Kicking at Jung SuWon: much more than just physical

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim of Jung Suwon Martial Art Academy, clarifies the concept from the previous post:

If this is a bit too abstract at first, think of it this way: whatever materializes in our lives, were pictures in our minds first. Everything you see existed first as an idea that you entertained. When you want to change the picture, then you must work with the ideas, not only with the picture. For example, imagine you are looking at a picture of a slide projected on a screen. What you see on the screen comes from the slide in the projector. Any markings you make on the screen to change the picture will not change the picture on the slide. The slides in the projector are like ideas in your consciousness. Just as you must change the slide to change the picture on the screen, you must change your ideas, attitudes, and expectations to change the pictures of your world.

Kicking at Jung Suwon: Your thoughts create reality

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim continues to explain:

You might believe that what you think doesn’t matter; only what you actually say or do. Not so. Again, your thoughts are words, and your words are patterns which take form. Sitting around thinking strongly of how much you hate this certain person, or being convinced you cannot participate in Martial Arts classes, will fill you with an inner monologue that only creates a negative energy cloud around you and you will end up attracting the things you are thinking. If you are convincing yourself you cannot do something – you will end up not being able to do that something! This is negative visualization, and to stop yourself from doing it, try this: listen to your inner words. Frequently check to make sure you’re talking positively about yourself. If you find a monologue running that goes…”I’ll never make it…I’m no good…nobody wants me….nobody values me…I have nothing to offer…I am too fat…and on and on. Then you need to consciously stop and consciously create new words. I am succeeding. My talent is valuable and desirable. I have my unique contribution to make…I am attractive…whatever you need to say to help you on your way, not hinder you.

Kicking at Jung SuWon: Part Three

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, founder of the Art of Jung SuWon, continues:


Unfortunately, when we have idle time, many of us have a habit of running all sorts of negative pictures through our minds. But now that you are aware that visualization is a powerful part of the creative process, use this wonderful tool to lend momentum to achieving your goals! Allow only those images in your mind that support you and others, and see how quickly things change.

But, on the other hand, so many of us are carrying on an unspoken inner monologue that reflects our opinion of ourselves and the environment. Take a good look at those words that play in your mind as your inner voice does your thinking and feeling. Are they words you want to see take form? Is this really what you want to visualize, focus on? Always remember that these inner words are energy blueprints which will tend to solidify into actual physical experience. You do, indeed, have to take responsibility for your words, even inner, unspoken words, because they do have power.

Kicking at Jung SuWon: The power of Visualization

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim continues:

Visualization is the first step in bringing forth your purpose and determination, and therefore you must exercise responsibility in what you imagine. You use the same responsibility you used when you formed your purpose and determination. The mental images you form must absolutely support what you want to create and should be visualized with as much detail and clarity as possible. If you give equal time to images that are contrary to what you want, it would be like trying to dig a hole and filling it up at the same time.

Kicking at Jung SuWon - it's not just in the legs!

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim explains why kicks aren't just for our legs...

As martial artists, we all know about how powerful correctly executed kicks are and how beautiful and graceful they can be. They combine power, speed, and beauty into true works of art. They are effective tools not only in self defense, and self expression, but they also tone your body in many ways.

But at the same time, they are so much more. They are tools for visualization, for achieving goals, for making your dreams a reality. How so?

One of my students was severely overweight when she started training. In fact she was so overweight she didn’t even want to start until she lost some weight! Finally she did, but while everybody participated with gusto, she would stand off to the side. When others shouted “He Can Do, She Can Do, Why not ME” she would say to herself, why not me? Because I am fat, that’s why!

Soon she started to come around. I explained to her the power of visualization. Every time she was doing a punch, or kick, she was now visualizing kicking away her fat, her temptations, and all the cakes, cookies and donuts she loved so much and that kept tempting her into sneaking those foods. Every time she was punching and kicking the bags, she wasn’t seeing the bag! She was seeing a giant donut, or a big piece of cake! You wouldn’t believe how hard she was able to kick, all of a sudden. Through visualization she not only gained strength and power, she also lost about 150 lbs, and has the most beautiful, graceful kicks as well! Her natural flexibility started to come through, and her confidence rose.

She had learned that visualization is not just idle daydreaming or wishful thinking. It is focused imagining, with the power of your will and persistence behind it. It is an immaterial activity that takes form first as a mental image, then as a material image.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim: last part about personal choices

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim of Jung SuWon Martial Arts academy finishes her article about success and setting goals:

Here are some beautiful words from “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran, which describe how everyone is individual. We need to love and value and acknowledge the gifts that are uniquely ours.

“The musician may sing to you of the rhythm which is in all space, but he cannot give you the ear which arrests the rhythm nor the voice that echoes it….

For the vision of one man lends not its wings to another man. And even as each one of you stands alone in God’s knowledge, so must each one of you be alone in his knowledge of God and in his understanding of the earth.”


But to be alone with the Life Force of the universe is to be one with all that is, and this is certainly not lonely. This is fulfillment.

Give it a try! See how you do with this. Then let me know. I would love to hear from you again. And remember, you are an original, not a copy! You have the power to fulfill your dreams!

And in closing, let’s meditate together, in your favorite spot. Try this meditation that I have created just for you.

“Right now I am the Silent Master consciousness, and I can feel its wholeness and completeness whenever I have a need. I see myself growing. My Silent Master consciousness is present now to help me find my right place and right purpose. Because I am one with the Life Force of the universe, I can feel Love and energy already within me moving me forward. I am unique and individual, yet I am part of the whole. I can achieve my goals. I share what I am, lovingly and givingly, because my unique part to play is necessary to complete the whole. I am alone, yet I am alone with the entire manifest universe and every other individual. Together we are each alone, and together we are all-one, and together we each fulfill our unique purpose in harmony and peace.”

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim teaches more about personal choices

Here are some more thoughts of Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim regarding choices. At her Martial Arts school, Jung SuWon, she teaches these things in person:

When you are really ready to find this aspect of your being and realize the fullness of your potential, you will begin the process of self-discovery. I honor you. I respect you. That is why I am sharing my teachings with you. Although you and I can begin this journey together, it’s still going to be your journey. I can share with you my experiences, my teachings, my hopes and my expectations of your successful outcome, but it remains at all times your journey, your commitment, your perseverance, your goal – and your prize!

