Tag Archives: the zen dance master

Does Losing It All Effect Leadership Styles?

motivational speaking

When Pearl Harbor was bombed, my parents and their family were given days to gather up what they had and leave their home.

The things they could not carry or sell were given away or left behind.

They had no certainty of where they were going, and they knew they were in the hands of a suspicious-paranoid government.

Japanese-American Citizens lost everything to something called “internment”.

They were simply removed from their lives.

Everything was taken away.

My parents really know the pain of losing it all.

Not so long ago I was facing losing it all.

I lost my house, so my place to live.

I lost my income, and with it my security.

I lost my marriage, and that felt like the loss of my identity.

Yet, I couldn’t honestly say I had lost everything.

My dad has always been my example of perseverance.

His secret for maintaining such an awesome attitude was Continue reading Does Losing It All Effect Leadership Styles?

Does Every Pain Deserve Pain Pills?

When you are in pain you want it to stop!

How long do you allow pain before you medicate it?

The way I see it, there are two kinds of pain.Discover the Secrets of Stress Management

One is about growth.

The other is about injury or degeneration.

My father taught me the lesson of positive pain.

When I was eleven, I started taking judo lessons.

My dad was there offering “moral support”.

“Just pull with your arms more!”

“Twist your hip and get under your opponent!”

Dad’s suggestions were not helpful during the confusion of a judo match.

I finally just got so frustrated that I blurted out, “If it’s so easy, you do it!”

It was pure frustration on my part, but my dad rose to my challenge and joined the judo club!

The first day of practice he became so exhausted after five minutes he had to stop and sit for the remainder of the hour.  He said later that his first thought was, “I’m too old for this!”

The next day seemed confirmation!

As he struggled to get out of bed he wondered about the wisdom of this decision.  He could just quit!  Nobody expected the old man to hang in there.

Dad said what kept him going Continue reading Does Every Pain Deserve Pain Pills?