A MESSAGE FROM COACH TOM TO MEMBERS OF THE UBBT 6
Through the journals you get to see just how smart and creative and resourceful these black belt teachers are --or are not. What do they think about? How do they view their "test." How do they deal with failure? What are they reading and watching? What are they doing for others? Who inspires them?
In the UBBT 6, as in a few of the past tests, we have a number of our team who are failing to show up, here, in the most important part of this process --in the only part of the UBBT we can all observe. In the following letter, I reach out to non-participating master teachers --to remind them of why they are here and the importance of doing as they want their students to do.
Coach Tom
-----------
To Team 6:
We seek to honor our teachers, our interests, our life's work, the martial arts
and --maybe, even "life" --------by honoring the way we apply ourselves to our
martial arts journey, our "black belt test."
If not to this, then to what? Oh yes, of course, our families! Those are equally,
if not far more, important.
But let's say we honor our loved ones by acting with honor as martial arts
"people." Let's say that the UBBT is about asking more of ourselves in areas
where we have not asked enough of ourselves in the past.
And let's say we do this all, for ourselves -and our families, and at the same
time lead 1000 + other people (and most likely, a LOT more) to a NEW
way to use their martial arts to teach, to make change, and to engage the
world?
Please re-look at your journey and your commitment to this little project of
ours. From a big-picture perspective, this year's going to come and go....it's
going to slip by and hardly be remembered. I'd like to suggest that you
not only start treating the here and now with more awareness --but use these
soon to be forgotten moments / days to make a statement.
By not journaling after committing yourself to the project weakens the power
we have, it weakens what you can say about being a black belt, it weakens our ability to
say, "THIS, is being a martial artist and a black belt" ----because "this" becomes
our failure to be here -now.
We stand a chance to be very powerful, a very positive influence on a LOT of people and
maybe even an entire "industry" and/or "the martial arts world." Because of our/your
influence we are making acts of kindness a force in people's lives, via martial art
instruction. Add to that diabetes education, more dialog about peace, anger control as
a part of martial arts training....
We are promoting business honesty, transparency, and sustainable method of
business management.
We are bringing a much more aggressive form of community activism and humanitarianism
to hundreds -and maybe 1000's of schools. All because of our journaling --the journal entries
about how you're putting these ideas to work and what you're learning from it.
You are, believe it our not, leading an "intellectual" revolution in our little "world." I've worked all
my life to be here, right here and now, and this is my world-champion try out. Fortunately (or
unfortunately) I am dependent on all of you to help bring the soul, the sensibility, the wisdom, and
the heart to the "business" of teaching the martial arts -----that I think it should have.
In fact, I don't think I can make a difference without your help.
So here I am, asking you to simply turn on your computer and talk to the world about
what it is to be a life-long practitioner of the martial arts. To talk about you "ultimate" vision
of your life and how you're pursuing it.
Please team, look at what you're doing --and do your best.
Tom
So much of martial arts has, for me, been internal. I imagine it's hard for many people to "talk" about what they feel, especially to a public audience. I wonder how the UBBT 6 builds a sense of trust between themselves, as a group. How do they draw each other out? How do they lean on each other in need?
ReplyDelete