Since all that you need to know about your real self is within you right now, my wish is to encourage and guide you to the door of your own powerful being.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim teaches about personal choices - continued

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim of Jung SuWon always says, what you do in your life, is your personal choice! Here is the next installment on that subject:

One of the comments I hear many times from the people I work with is that they feel alone, isolated, or separate. If you feel alone and unfulfilled, you probably are trying to be a copy of someone else, or are trying to fulfill expectations of others. Or, perhaps you’re trying to find yourself in someone else, hiding behind a stronger personality instead of finding your own strong and unique self.

But your true self feels whole and complete whether or not you are alone. The true meaning of alone is all-one. When you are one with your true self, one with your own Silent Master consciousness, you are one with the universe, one with all that is. When you feel your true self, you feel at rest in the wholeness of things, but you also know that you are original and unique. Although you feel yourself as a separate, special individual, you do not feel empty and unfulfilled. You feel true and pure and good and whole. Most importantly, you feel enthusiastic, creative and joyful. This is the natural state of your true being.

...Stay in tune for more.....

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim teaches about personal choices - continued

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim continues with the topic:

You should always strive to look at yourself impartially, like a doctor examining a patient for the first time – studying the symptoms, trying to gain insight into the source of the trouble, and prescribing the appropriate cure. Only by being willing to constantly look at your weaknesses can you constantly do something about them. This becomes a way of living, and this process requires the inner power steps of love and loyalty: love of your real self, and loyalty to your goals.

Love and loyalty are important, because when you actually start living out what your inner voice, your Silent Master Consciousness tells you, new challenges are guaranteed to arise to test your commitment. The higher a tree rises in the sun, the longer the shadow it casts. The greater your achievement, the greater the tests that come. Some challenges at this stage may appear just as negative as certain experiences prior to the knowledge of your Silent Master. But there will be a difference now, because you will know you are not a victim. Now you will know your true self is greater and more powerful than anything that threatens to take away your natural joy and freedom.

This is the kind of newness and excitement and discovery you were born to experience. Life is magic in that it unfolds every moment in a new way, darting off in a new, unexpected direction, depending on your focus. But life is also a science, which you can learn to operate and enjoy with exactness and understanding. To be reborn into your true identity is an exhilarating goal. The prize is worth the price of any effort.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim teaches about personal choices

I have posted a couple videos - since video production is one of my passions. I feel they really hit the spot....

And today I am back to posting some beautiful words that Grandmaster Kim has shared with her readers:

Seems like we just celebrated New Year and then Easter came in a hurry, Spring is in full swing, and Summer is knocking on the door. Fall is almost here...We usually think about setting new goals and re-evaluation and rebirth only at New Year. But we should use every day as another chance in this life, a chance that we give ourselves to start fresh. Remember, it is our personal choice what we do in this life! It’s our very own choice!

Yes, I hear you, you’ll tell me how you didn’t choose your family, how you didn’t choose your learning disability, and how you didn’t choose being poor. I understand what you are saying, but hear me out: Whatever the circumstances are, no matter how bad they are, what is much more important is how we choose to deal with those circumstances!

Here is how it works:
You need to commit to make a change in your life for the better, you need to purify your body and mind, and you need to set true goals for yourself. And of course you need to put all this into action (and not just think about it!) and make it your new way of life.
I call this Re-birth. Rebirth is actually living the new definition of yourself. Now, instead of drifting along in life, acting and reacting with limited perception, you live with conscious awareness of your connection to your Silent Master consciousness. You now become your own doctor and surgeon, carefully bringing your new self into the world by constantly removing the strangling, stifling thoughts and feelings of your old self.

Rebirth is not something that happens and then ends. Rebirth is an ongoing process, a daily practice that goes on for your entire life. As you continue to move down your life’s path, you will constantly be made aware of changes you need to make and will constantly be reborn as you make those changes.

What other people have to say about Dr. Tae Yun Kim

What you do in your life is your personal choice

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim talks about Patience

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim continues teaching about setting goals and concludes with the following advice:

Patience in today’s world is not something that comes easily and naturally, and is something we generally need to acquire. That’s partly because modern technology has given us a measure of instant gratification. Today when we want food, for instance, we can have it instantly at the supermarket, at a fast food drive-in, or at a restaurant. But there was a time when we had to patiently watch over our crops as they grew, milk the cows, pump the water, make the preserves, bake the bread, and so on. There was no room for impatience in that life.

You can take advantage of all of today’s instantaneous resources – such as information technology and communications – to help you along the path toward your goal. But there is no substitute for old-fashioned patience in your pursuits. Not everything will be simply handed to you in a spoon-fed manner. There will almost always be a process involved in realizing your goals, a series of many steps that seemingly start and stop.

Keep in mind that the plateaus you reach on the way are not stopping points. They are just plateaus. It’s important to remember that you are still in motion while you are seemingly “at rest.” This can be very difficult to comprehend. It’s like the people strapped into their airplane seats saying “I want to go somewhere, I want to go somewhere!” It may be hard to convince them that they are going somewhere.

When you are seemingly not in motion, it’s important to keep your mind moving. Remember, when the seed is underground, invisible, it is nevertheless moving rather aggressively. And although you don’t see the motion of the plant growing above the soil, it is nevertheless occurring.

IN the same way, not all of your path will involve radical physical activity. Sometimes your faith and desire will be all you see in motion. But it is motion, it is going somewhere, and you will need patience to ride through to the end. To some extent, the total picture will always be a little outside your scope of vision. You’ll have to trust in the power of your Silent Master to guide you to and through the unseen steps involved. As for a delay in reaching your goal, remember it’s not over ‘til it’s over. As long as you’re here, the opportunity to reach your goals is here! Keep on going!

Dr. Tae Yun Kim: no excuses!

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim continues:

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. I can’t stop spending my money on gambling best usually means I could stop, but I won’t because I want the rush I get when I do it. Or, I can’t work any harder to get this promotion might mean I could work harder, but I won’t because I am lazy.

In both these instances, we can see that the persons saying I can’t have a problem with their self concept, not with their capability. In the gambler’s situation, his or her addiction to the “rush” is most likely taking the place of genuine emotion that’s buried. He or she needs to rediscover the natural energy of real feeling, not the insubstantial “rushes” of gambling. 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.

