There is beauty everywhere if we only open our eyes to it

It is such an exciting time of year!  From torrential rainfall, to being snowed in, to discovering opening buds in the sunshine, we are getting it all.  

And whatever nature has to offer at any given moment - it's all beautiful.  Even a frozen raindrop can be source of great beauty and joy.  

I love what Dr. Tae Yun Kim has to say about such things.  As you know, she grew up in horrible circumstances, not only poor but also very much abused.  All she had was nature and the choice to appreciate rather than be depressed.  But you can read about that here.  

Here are her words which can always apply in your life one way or another.  

"Appreciation and gratitude are ways of acknowledging that something is present and real  When you acknowledge and appreciate beauty, you are making it real in your world.  And making beauty real in your world is another way of taking charge of your life.  Because you can see beauty everywhere, let this perception set you free from being a victim of self-imposed ugliness, gloom and depression."

(The Silent Master, page 154)

So let us celebrate every living breath as if it was our last breath!

Don't be afraid of change!

Everyone loves rainbows, right?  They are so beautiful, so cheerful and they freely give so much joy on a rainy day!

But first - there is always rain!  When you wake up to this:

it's hard sometimes to "see the light."  No matter how much you logically know we need the rain, when your backyard transforms into a lake you probably wish it would stop!

Dr. Tae Yun Kim, very wisely, puts it this way:

"When you know there are cycles of change, you avoid accepting limited or negative conditions as permanent or final.  No mater where you are in a cycle, the seed for the new condition is there.  

Have an attitude of letting go.  You needn't hold on to positive or negative conditions as though they will last forever; rather, let the flow from yin to yang to yin lead you into harmonious, balanced, progressive change.  Never be afraid of change.  All change should lead you into greater good eventually.  That is the purpose of change, and that is the purpose of life."

(Seven Steps to Inner Power, page 50)

Wow!  With such an attitude, life becomes much less stressful and much more beautiful.  Let's do this!  

The importance of Charity Work and giving back to our communities

After blogging about choices, New Years Resolutions and all sorts of motivational stuff, why a blog post about a tiny school out in the middle of nowhere?

Well, Dr. Tae Yun Kim, when she was growing up in war-torn post war South Korea, she had to walk for miles to school, and there was a serious shortage of teachers, supplies, food and pretty much everything.  She recalls walking to school in the middle of winter with sneakers that were so much to small that her big toes were sticking out.  Dr. Kim knows what important community communication hubs these schools can be!

Now, more than 60 years later and in the USA, she still thinks about school children and she knows first hand how important it is to keep the doors of local schools open, no matter how small or large they are.
When Dr. Kim heard that the Applegate School needed computers very badly, she jumped right in and donated enough funds to purchase 10 new notebook computers!
Sometimes well meaning people suggest she stop going to small schools and focus on big universities.

Of course I do that too, she says, but these small schools are so vital to local communities.  They are not only schools for the children, but they become community centers.  We need to do everything we can to keep their doors open!
Can you imagine how delighted the children were to have such a celebrity as Dr. Kim come and give a lecture, AND give a big check?

The power is in you, it is your personal choice what you do in your life, Dr. Kim says.  So let's act on it and do good whenever and wherever we can!

Part Three: The Power in Making Choices

And here, as promised, is the last and very important part about choices.  Look at the apple flower above!  What if it had made the choice not to open up?  What if it was too lazy to become the apple it was born to be?  What if it had chosen to remain the bud in the next picture?  Here is what Dr. Tae Yun Kim concludes her page on choices:

"Sometimes we tend to feel that making choices limits our options, and that by choosing a direction, we somehow eliminate all others.  No. Quite the contrary, every time you make a choice, you open up an entire web of possibilities connected with that choice.  If you dislike the outcome, the worst thing that can happen is you make another choice, and this opens up another entirely different number of possibilities adding to all the other previous choices!  There is no limitation in choosing!"

(These quotes came from "The First Element", pages 128 - 129)

This frosty little bud will later in the year open up to become the beauty you see above

So, let's not limit ourselves.  Let's make a choice - and either stick with it, or change it to another choice!  But let's not let our environment or anything or anyone else make choices for us!

One more time, Dr. Tae Yun Kim's powerful words:

The power is in us, it is our personal choice what we do in our lives!

No more excuses!

One more blog about New Years Goals, and how to reach them.  As we know by know, Dr. Tae Yun Kim highly encourages us to not only set goals, but also work towards reaching them, and hold ourselves accountable.

But for one reason or another, sometime we don't seem to be able to do it. Why?  The goals seemed so very important, and somehow, they seem farther away than ever.  Here is a great revelation from Dr. Tae Yun Kim:

"When a goal is taking longer than expected to fulfill, there is a strong temptation to give up and make excuses for failure. Your excuses prevent you from doing the additional work you need to do for ultimate success.  Typically you do know the right thing to do, but you make an excuse!  You make the excuse because somehow you think this is more beneficial than being honest with yourself or someone else.  
Most excuses are fueled by the belief that you can't do what you know you should.  No such thing! Be aware that "I can't usually means I could, but I won't.  

For example, lazy persons most likely have some fear regarding their ability to achieve.  They use laziness to avoid testing themselves and confronting their fear of failure.  

If you find yourself saying "I can't," examine this statement very closely.  It rarely means I am not able.  Most of the time, you can!  You will just have to persevere with continued effort!"
(The Silent Master page 132)

So there you have it straight from Dr. Tae Yun Kim - check yourself and see if you are making excuses - and if you are - how about stopping?

A special surprise!

I thought I would surprise you with this special slide show I found online!  What a treat!

Tae yun kim tae yun kim and tae kwon do from Tae Yun Kim

Jung SuWon - young warriors at testing

As you know now, at Jung SuWon, Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim doesn't just give out new belts just because you have been training for a while, or because you paid a certain amount of fees, or because you are "just a kid." There is actually no such thing here....no matter who you are, what gender, what age...you will be pushed to whatever your own limits are - and discover new strengths in the process.

No, at Jung SuWon you get your new belts the old fashioned way: you earn them! Whether old or young, you have to show that you have improved, and not just inside the Do Jang, but also in whatever you do.

This applies to even the youngest warriors. Not only do you have to perform physically, but warriors of all ages need to hand in a written test, which consists of questions and essay questions. For the younger ones this could mean drawing a picture....

And here you see some examples from our last testing....these young warriors and artists are all around 7 years old....