told me how she had lost focus for a while, but had turned things around. She encouraged me to write a column on staying focused. I immediately thought of my varsity golfing days at the University of Minnesota many years ago. Back then, The Saint Paul Open was one of the top tournaments on the men’s professional golf circuit. Prior to the tournament, I had a chance to meet Gary Player when he was taking a lesson from our team coach, Les Bolstad. Later that evening I went to dinner with the world’s future #1 player when he was still an unknown.

The following day at The Saint Paul Open, I saw Gary after he teed off the first hole and ran up to him to say hi. I wanted to tell him what a great time I had the night before. His steely eyes remained focused on the fairway ahead and he never broke stride. “Harvey, please don’t talk to me. I must concentrate. I will see you when I’m finished.”

I remember how devastated I felt, but I learned a valuable lesson on focus. Many years later when he was world famous, my wife, Carol Ann, and I ran into Gary and his wife in South Africa. I reintroduced myself and reminded him of what happened on the golf course. Gary’s wife told me, “Don’t feel bad. He doesn’t even talk to me on the golf course.”

That’s the focus that it takes to do your best. If you have the ability to focus fully on the task at hand, and shut out everything else, you can accomplish amazing things.

Arnold Palmer, another golfing legend, recalled a tough lesson he learned about focus in Carol Mann’s book “The 19th Hole”:

“It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, “Congratulations.” I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trap, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don’t forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again.” Trust me, your friends will understand!

A response Babe Ruth once gave to a reporter sticks in my mind. “How is it,” the Babe was asked, “that you always come through in the clutch? How is it you can come up to bat in the bottom of the 9th, in a key game with the score tied, with thousands of fans screaming in the stadium, with millions listening on the radio, the entire game on the line and deliver the game winning hit?” His answer, “I don’t know. I just keep my eye on the ball.”

In other words... Focus.

How many times have you heard an athlete talk about focus? It’s a topic I also hear about frequently in business. The most common complaints?

Too many irons in the fire. Too many projects spinning at one time. Too many interruptions. Too many phone calls. Too many emails. Too many things to do. Too little time.

The late Peter Drucker, management consultant and author, observed, “When you have 186 objectives nothing gets done. I always ask, ‘What’s the one thing you want to do?’ In Mexico they call me Senor Una Cosa.” (translation: one thing)

Decide what’s most important. Make a list every day or every week and prioritize your activities. Scale back the amount of time you spend on meetings; they can be the biggest time-wasters of all. Learn to delegate, and make sure all members of your team follow through on assigned tasks.

Set aside a specific time of day to return phone calls and emails, and keep distractions to a minimum. In other words, set rules about how others use your time. And if you’re not the boss, work with your supervisor to make sure you agree on priorities.

Stay focused as best you can, and don’t let things happen to you - not when you can make things happen.

Mackay’s Moral: The person who is everywhere is nowhere.

Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the Fruit Group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed.

Over the last fifty years, there is probably no one person whose name is more recognizable or more prominent relative to the martial arts than Bruce Lee. When people think of Bruce Lee, they think of the martial arts and vice-versa. Looking past all of the powerful kicks and punches Lee performed, we find the true fuel of his achievements in a tremendous passion from his deep martial arts philosophy.

More than one book has been written about the habits of people who are effective. A notable trait in several of them is the premise of writing a short list each morning of things you want to accomplish. Assert to yourself that you will not begin the second thing until the first is done. Go on down the list in this fashion until each task is accomplished.

Naturally, you will have to balance between your personal life and things like your career, school, martial arts training, etc. Each of these things deserves their proper time in your life, but it is up to you to decide how much time is allotted to them. There will be some things in your life that may be more important but will require less time. Conversely, there will be other things that may be less important, but will require more time to do them properly.

The martial artist steps into the ring. A stack of concrete is supported sturdily before him; as he runs through a mock break, he focuses his energy. The crowd is silent, anticipating an extraordinary maneuver. Letting out a yell, the fighter strikes, and fragments fly in all directions, while spectators chant and shout in appreciation.

Many Americans consume less than ideal amounts of certain nutrients needed for a healthy diet. To make sure you’re getting proper nutrition to feel your best, the Guidelines recommend increasing your intake of:

The Great Master Tohei was renowned for his skills of self-defense.Although he was only five feet tall and one hundred and twenty pounds, he could easily defend himself against attackers that were twice his size. He welcomed all who doubted his skill and came to his school to challenge him, and he was never defeated.

Whereas, on the twentysecond day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, towit:

Confucius once said:

“There are three friendships which are advantageous, and three which are injurious.

Friendship with the uplight, friendship with the sincere, and friendship with the man of much observation – these are advantageous. Friendship with the man of specious airs, friendship with the insinuatingly soft, and friendship with the glib-tongued – these are injurious.”