So my point is, if you find yourself saying I can’t, examine this statement very closely! It rarely means I am not able, and your Silent Master is prepared to boost you and support you towards realizing any true desire you have. Most of the time, you can! You will just have to persevere with continued effort. Look at this video:



If these turkeys had insisted that they cannot fly - they would have been left behind. But by following their true being, and not giving up - they finally made it over the fence!

Some people never take their goals beyond “information collecting.” They talk about what they want, they think about it, they look into it, they dream about it, they read books about it, they admire it…but they don’t do anything about it! Remember, we live in a universe that’s made of vibrating energy. Energy is in motion! We’re part of that energy and we need to express motion in our creativity. Fulfilling your goals requires an energy process to manifest – motion and activity! And the process is one that will most likely take place over time.

Unfortunately, we are bombarded by the media with images and slogans of instant gratification. “You want this…just call so and so now…” Or, “You want to look like this, be like this…just buy such and such now.” Something I often tell my students is: What you get easily, you can usually lose easily. Even though as a rule we don’t take advertising seriously, we are still impacted by these images to some extent. We are easily disappointed with delay when we pursue our goals, often using it as an excuse to give up.

But, at Jung SuWon, I provide an environment for people where they can start getting used to setting goals, small ones at first, to make sure they reach them, and then encouraging to start reaching for their dreams!

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim shares about setting goals/part 3

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim continues: Try to be aware at the beginning of your path of what might arise to hinder you along the way. This is not asking for trouble, looking for trouble, or expecting trouble. It is, in fact, a way of helping avoid trouble. When you become aware of possible obstacles, you give some thought in advance as to how you will deal with them.

And what happens when you don’t reach your goal the way you stated it or planned it? Keep going. Being half way there is better than where you were before you set the goal. Give yourself credit and praise for the effort you’ve made, and keep going. It doesn’t matter how far behind you think you are in the race. And this leads me to another principle that’s very important in taking charge of your life: avoid excuses.


Are you starting to feel like taking some constructive action? I hope the answer is a loud, resounding “yes!” Action is a necessary part of every goal you set and intend to fulfill.

Excuses are a senseless waste of energy! 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. Have you had the experience of saying I know I should or shouldn’t…whatever…but I am doing it because….I hear things from my students like I know I shouldn’t keep spending my money on gambling bets…but, (then the excuse)…or,, I know I should tell my wife I’ve been seeing someone else…but, (then the excuse)…or, I know I should be exercising more…but, (then the excuse)…

In all these instances, 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. The next time you find yourself doing this, take one more step. Actually list the pros and cons of continuing lying to yourself alongside the pros and cons of being honest. I think you’ll see on the “honest” side, you open up the possibility to actually solve a problem, even though there might be some conflict; and on the “dishonest” side you set yourself up to continue the problem at the price of avoiding conflict.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim: more about setting goals

At Jung SuWon, Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim explains further about details of setting goals:

One criterion you can use in determining whether or not your goal is realistic is this: is the desire that is driving you your own? Or is it based on the expectations of someone else? If you can honestly say that your desire is your own (not something you conjured up to please someone else), then even if it seems presently out of reach, you owe it to yourself to pursue it! Your Silent Master does not give you true desires for nothing. In fact, that is one way your Silent Master communicates with you and attempts to give you direction.

Then, once you have your goal, make it measurable somehow so that you know when you’ve reached it. Again, that may sound overly simplistic, but you may be amazed at how you refrain from doing this on a regular basis. We tend to state our goals vaguely and loosely like: Yes, I am going to lose weight…or, my new goal is to find a different job…or, I am going to move soon…..How much weight are you going to lose, and by when? What kind of job do you want, in what area, in what salary range, and by what date? Where are you going to move, to what kind of house, for what price range, and by what date? If some of these parameters are open-ended, fine…but at least include them in your goal.

Set up milestones along the path to realizing your goal, ways you can check your progress. There are usually steps that you will take to fulfill a goal, and as you reach each step you can determine if you’re truly moving forward of if you like where you are going. For instance, if your goal is to find a new job, one of your milestones may be simply getting a resume printed. Another might be finding an agency to help you. Another might be getting some interviews in an area you like. At each of these points, you will be able to evaluate your progress and make changes if necessary.

Choosing milestones, of course, is part of forming your plan. You can’t overlook the fact that you must proceed in some kind of orderly fashion, and this nearly always means forming a planned procedure to take. Here you will see the power of choice at work. Once choice about what action to take opens up a whole range of other choices. Your first choice will lead you to the next step and the next if you just make a start!

You may want to actually make a contract with yourself to really sew up your plans! I often recommend to students that they write out an “agreement” which states the goal specifically, outlines steps they will take, sets milestones they will encounter, and the terms of fulfillment. Then I ask them to sign it and read it as often as possible. The content of the agreement must permeate all four bodies: physically in the actions you take, mentally in your thoughts, emotionally in your feelings, and spiritually in your dreams, aspirations and subconscious mind.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim's advice on achieving goals

Here is something I really like. Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim talks a lot about setting goals, but she doesn't stop there. Read on to see...

It’s easy to set goals, it’s easy to list down all the things you want to accomplish, the dreams you have. But what are we going to do about them? How can we reach them? How can we make sure they don’t remain words written down on pieces of paper?

So before we do anything else, let’s meditate together. You can either sit down in formal meditation position, or just find a quiet moment in whatever position is comfortable to you. Calm you thoughts, let them go…..breathe deeply and quietly….there you go….that’s better….continue as long as you feel like it. You will know when you are finished.

Now we are ready to think about following through with our goals, with actual pursuing our dreams. First thing: you need to give your goal a chance to come true! You have to give yourself a chance to realize your desire by setting specific goals and charting a specific course towards that goal. Daydreaming and wishing aren’t goals, no, a goal is something that can be realized when you follow through with appropriate action. Here are some principles I have been using all my life in setting goals that I want to fulfill. First and most important, make your goals realistic. Here you will have to use your own judgment and follow the inner direction of your Silent Master. Only you know what’s truly within the parameters of your life purpose. All of us are born with a specific purpose to fulfill, and we already possess the potential to fulfill it. That’s why we can follow our true desires, which will attract to us all the tools we need to do our work.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim's epilogue to the Frog and Scorpion story

Let’s look at this story closer. How are you going to deal with your bad habits, when they come to you again and again, trying to lull you into giving in to them? Are you ready to fight back?

