Achieving a giant goal is simply a matter of accumulating small, daily victories. Like you said, it’s like taking one cookie out of the box at a time until there are no more left.

This is a great way to look at our task at hand. I especially like how you acknowledge doing a little at a time to balance things out.

Yes! Small things, done consistently over time lead to great results. Your insight on taking small bites is valuable too. We have to consider the longevity of our training too. We want to enjoy karate for many years to come–not just a single flash-in-the-pan year.

I am glad you dropped that negative friend. They were not a friend when they said those words.They were probably jealous and knew they couldn’t do it themselves. It good to surround yourself with supportive positive friends. Don’t waste energy on negativity.

It was ‘a waste of time’….That’s unfortunate someone in your life said that to you. I think you made the right decision in letting them go. You probably heard the saying “We’ are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” A nice person will lower their standards to match the standards of the people they spend time with. This is because nobody wants to feel alone, especially if they’re around people. So it’s best to move on and find a social group headed in the same direction…onward and upward, as they say.

I don’t know this person at all, but I’d be willing to be that they aren’t a great example of fitness or character. Very successful people don’t usually “punch down”. Instead, the are either too busy to say anything negative at all, or they will support you in your quest to better yourself. In my experience, it’s always been the least successful and most negative people that tell you why you can’t or shouldn’t do something great. It’s true in fitness, business, and personal relationships. Surround yourself with like-minded people and start looking for people that are in a place in their life that you want to be! Get away from those crabs at the bottom of the bucket trying to pull you back down.

That is wonderful you were able to spend time with your family over Christmas. They will always be there whenever you need them. Enjoy your vacation with them.

You’re absolutely right, being thankful and giving to others is good for all involved. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

I get this same feeling around the holidays. The combination of the cold weather and the feeling of being blessed with good food, shelter, health, and a loving family and community really puts things into perspective about how lucky I am.

What a beautiful place to walk and hike. It is refreshing and relaxing to connect with nature. Being unplugged lets you hear and enjoy all nature has to offer. On walks I often listen to the birds, look at the trees as they change seasons, smell the flowers, and talk to neighbors. Relax and enjoy life.

I hit this wall sometimes in meditation as well. There is a part of us that is uncomfortable doing “nothing” and will fight tooth and nail to get us doing “something”. There is something about being extra productive that gives us a feeling of reward. Sometimes, running or working out without an audio book or music somehow feels less productive with our time. But there is value in embracing the actively fully. I’ve trained in a lot of dojo that like to pump music throughout the whole class. I have nothing against working out to music–but karate has its own “sound”. It’s nice to take a vacation from all of that extra stimulation sometime and just enjoy the base activity for what it is.