How to think like Leonardo da Vinci

Sharing the same name as this blog post, How to think like Leonardo da Vinci is a book by Michael J. Gelb which serves as an instructional manual of sorts for people seeking da Vinci's kind of genius. Granted, genius like this doesn't come around that often, and if it was that easy, well...each of you would have read the book already. However, Gelb states that everyone has capabilities and potential that are left untapped, and his book simply assists in this process.

Gelb talks a bit about goal setting...how appropriate than in the first quarter of the new year. A clever little acronym, S.M.A.R.T. will assist anyone in the process of goal setting and achievement.

S    pecific - To ensure that you achieve some real results, you must be specific as to what you really want to do.
M   easurable - Decide how you will measure your progress and to know when you have achieved your goal.
A    ccountability - You must have someone that you will lean on to ensure that you stay on track.
R    ealistic and Relevant - It is admirable to have lofty goals. Do not set yourself up for failure though by making your goals insignificant to you or too unattainable.
T    imeline - Have a time frame that will help keep you on a course for success.

As you approach the middle of February, Be S.M.A.R.T in your goal setting and achievement to make 2012 a record year for your health, fitness and well-being

Johnson's Tiger Rock of Cary held its Tiger Cub, Youth and Adult Testings yesterday. Each group did very well, and we are proud of the many performances. Our instructors will be at the Tiger Rock in Holly Springs today for their testing, and tomorrow back at the Cary academy for our Junior Testing.

If you miss the primary testing, you can come to the Secondary testing on Tuesday at 6pm. Don't forget that Awards Ceremony is on Wednesday and classes will resume on Thursday.

I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Glenn Kleiman speak to the Cary Chamber of Commerce Education Committee on Wednesday. Dr. Kleiman is the Executive Director of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at NC State, and he spoke to the group about some of the things that the Friday Institute does as well as what it means to be literate in the Information Age. Considering that the world is changing at a rapid pace, the institute for Educational Innovation serves to advance education through innovation in teaching, learning, and leadership. They study the use of technology in the learning process and also work to improve collaboration amongst teachers, administrators and faculty in our schools.

Innovation is key to sustainability and growth. Whether one sells widgets or teaches martial arts, it is crucial to have the understanding of the way the future will operate. This is why I am so pleased to be part of Tiger Rock-a company that is constantly in motion and that aims to improve the lives of its martial arts students through its martial arts curriculum.
 

Johnson's Tiger Rock instructor and 2nd Degree Black Belt, Jimmy Loo hosted our 1st Annual Red Cross Blood Drive outside of the Cary academy this past Saturday.

Mr. Loo worked very hard in his recruitment of donors, placing signage that advertised the event, and also in the overall management of the event.


23 donors gave blood, which was a great show of empathy this holiday season!!

I recently finished reading a book by Daniel H. Pink entitled "A Whole New Mind: How Right Brainers Will Rule The World." I found it to be beneficial to me in my recent pursuits to better bridge the gap between my two hemispheres. Pink shared loads of interesting observations about the coming of the Conceptual Age like that Medical Students are now studying art in order to develop abilities that will allow them to see connections in a patient's history from seemingly unrelated areas...Or that the MFA or (Major of Fine Arts) is now such a hot commodity that Corporate Recruiters visit the programs to handpick the best talent. The admissions process is also highly competitive in these programs. In the future, we will more greatly reward the designers, the "big-picture thinkers", those that can "step into another's sneakers" and see things from their perspective, and those that are able to develop stronger relationships.

What does this have to do with martial arts? Well, nothing if you don't want it to. However, for those of us who believe that it is our duty to positively impact the students we encounter and thus-society, we make it our priority to do so with a current understanding of today's world. Tiger Rock is cutting edge in its curriculum development and teaching methods and standards. Many martial arts teachers-I would say most in fact- simply teach like they were taught and make very little improvements or modifications to the process. It is our goal to have an extremely quality martial arts program that does at least 3 things for the student:

1.) Our students have to be in good shape and know how to defend themselves.
2.) The program must be managed with the highest standards in safety and a mindfulness of the individual student's needs, strengths and weaknesses.
3.) Our students must learn and reinforce mentioned above-things like empathy, care for the community in which they live and beyond, and perform at a level we call Level 10!

For the month of November, Johnson’s Tiger Rock Martial Arts students are asked to put a token into a clear acrylic box prior to entering the training floor. On the token, the student writes something that they are thankful for. We all can be more thankful, and it is the practice of giving thanks that leads to the improvement of the action itself. This is a practice that we call out of the dojo (or dojang) and into the world. We are so much more than the punch and the kick, and we really walk the walk.

Kavin Wood is an 8 year old who has been training at Johnson's Tiger Rock for several years. He began his TaeKwonDo journey as a Tiger Cub. Now, he is a Level 1 Instructor and assists with the Tiger Cub's Class a couple of times each week. 

As part of his black belt test, Kavin was asked to perform a Service Project in his community. The young student decided to collect hats for young cancer patients. He placed a box at the Tiger Rock academy and collected 15 hats. That's not all. Kavin also collected over $300 by asking for permission from his elementary school to collect donations of $1 for students who could wear a hat to school.

When you ask yourself the kind of program that you want your child in, Consider that there is an academy where learning takes place on many different levels. Kavin Wood is a shining example of a student who starts something and finishes it. Though his martial arts journey is not over, (after all, he is only 8 years old), he has grown tremendously in the few years that he has been training at Johnson's TaeKwonDo, and we are proud to have him as an example student!

Who likes the Dip?