Instead of being inflexible like the scorpion and regarding your bad habits as “just your nature,” or “just the way you are,” why not try another approach? Let’s assume for a moment that your negative traits are beliefs that you have adopted about yourself, and that you can use your will power to begin the process of conquering them. If you have beliefs like “I’m lazy,” “I’m shy,” “I’m useless,” “I’m poor,” “I’m stupid,” let’s ask, what do you get out of these beliefs? If you’re holding on to them so tightly, you must be getting something you think you want. But is it happiness you’re getting? Success? Achievement? Growth? I really doubt if you’re getting anything good from those beliefs.

If you really want to change your life, you may have to see that what you’re really getting out of these beliefs is an excuse not to face up to some fear or weakness you have. As long as you believe you’re lazy, will you focus your will on going to school to learn something new? No, because if your laziness is really a fear of failure, you won’t test yourself in school. As long as you believe you’re shy, will you use your will power to seek out a new, more fulfilling career in which you have to meet many people? No, because if your shyness is really fear of talking to others, you’ll keep your undesirable present job where there are few people. In both of theses situations, you are afraid, not really lazy, and not really shy.

But feelings of limitations are so unnecessary. Fear can be conquered! Weakness can be overcome! Each time you use your will power to stand up and throw yourself into the face of another “I can’t,” you are getting ready for a victory. So, you begin to identify your fears and weaknesses, and start to confront them.

Realize that “I Can’t” usually means, “I won’t.”

All of us, at some time or another, have felt the limiting power of “I can’t.” Even when we really want something, and even if that something is within our power, those two simple words can prevent it from happening. When you find yourself saying, “I can’t,” look deeper to see if you’re making another excuse. If you look honestly, you will usually find that your words “I can’t” actually mean, “I could, but I won’t for this or that reason.” For instance, “I can’t do well in school” might easily mean, “I could do well in school but I won’t put in the time and effort to study.” When you become willing to say, “I can,” you find the power to carry it out from your Silent Master within.

So, when your old habits want to come creeping back, when your old self wants to take over again, know that you have the power to change. The power is in you; it is your personal choice what you do in your life! Take charge of your life!

One of my favorite stories: The Frog and the Scorpion

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim is the ultimate story teller. When she tells a story, not only is it alive, and you feel totally wrapped up in it, there is also always a lesson in the story.
Here is one of my very favorites:



Once there was a frog and a scorpion who both wanted to get to the other side of a river. It was no problem for the frog. All he needed to do was jump in and swim to the other side. It was a different story for the scorpion, however, because he had no way to cross the river by himself.


Now, as a little background history, the frog and the scorpion had a rocky time together in times past. The scorpion had always been in some kind of trouble with the authorities, always instigating, always scheming, and always trying to pull the frog into his bad deeds. He always tried to put blame on the frog and always tried to sting him one way or another. Finally, the scorpion was captured and had to spend considerable time in jail for all the crimes he committed.

So now that scorpion was free again, the frog was on high alert. He remembered well the bad times caused by the scorpion and he wanted nothing to do with him. But the scorpion seemed like he had undergone a change of heart during his time in jail. He seemed meek and mild and well mannered.

He humbly asked the frog for help in crossing the river. “Say, Frog, would you be willing to allow me to ride on your back across the river?” he asked earnestly. The frog was surprised. This was very different from the demanding, “Do as I say or else I will hurt you!”

Still, the frog was not convinced. “Are you kidding?” the frog answered. “You’ll sting me and I’ll die! No, I won’t help you.”

“But wait, “ the scorpion pleaded. “Just think. If I sting you and you die, then I would die, too! So why would I do something that would hurt both of us?”

The frog thought about it. The scorpion did make sense. Besides, he also seemed like a changed being. Finally, after much hesitation, the frog said reluctantly, “Ok, do you promise not to sting me?”

Of course I promise,” the scorpion replied, and happily jumped on the frog’s back. So off they went into the river. But, about halfway across, the scorpion began to feel an irresistible urge to rising from deep within. He wanted to sting the frog! He lifted his stinger up high, and got ready to sting. Last second, he remembered that he himself would perish too, if he were to sting the frog.

But again, the urge came back, this time with such a vengeance that he barely caught himself in the last second. He had to grab his stinger and literally hold himself back, with all the strength he could muster. He knew that if he gave in, he would surely die.

After they were almost within reach of the shore, the urge to sting was too much for the scorpion, and, not having much experience with being disciplined, he suddenly, without any warning, stung the frog. Oh, the relief! How good that second felt, to sink that stinger into the frog!

But immediately he had to bear the consequences. “Why did you do that?” the frog exclaimed in stunned amazement. “Do you realize what you’ve done? Now we are both going to die! Why? You promised!”

“I know,” the scorpion said. “But why?” the astonished frog continued to ask. “Why?”

“I am sorry frog. I couldn’t help it,” gurgled the scorpion, sinking below the water. “It’s just my nature.”

Birthday Jung SuWon Style, part 3

And here is the conclusion to the previous story, including another "story within the story".....

Moments like this are my biggest reward. To show people the power they have in them and for them to start seeing even the smallest glimpse of that, the possibilities ahead of them, what more can I ask for?

In this case, it got even better. His parents and older brother also train, and were there, clapping and expressing their joy. And grandmother came running into the Do Jang, saying how she was so grateful to David for bringing her to his school, and how happy she was to meet me.

And John also has a great story. He used to be addicted to video games, playing them for many hours a day, to the extent that his schoolwork was suffering greatly. His parents brought this to my attention since they weren’t successful in getting him to stop.

Now I don’t think all video games are bad. It’s just that the majority of them do not have any educational value, and are about violence and all manner of undesirable behavior.