Exercise In The Morning Sharpens Brains Of Older Adults

Yang The Peerless

Weapons training is one of the most exciting parts of learning a martial art. All systems have their choice of weapons, but the bottom line is that any weapon you use becomes an extension of your body (increases distance) and brings you closer to an opponent (decreases distance). Anything can be used as a weapon, but traditional weapons can be classified in four general categories, which often overlap.

The first, and most basic, type of weapon is a stick. Sticks are weapons like staffs, spears, Escrima sticks, etc.

The second basic type of weapon is a blade. Blades can be knives, double-edged swords, broadswords, etc.

The third basic type of weapon is a projectile. Projectiles can be things like throwing stars, arrows, darts, etc.

The fourth basic type of weapon is a combination. Combinations can be the nine-section whip, rope dart, three-section staff, etc.

Each weapon falls into another category based on its length, which is either short or long. Staffs and spears are sticks that would be long, but Escrima sticks would be considered short within the same category of sticks. Swords are considered short weapons, but a rope dart, which is a knife on the end of a rope, is a long weapon.

Each weapon has its place within the hands of a skilled fighter despite its length. The principle is the same with all weapons: They are an extension of the body. Some weapons, like a knife or Eskrima sticks, are an extension within the in-fighting range – in other words, you can still extend an empty hand and reach an opponent.

Other weapons, like a spear or nine-section whip, extend when opponents are just beyond your reach with an empty hand or kick. Projectiles extend your reach to opponents that are a greater distance away by throwing a star or shooting an arrow.

Of course, each weapon has its unique methods and purposes, like cutting or hitting, but ultimately, the common denominator is that they alter the space between you and your opponent. The weapon extends the distance of your body, so that the distance between you and the opponent is decreased. On another level, using weapons also increases the distance that you can project your own personal energy.

Training with weapons takes the martial artist’s skill to another level by increasing distance.

“Every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.” - As A Man Thinketh

My friend, Mark Shearon, once posed a very enlightening question to a telephone audience, “Are you thinking about what you’re thinking about?” Read that sentence again and read it carefully. It’s not a play on words.

Most people give very little thought to what occupies their thinking and ever fewer people understand that “good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts, bad fruit.” Most of us understand the law of sowing and reaping in other aspects of life, but we fail to understand that this same law is just as potent when our thoughts are involved.

Many visits to a primary care physician are for a psychosomatic illness – a disorder that involves both mind and body. According to Dr. David Sobel, a primary care physician and author of the highly respected Mind-Body Health Newsletter, a small percent of people who visit their physician for common maladies like nausea, headache and stomach upset are diagnosed with a physical, organic cause. That means that a large number of people are suffering from an illness that originated in ‘Thought’!

In other words, large numbers of people literally think their way into sickness.

If you’ve never trained yourself in “right thinking,” I challenge you to spend today monitoring and recording your thoughts. If you understand the power of thought in your life, at the end of the day you won’t be surprised at why your life is where it’s at today, be it good or bad.

In ‘Make Your Life Worthwhile’, Emmet Fox wrote, “The more you think about lack, bad times, etc., the worse will your business be; and the more you think of prosperity, abundance and success, the more of these things will you bring into your life.”

The more you think about your grievances or the injustices that you have suffered, the more such trials will you continue to receive; and the more you think of the good fortune you have had, the more good fortune will come to you.

And that’s worth thinking about.

Standing on a hilltop facing southwest, Pheidippides knew of the challenge before him.

His chief officer and military instructor had just ordered him to send a message of victory back to the capital, Athens. Yet, the officer had no horse for him and victory – in truth – still seemed a few hours away. Pheidippides would have to go on foot. A full day of hand-to-hand combat and tactical movements had worn his sandals down to nothing, and the sun was well on its way to setting. But the young Greek had no time to think about the orders.

The journey would take a full day as his destination lay over 24 miles away. He saluted his superior and headed off; even as he did this several menacing arrows from the Persian enemies sailed just overhead.

“Be there by sundown tomorrow! We need the Athenians to help us with the aftermath of this battle right away. Good luck,” shouted Bacchus, the chief officer of Pheidippides’ martial brigade.

“Yes sir!” Pheidippides bowed, then turned and started running downhill.

Luckily for Pheidippides the martial training he endured as an Athenian soldier allowed his fitness to reach peak performance. He gracefully descended the hill then continued on in a gallop across foothills and grasslands. Night fell, but he kept running. The desire to slow down and walk never surfaced. His discipline was too great. His dedication to success for Athens was too great. And his conditioning could handle it.

