I Am Project - Discerning

I have been studying the martial arts for over twenty five years now and despite the fact that I still consider myself a student who has a lot to learn, I know beyond a doubt that my success in the arts and business has been due to influence.

I often wonder where I would be today if I hadn’t been blessed with so many positive influences in my life. When I say blessed I am not saying lucky. I have always been very discerning when choosing my friends and mentors and because of this, I am reaping in the benefits made possible by my choices. When I think about it, I don’t really understand why I have always been so careful and discriminating over who I have associated with. I have seen so many others ruin their lives with bad choices so perhaps I really am just lucky. But we make our own luck, right?

A point that I continually drive home with my students is - nothing is for free. There are consequences to our actions and there are consequences to our inactions. The email we send, the comments we make in line at the grocery store, our silent acceptance of a racial slur - anything and everything can affect our future. Imagine walking into a job interview and discovering that the person making the decision whether or not to hire you is the same guy you flipped off in traffic the day before. The choices we make today can set events into motion that can affect us for the rest of our lives.

Because I am discerning with my friendship, I find myself surrounded by people who are committed to personal growth and whose actions and exploits reflect my own values. Consequently I have evolved as a person committed to excellence. I believe this commitment is evident when I teach my kung fu and it has allowed me to inspire others to follow my path and has given me a strong sense of purpose in my life. Who could ask for anything more?

When I am discerning in my actions, I make choices that reflect the product I am peddling to my students and allow me to aspire to Ghandi’s ideal by being the change I want to see in the world.

"It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives. The choices we make determine our destiny." - Thomas S. Monson (b. 1927)