My approach to teaching children isn’t like most people’s. Rather than telling them what they can and can’t do, I ask them questions, how they feel about it, what their thoughts are. In this case, I asked John why he was playing the games. He said because everyone else at his school is playing them and that it is somewhat of a status symbol of how well you can play those games. He admitted that most of the games are very violent and teaching the wrong things, but was very attached to them. So I asked him, “John, if you had a child your age and you loved him very very much, would you allow him to play these games?” John was stunned. Nobody had ever asked him anything like this before. After some soul searching, John said that he would not want his son to play any of the games he was playing, because “they wouldn’t be good for him and they would be teaching him the wrong things.”

My next question to him was, “So, if you wouldn’t want your child to play these games, do you think it’s ok for you to play them?”

Again, a bewildered look. But with a smile he responded that it wasn’t good for him either.

And without me asking him anything further, the next day he brought his entire collection of video games. What a beautiful attitude! But not only that, a couple of days later he asked me if books worked the same way, that if you read bad books, will they influence him like video games. Without me having to say anything, he answered his own question and the following class he brought his collection of books that he considered “not good for me”.

So you see, no matter how young, how old, what belt level, every student is benefiting from training in his or her very own, very special way, and that is my greatest joy and my greatest reward in life.

Birthday Jung SuWon Style: part 2

Touched by his warrior spirit and boundless enthusiasm, I decided to honor his choice. “Bring a board”, I told some senior belts. “Let’s get him his real birthday present”. Out came a full size board, not the small size we use for children, but a regular one. David was getting nervous. He hadn’t expected this! Even before he knew what kind of break he was supposed to do, he was already sweating and nervous. But I teach my students, ready any time, any place, life happens right here and right now, and testing is not just on testing day! Every class is a testing in itself!

John, come on up! And John, also 11 years old and also one of David’s best friends, came up. “Down on your knees, in front of the board” he was told. And John got into position. Beads of sweat were gathering on David’s forehead. He was getting a little shaky. To jump over a person, while performing a flying sidekick, he had never done such a thing! He was only a yellow belt!

“Do you trust me?” I asked him.” A loud and resounding “Yes Ma’am” boomed across the Do Jang. “Do you believe me when I tell you that you can do this?” Another “Yes Ma’am” came back.

With a surprisingly loud and roaring ki up, he started running towards the board. Can you imagine what must have gone through this young warrior’s mind as he was running toward the board? He was asked to do something he had never done before. And he was asked to do it front of his whole family, including his grandmother!

With another ki up he lifted off from the ground, jumped over John with plenty of room to spare, but fell right into the board, without getting to kick or breaking the board.

David was now really nervous and started to doubt. Could he really do it? Maybe this one time Grandmaster wasn’t right? Maybe just this once? Maybe he really just couldn’t do it?

I felt for this brave little warrior. I asked everyone in the Do Jang, “what do you think, can he do it?”

“He Can Do, She Can Do, Why not me! Yes Ma’am, he can do it no problem” the entire Do Jang was vibrating back.

With a big smile and an even bigger ki up, David tried again. He had complete and total focus and concentration. Nothing was between him and the board. No noisy mind. No questioning. Only focus on the task ahead. And the board shattered! The look on David’s face was priceless. Not quite realizing yet what had happened, it went from puzzled to the biggest smile you can imagine!

Moments like this are my biggest reward. To show people the power they have in them and for them to start seeing even the smallest glimpse of that, the possibilities ahead of them, what more can I ask for?

Birthday Jung SuWon Style - part 1

Here is one of my favorite real life stories, which I witnessed - as told by Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim:

My happiest moments are when I know I am helping people lead richer and fuller lives. Let me share with you a very heart warming story that just happened recently. This is about our younger generation – the ones that will be our leaders of tomorrow. It is so important to help them, to lead and guide them through this maze called modern world. Daily they are bombarded by peer pressure in school – their environment. When a new fad comes up, they all need to follow it if they don’t want to be considered outcasts.

One night, just as class was coming to an end, one young student, David, approached me, telling me his grandmother was in the lobby, watching. He said she had flown in from far away to visit with them, because it was his birthday that day.

I was wondering – at age 11, children usually love to go out to dinner, or to the movies, or have a party, or play games, or something of that sort. But he was here in a Martial Arts class? His parents added, well, we asked him where he wanted to have his birthday dinner and what he wanted to do, especially with his grandmother, but he said he wanted to celebrate his birthday with me, at Jung Suwon! And he told his grandmother that Jung SuWon was more important to him than movies or fancy restaurants, and that he wanted her to see what meant so much in his life!

And the rest of the story, well you'll see that on my next blog...

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim: Are you where you want to be?

If you are not where you want to be, now is the time to figure out where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. But there is no point making plans until you know what you want. And to know what you want, you have to examine your priorities.

Ask yourself: if you had only five days to live, what would you do in those five days?” The way you answer tells you much about what your real values and priorities are.

Ask yourself that question now. Don’t be surprised if you don’t spend your last five days at your job or painting the house (which perhaps you may have done faithfully every weekend recently). Chances are you’ll choose to do what really matters to you, what you really really love, what is really you. Chances are you’ll choose to be with your family or certain friends in a special way. Or perhaps you might choose solitude, experiencing nature’s beauty in a private way. Or dancing. Or playing music. Answer for yourself, and then ask, “With every day that I do have now, how much time do I give to these things?” (After all, you could be living your last five days right now!)”

The way that you answer that question gives you very important clues regarding your true direction in life. Your Silent Master consciousness speaks to you powerfully through your true desires. Of course I am not talking about destructive or distorted desires like obsessive smoking and drinking. The desires you feel through the exercise above are most likely your true desires, and you have them for a reason. They tell you much about who you are as a unique individual and your unique role to play here on earth. Your desires will never be exactly like anybody else’s.

Have you created a life that allows you to experience your own truths? Or have you created a life that has taken you so far from your inner truth that only during your last five days on earth will you allow yourself to experience what you love? If you find you are living here without enjoyment, without realizing your personal truth, then you have a right to change! That is what self-discovery is all about: fulfilling your true desires, not just thinking about them. As you find your true self, automatically you find your true place, your true activities, and your true fulfillment.