I know what you are thinking, “What could this have to do with Tiger Rock Martial Arts?” Well, we are not talking Ranch or French Onion here. The dip I am referring to is the barrier that distinguishes those who just try and those who succeed, and it exists in every aspect of our lives.

From relationships to academics and yes… TaeKwonDo, everyone faces the dip now and then. If you are starting out in Martial Arts or even an experienced black belt, you are susceptible to many hills and valleys in your training career. The key is to have a good support system that will assist in motivating you through these challenging times that you face. It is important to remember that your instructor will be there to encourage you, as well as parents, friends and family. Do not face the dip alone.

For more information on how you can overcome the dip, read Seth Godin’s book The Dip.

Cary Mayor- Harold Weinbrecht has been a big supporter of the Johnson's program. Weinbrecht attended Johnson's Tiger Rock Martial Arts' Grand Opening of their new location on Davis Drive across from the Middle School. As you may know, Mayor Weinbrecht lists his week's accomplishments in his blog.


The Mayor had this to say about Tiger Rock and the Johnsons,

"My second event on Saturday was the Grand Opening of the new location for Tiger Rock Martial Arts. This is run by the husband and wife team, the Johnsons. In addition to teaching martial arts, they have a strong emphasis on community service. Some of their students have done amazing things in Cary and surrounding areas. To find out more about this great business visit http://tkdcary.com. Visit their blog and see all the wonderful things being done in Cary by some of the youngest students."

For my community service project this cycle, I planted flowers for my neighbors.
First, we went out and bought the supplies. We got one bag of soil, one bag of mulch, and five packs
of pansies. Then, I loaded the supplies into our dump cart and hauled them down the street. We
turned over the earth with our shovels (my mom helped). Then we added the fresh soil and dug
holes for the flowers. In each hole, I put some fertilizer. Finally, we put the flowers in the holes,
smoothed out the earth, sprinkled on the mulch, and gave it a good watering. From this project I
learned how to plant flowers and also I learned that I enjoy helping out. And the cupcakes they gave
me didn’t hurt either. (Jackpot!)

Johnson's Tiger Rock Martial Arts celebrated its 6th year in business with the Grand Opening of its new state-of-the-art facility across from Davis Drive Middle School. Mayor Weinbrecht was in attendance and had nice things to say about the facility and our work with youth.

Featuring a 60 foot glass wall that divides its training floor from its lobby, an ipad kiosk, study and play areas, showers and plentiful seating, Tiger Rock Martial Arts has truly stepped up its facilities so that its incredible martial arts programs now have a home to match!

We are working hard on our new facility on Davis Drive across from Davis Drive Middle School! Our new address will be 204 Davis Grove Circle. The new academy will be beautiful with the Tiger Rock Traditional Design plan, heavy bag racks, Ipad kiosks, state-of-the-art Combo Training Mats, Showers, Play and Study Areas.

Tiger Rock black belt, Ryan Brandt was featured in the Raleigh News and Observer this week for his participation in a Community project with two of his school buddies from Salem Middle School. For 10 days, Ryan and his classmates, Ben Davalos and Andrew Fiorentino, collected 14 bags or 122 pounds of recyclables from being thrown out at the Starbucks in Apex, North Carolina! Without a recycling program, the three 14 year olds saw the opportunity to make an impact in their community with their Earth Day Project at the local Starbucks location.

Perfectly epitomizing the Tiger Rock tenet of Community, Ryan is quoted as saying "For us to collect 120-ish pounds in 10 or 11 days, that's very significant," he said. "What I learned was just the impact that a small number of people can have."  Great Job Ryan and Gang!

 

Mrs. Gretchen Jenkins is opening a Tiger Rock Academy in Holly Springs, North Carolina in the Beautiful Harris Teeter Sunset Lake Shopping Center. For those of you who have friends in the area who could benefit from the life-changing Tiger Rock Programs, please share this with them!

I posted a blog about our student, Kaynan's work on June 30th on the Tiger Rock Martial Arts International Website. For those of you who have yet to read Kaynan's blogs on VeggiesGoCrunch.com, -boy do you have a treat in store. I find Kaynan's writings on healthy eating refreshing. Kaynan is only 12, but she speaks with a wisdom beyond herself in years. Veggies Go Crunch has been a year long journey that started with Kaynan expressing interest to her Martial Arts Teachers in starting a website that would challenge kids to eat better and more mindfully. 12 months later, Kaynan has been asked to blog for the Cary Citizen and the Western Wake Farmer's Market. Way to Go, Kaynan...Oh yeah, Don't Forget to go to Veggies Go Crunch.

We would like to expand the non-profit 501c3 portion of our school to include teacher grants and even academic scholarships! We would like to form a board that would make these types of decisions and help to organize fund-raising. Any interest? We are looking for 5-10 adults to serve on the board-Parents/Grand Parents of students, Adult Students, etc. If you are interested, please give us a call at (919)469-5555!

Mr. Scott Baker and his students from the Chesapeake, Virginia Tiger Rock Academy adopted a park. This is a great show of community and civic pride. Congratulate them on stepping up to performing such a noble deed. This is simply not posting a sign, but an ongoing commitment to keep the park clean. What a great activity to share with your students. Great job again! We are proud to share the Tiger Rock name with you all.

 

Tiger Rock Student, Leo Kalaparackal performed 100 Acts of Kindness as a Community Project this Training Cycle! The 10 year old from Cary wrote on 4 lined sheets of paper his 100 Acts of Kindness. Way to go Leo! What determination and a fine example of the Tiger Rock tenets of Courtesy and Perseverance!