The general of the Athenian army was in the town center brushing his horse's mane, awaiting word from the battlefield. He glanced up in the general direction of the site in hopes that someone would appear and bring a message of victory -- a hope that would just have to wait until tomorrow, as it was too dark for any news to arrive. Well, the general had to rub his eyes in disbelief as there appeared from way down a marble avenue, a young soldier running in his direction. The boy appeared exhausted, covered in blood and sweat; and he held a message in his hand. The general ran to meet him and in a moment that would change physical fitness forever, young Pheidippides, after completing a 24-hour journey in only three, delivered his message of victory from the battlefield at the small town of Marathon.

Obesity is a medical condition characterized by having too much body fat, which can cause health problems and complications. Learning more about obesity is a helpful first step toward managing the condition and living a healthier life. Let’s take a look at some obesity statistics, ways to treat obesity, and how to help prevent it.

• On average, one out of every three adults is obese, which is about 36% of the population. (Harvard, 2020)

• About 18.5% of children ages 2 to 19 are considered obese in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019)

• Causes of obesity

• Obesity is thought to be caused by a combination of physical, psychological, environmental, and/or genetic risk factors. Some diseases and medical conditions can also cause or contribute to obesity.

• Obesity prevention

  Preventing obesity involves a combination of many changes, such as:

• Physical activity

• Eating healthy foods

• Reducing stress

• Limiting screen time

• Avoiding processed foods

• Consuming plenty of fiber

• Having strong support and social group

Rejoice in the freedom that you possess because liberty is an extremely valuable treasure. Many times throughout history countries and their citizens have been captured and enslaved by foreign invaders. Over time, people in those enslaved lands devised plans to gain their independence in order to regain their freedom. We are often the beneficiaries of the precious freedom they obtained when they escaped from tyranny.

The idea of escaping from enslavement to gain freedom is similar to escaping an attack on a personal level. When someone grabs you, he is literally denying you your freedom to move. Self-defense techniques help you regain your freedom from people who take it away by violating your rights.

The basic principle in escaping tyranny is to use your strong points against the attacker’s weak points. We can simply and easily understand this principle when escaping a wrist grab. If you take a brief moment to examine the grasp of a human hand, you can see that there are four fingers on one side of the hand, and one thumb on the other side. Pulling to escape through the middle allows your attacker to utilize the strength of all five fingers to keep you a captive. If you were to try to escape by moving toward the four fingers, you are playing right into your attacker’s strength. However, if you were to try to escape by moving toward the attacker’s thumb, that is the weakest point of his grasp. The strength of your entire arm should be greater than the strength of his thumb, and you should be able to escape successfully.

You can use the same principle when escaping from any grab by a human hand. If your attacker grabs your arm instead of your wrist, simply move your arm toward the thumb to escape. If your attacker doubles his efforts by grabbing you with both hands, simply escape toward both thumbs, which is usually the middle area between the hands. Even a choke can be escaped by moving toward the thumb (or thumbs for a two hand choke).

Throughout history oppressed people have used their strong points against their oppressor’s weak points to escape slavery. In the American Revolutionary War, the American soldiers used their knowledge of the forests against the powerful British army, whose battle plans were extremely effective in open fields. Had they met the British army in an open battlefield, the Americans would surely have been defeated. By fighting in the woods, the Americans used their strong point against their oppressor’s weak point to win.

Participate in a local road race.

• Go swimming at your local recreation center.

• Sign up for dance lessons with a friend.

• Wash the car.

• Plant and care for a vegetable garden (then cook the vegetables for healthy meals).

• Find your inner child—build a snowman or rake the leaves then jump in your piles.

• Start your day with a morning stretch or end your day with calming yoga.

• Keep a list of quick activities, like squats or stretches, near the remote so that you can be active during, commercial breaks.

To be a success is not always to be a success individually. In fact, most of the time we achieve our successes as part of a team. Here are some principles that I know, when implemented on a regular basis, can turn any lackluster school into an outstanding one!

Master Li had a reputation for being a great fighter and was known as “The Unbeatable Flying Crane”. Although his skill in crane style kung fu was flaw­less, he was always being challenged by other fighters trying to become heroes and legends by defeating him.

On one occasion a fighter named Fu, who was an expert in tiger style, challenged Master Li.

Ancient masters in charge of training militaries believed that soldiers needed to be more than fast, strong and agile.

They wanted troops to also have undying will power and selflessness, so they would stand in the face of danger, hold formation and work as a team. Ever since, the martial arts have encompassed teachings in responsibility, discipline and fairness.

Thanks to this rich history, the martial arts still embody more than just physical benefits alone; they give practitioners well-rounded “fitness” in many aspects of life; including four major categories: physical, mental, moral and life. Let’s take a look at each type and how the arts can help us improve.