So you see, my dear fellow Martial Artists, death is nothing to be afraid of, only to prepare for. Let us live this life – every second, every moment - to the fullest, with peace, harmony, and joy in our hearts, and helping as many people as possible along our path. Let us make a difference in this world; let us be remembered with beautiful thoughts by those we leave behind.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim talks about rebirth

Ever now moment you experience is a birth, a new opportunity to think a new thought or take a new attitude. When you arrive on the earth, it is a birth, a chance to create a life. But each new day is also a birth. Each time you leave behind an old outmoded self-concept, it is a birth. Each time you create a new situation in your life, it is a birth. Birth and “death” are simultaneous events because something old has to “die” to give way to the new. This process goes on minute-by-minute, day-by-day, from the time you arrive until the time you leave.

In one sense death is necessary to create change. Learn to love change and to welcome it. One of the results of fear is a reluctance to accept change and to welcome it. Fear is an immobilizing feeling and tends to keep us where we are no matter where that is. Perhaps we fear change because it indeed reminds us of death, and we don’t welcome the death of anything, even the death of the old. But always remember that death is really birth because it is a change from the old to the new. See change as newness ever dawning, leading you from one opportunity to another.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim: Live in there Here and Now!

Unfortunately, death seems so mysterious, baffling, horrible and final that we don’t want to consider it in our daily lives. But we must have the courage to look squarely at the limited time frame death gives us, and act accordingly. You don’t know when death will come. The “someday” you wait for may never come, simply because you won’t be here to experience it!

Of course, in reality, what is really you will never die. Your Silent Master consciousness is eternal; only your manifestations – including your present body and life – come and go from your consciousness. So we’re talking now about the death of your physical manifestation, and not of your eternal true self.

The mystery surrounding the time of our exit from this life helps us concentrate on living instead of dying; but nevertheless we must remain aware that since we have a limited time span, we need to reach for our goals now. We must always live now to the fullest because that is the only time we have.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim: the more serious side of life

Pinch yourself. Feel the pinch. Feel your body. Some day, this body will be gone. Some day, you will no longer be practicing your forms on the Do Jang floor. You will no longer execute this beautiful jump spinning roundhouse kick, or do your favorite break.

We do not know the time, but no matter who you are, and what you are doing with your life, we all, some day, will have to continue our journey without this body. So it is important to do, whatever it is that you want to accomplish in your life – right here, right now. “Carpe Diem”, the Romans used to say, “Carpe Diem, sed fugit interea irreparabile tempus”. Seize the day! Because time, that you can’t bring back, is fleeing!”

But in our here and now, especially in the Western World, many of us are seduced into a sense of “foreverness” about our lives, thinking that we have unlimited time to get somewhere or do something. Not that we say that consciously to ourselves. We don’t say, “I’m going to be alive forever;” we just act that way. We simply do not have the feeling from day to day that eventually we are going to die, or that our time here is limited.

Since we don’t live from moment to moment with the awareness that we could die at anytime, we take our time answering the questions mentioned above, or we avoid them altogether. Even if we ask a question like “Am I where I want to be?” it’s all too easy to reply “Well, I’ll get there someday,” and drop the matter right there. We tend to put off the fulfillment of our real goals to “when I retire,” or “when the kids are out of the house,” or “when I have time.”

“Someday” is never going to come. The only time there is, is now. When “someday” comes, it will be now. So what you think and do right now is what will happen on the mythical “someday”.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim: Food and you

Food is also created from consciousness, as everything else. Since your body is the temple of your Silent Master, give it the loving food and exercise that expresses your intent to be pure, real, and whole.

Talking about food: eating is an energy exchange and when you prepare and eat food, you are harnessing the energy in the vegetables, grains, and meats to interact with your energy, thereby creating more energy. Naturally you always want to eat the best quality food you can. But some people ask me what to do when they’re traveling and have to eat fast food at times. Because food exists in consciousness, it has the energy of consciousness. When you eat, you bring this energy into your body. If you’re in a situation where junk food is your only choice, remember that your positive attitude helps you get the best energy you can out of the food until a better selection is available.

It’s your attitude toward what you eat – no matter whether it’s vegetables or hot dogs – that is the most important thing. Of course, vegetables or and hot dogs have different nutritional value. Choose the purest and highest quality food you can in the circumstances.

The energy in foods is not all the same. Apples grown in an environment of greed, commercialism and neglect will not have the same energy as apples grown in an orchard where the farmer lovingly attended the trees, gave it the best plant foods and soil, and eliminated poisons from the environment. The consciousness involved in the creation of the apples is different in each case.

Likewise, when you prepare your food, the energy you put into the process will affect the quality of the outcome. Was your food prepared with love and care and the will to nourish? Or was it prepared with feelings of anger and resentment, anxiety and hurry? When you eat food prepared either way, it will have a nourishing quality that corresponds to the energy and intent of the preparer.

For example, remember when you invited your girl friend, or boy friend or some loved one, to a special dinner. Remember how you started out by carefully shopping for the best foods available, even making special trips to Farmers Markets, bakeries and butchers shops. You spent hours preparing that special meal, thinking only happy thoughts and how wonderful this dinner will be with your loved one. Remember the excitement and the good feelings once you were eating it together?

On the other hand, remember a time you were really upset at someone or something, and just threw together a meal in a hurry, still upset and angry. How did that meal taste? How did you feel afterwards? Chances are, you had an upset stomach or got otherwise sick.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim: more about the body - mind connection

Let your body help you develop better mental concepts. Since your body is connected to consciousness, watch your physical states and see what they may be telling you about your thinking. Your body shows you – in one way or another – your mental state. Depressed people slouch and shuffle. Happy people have a bounce and lightness in their step. When your body is acting tired and sluggish and you know you’re healthy and have had plenty of rest, what is your body telling you? What is it you don’t want to do? What are you “too tired” to confront or overcome? What are you “sick and tired” of?

Even if you are not a “physical” person – especially if you are not a physical person – try demanding more physical action from yourself. Let this demand send a message to your mind that you want to be more free and more unlimited, whether that means getting some kind of healing, or gaining more stamina, or simply expanding your concept of yourself.

When you push yourself physically and make demands on yourself for greater physical freedom, you can’t help but grow spiritually. You are insisting that the freedom of your original self manifest physically and materially. This is why physical training is an important part of the Jung SuWon training I teach. By disciplining the body into accepting more power and more ability to perform, your mind responds with more power and more ability to perform. This interplay is energizing. The more limitations you overcome, the more of your natural energy you can experience.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim on Body-Mind Connection

Discipline of your body works to discipline the mind. Discipline your mind and you strengthen your body.

Appreciation is the first step. What if you could use only certain parts of your body? Have you ever thought of what you would do if you had only one arm? Or no arms? Or no sight? Most people who enter my martial arts school are physically healthy and take their bodies for granted. It’s for this reason I sometimes have them try to do what they think are normal, everyday things without the use of their legs or arms or eyes. Very quickly they learn how complex the movements of their hands can be, or how precious their sight is. Your body is a miraculous gift. Utilize it, care for it, and strengthen it. Don’t waste it or take it for granted.

If you want greater physical freedom, you must understand that your body will respond very much to your mind, and your mind will respond to what you do with your body. Free physical movement is a picture of the free mobility of consciousness. Have you tried to play a good game of your favorite sport when your mind was preoccupied with a worrisome situation? You may have noticed that when you’re tense and nervous, your body doesn’t move freely and easily. The tense state literally tends to keep your muscles rigid. And just the reverse is true. When you are happy and relaxed, your physical movement is generally free and easy.

Even the medical profession recognizes the connection of body and mind in the physical therapy process. A person who must learn to walk again after an accident goes through many emotional and mental changes in the process of reconnecting with the walking muscles. Therapists work with the patient’s attitudes as well as with their muscle groups.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim on exercise and nutrition

Let’s stay on the topic of exercise and nutrition for a moment. We all, as Martial Artists, know the importance of keeping ourselves fit and agile and in good shape. Even if we are so busy with other things, we must never forget our foundation and root. Our body and mind are one. Because your body is connected with your mind, bringing your body under control means bringing your mind under control. And vice versa, of course. Whatever disciplines you apply to your mind affect your body.
Since your body and mind are connected, you can use physical exercise to help purify your mind. Remember, when you purify your mind and body, you increase your energy. And you purify your mind and body by doing everything you can to remove limitation. Because body and mind are one, when you overcome physical limitation, you simultaneously overcome mental limitation.

It’s a two-way process. For instance, when you encourage your body to go the extra mile around the track, one more mile than you did the day before, you’re sending a message to your mind that says, “I can grow; I can change; I can break limits.” This good message that your mind receives when you demand extra performance from your body then goes on to encourage even better performance, and not just in running. The message will now extend to other areas of your life. “I can grow; I can change; I can break limits” could also help you create new and better procedures at work that result in a promotion or better position.

Remember at all times, that your body deserves respect. It is the most elegant creation you possess. Your body is the embodiment of ideas in your Silent Master consciousness. Just as you learn to use your mind properly, think of how important it is, then, to use and care for your body with the same respect and holiness you give your spiritual consciousness. How? Just as you properly use and exercise your thought, so you should properly use and exercise your body. You’ve begun to learn that there is much more you can do with your mind; don’t you think there is much more you can do with your body?

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim's Fisherman story, part 3

Just as he was reaching the shore, he suddenly had a fear that maybe his family had been hurt or lost. But then he heard voices calling and saw his children rushing into the ocean toward him. They all wept as they embraced, and together they walked toward the house.

As the wife saw her husband approaching with the children, she was relieved, but she began to cry as she thought of how he would beat her when he saw the burned house. She saw his smiling face coming toward her, but she cowered, dreading the encounter. When he came near, she timidly backed away, but to her surprise he reached out and embraced her warmly. She stammered as she tried to find words to tell him what had happened, but he wouldn’t listen. As he held her tightly, he wanted only to tell her that the burning house had saved his life. “ The flames shone through the darkness where I was lost at sea, “ he said lovingly, “and they guided me home! Now I have the chance I prayed for to be the husband you want and the father my children need.”

Here we see how the fisherman, through a traumatic event, completely let go of the past in order to discover his true self again. He had “lost” himself long ago emotionally and mentally. And now he was experiencing the picture of the state of mind: he was “lost” at sea, floating around in blackness. But the storm was a blessing in disguise. It as the thing that brought him back to life! Not sunshine, but rather a storm did it. Was it a trauma? Yes. But instead of giving up and drowning, he mad the storm an opportunity to remember his true self. As a result, the only thing that drowned in the dark ocean was his misery and anger.

The family likewise experienced pain and despair. The burning house could have resulted in simply a destroyed home. Instead, the house was burning for a reason! The flames were the light of life to the fisherman. They brought him home again. So, in spite of the negative appearance of this seeming disaster, in reality everything worked together for good to bring love and healing. The negative situation turned into a positive one.

Here’s something important to remember: This story ended in love and reunion instead of tragedy because the fisherman took action. Negative don’t automatically turn into positives. The house could have burned down for nothing. The fisherman could have died for nothing. If he had continued with his anger and defeatism and despair, he wouldn’t have looked around to see the tiny flicker of light, and would have surely drowned. (When we look only at the dirt on the ground, we don’t see the stars in the sky!) But instead, the fisherman changed his attitude, became open and receptive to a new state of mind. He felt remorse for the first time. And his action led his perception of the light that saved his life.

Likewise, Love is behind all the events, even the obstacles in your life, and you can hold the right ideas as the fisherman did so that everything works together ultimately for good. Cling to the truth no matter what you see happening, and the truth you hold will transform your experience.

Remember, rejoice in the lesson of the pain and hurt, it makes you stronger, and it gives you freedom. Whatever you do in your life, whatever the situation may be, you are in control of your life. The power is in you; it is your personal choice what you do in your life. Even when you are all alone in the middle of the ocean! Or in the middle of the ocean of life! Take charge!

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim's Fisherman story - part 2

The fisherman was so busy complaining he didn’t notice that a dark storm had been building and was just about to turn violent. In a matter of minutes, massive ocean waves were writhing and churning furiously. His little boat was cast about like a helpless twig, and then suddenly the boat exploded into tiny pieces. The fisherman was cast into the water. Desperately he groped for the largest piece of the fragmented boat he could see, and he clung to it, struggling to stay afloat.

Meanwhile, the storm tore through the village as well. The fisherman’s family was at home when it hit. Without warning the roof suddenly crashed down upon them and flames shot out from the stove. Flames began engulfing the house quickly, and although they tried to put out the fire, all was to no avail. Frightened for her children’s lives, the wife was almost more afraid of her husband’s rage when he would return to find the house burned down. Still, she sent the children to the docks to look for him since he hadn’t returned on time.

The children were likewise frightened as they ran to the docks. Even though they normally thought only of how they feared their father, now they truly worried that he was in danger. At the docks, they saw that most of the fishermen had returned safely, but their father was nowhere to be found. They called and waited.

At sea, the storm had finally abated. But it was totally dark. There in the black of night, the fisherman floated, weeping and clinging to the piece of wood, very very alone. All his life he had been an angry man, taking for granted all that he had and complaining about everything. Now he was going to die alone in the middle of the darkness and a vast, compassionless ocean. Strangely, his thoughts turned to his family. He thought intensely about how he had never told them he loved them, and he he’d never taken any time with them. He really did care for them, and now he deeply regretted his miserable life and how he had never known any joy or warmth. At that moment, he wanted to be with his family more than anything in the world.

But where was the coast? He couldn’t see in the darkness, so he couldn’t tell which direction to swim. Tired and cold, he was ready to give up hope, but suddenly off in the distance he saw a faint glimmer. Yes, it was there, a small light off to the side. He started swimming toward the light. With each stroke, he began to plan how he was going to change things, how he was going to be the husband and father he’d never been. For hours the light guided him, until finally he began to see his fishing village in the distance. The light was bringing him home, so he pushed himself even harder.

Read more next time..... :)

A story by Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim: The miserable Fisherman

Here is one of my favorite stories of Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim:

See what you can learn from it, and how you can apply it to your own life. Which of the characters in the story is most like you? How can you change? How can you apply the lessons of this story to your life? So let’s sit back and relax…..

There was once a fisherman who was always angry and miserable. He had no belief in the goodness of life, never expected any pleasure, and never looked for any happiness. He never expressed any love or affection, and often vented his rage by beating his wife and children. His family was terrified of him, and everyone who knew him avoided him because of his wrathful behavior. His wife and children often wished he would never come back from his fishing trips.

Let’s stop here for a moment. Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Are you like the fisherman, or like his wife? Or if not, do you know of someone who is? Have you tried hard to change your situation, or have you accepted it as inevitable fate? Let’s read on.

One day, the fisherman left for the docks after his usual morning of screaming at his “lazy, good-for-nothing” children and railing at his wife for the breakfast that was never cooked right. Do you act like that sometime too, my dear reader? Do you sometime just seem to get up out of bed on the wrong foot and let everyone know about it? Or are you on the receiving side, and your partner always finds fault in you? Are you meek and submissive like the wife in the story, or do you fight back? What are you doing about it?

The fisherman didn’t do anything but go out to sea as usual, ignoring his feelings and that of his family. Out at sea, the fish weren’t biting, and the fisherman worked himself into an even meaner state. He cursed that he didn’t deserve such a hard life and worthless family and how nothing ever worked out right for him.

Does that sound familiar? Do you sometimes blame your circumstances when things don’t go as you would want them to go? What do you think you should do instead?

.....and stay in tune for the rest of the story.....

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim on Ki Energy

You can go through the process of purifying, brightening, and heightening your energy until you feel consciously at one with your Silent Master, with all that is, and feel yourself flow into the pattern that fulfills your highest potential, serving yourself, serving others, drawing your life force to its complete and beautiful expression here and now!

Go out and look at the sun. Really be aware of that incredible brightness, the energy that is radiating from ninety three million miles away. The same energy that made that sun, made you. Think about that! You’re not just a lump of clay, a collection of minerals and salts. You are connected to a power that is the creative life force of the universe, the same power that created that sun! Yet you are as beautiful and delicate as the rose, as fluid and powerful as white water rapids on a river, as transparent as the shifting colors of a sunset, as impenetrable as a mountain, as vast as the sky and its galaxies. You and all of this are made of the same energy. You are as natural as all these things and have the same right to exist complete and fulfilled as they do.

But there is one difference between you and these elements of nature. You have the gift of being able to direct this energy! You are not only the created, but a co-creator.

Are you ready to be who you are? Are you ready to start dancing with your energy, finally, at long last, creating the life you were meant to have? Think of it! You stand at the beginning of your life. Your story is just now being written! You can write your own adventure filled with all the drama, excitement, and passionate love you can imagine!

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim teaches about Ki Energy

All you need to do is harness this unfolding power, hold onto it, and let it grow. Then consciously work to replace your negative emotional patterns with feelings that support your goal, whatever it may be. You have heard that nothing succeeds like success? It is so. Every real feeling expands and creates more positive feelings. Capture this momentum. Because your Silent Master is the Consciousness of Love, and because you are your Silent Master, love yourself! Lift yourself out of your negative emotional patterns with determination and total commitment.

In other words, you need to seek your infinite potential, without being anchored down by your negative emotions. You see, the nature of material life is that pleasure and pain, happiness and sadness, coexist and constantly change from one to the other. That is the nature of this world. No matter which polarity you are feeling at this moment – whether positive or negative, your Silent Master Consciousness is still shining with purity, love, wholeness, peace, and joy.

We might be tempted to think that in times of happiness, perhaps it’s easier to discover your Silent Master Consciousness. Not necessarily. Sometimes material happiness keeps us very attached to material possessions, and it’s not until we experience pain or loss that we seek a different, more enduring point of view.

Your Silent Master Consciousness gives you awareness of everything you need to remain fearless, and gives you the power to change any and all circumstances confronting you!

How much energy are you spending on being afraid right now? How much energy are you using to avoid confronting your fears, darting from one unsuccessful circumstance to another! How much energy are you using settling for “quick fixes that have never worked out? Aren’t you ready to just be who you are, feel your power to fulfill yourself, and live out your true life purpose freely and fearlessly?

Then why not put the same amount of energy into discovering your Silent Master, your true energy, the ki of the universal life force which breathes through you right now! You do not have to go anywhere to do this. The energy that you’re expressing right now – no matter how much you do or don’t like it – is your Silent Master energy colored by many beliefs, ideas, concepts, and emotions.

The Solution: Writing in Water

We cannot write in water. We cannot carve in water. Water’s nature is to flow. And that is how we should treat negative emotion. When it comes, let it go. Let it flow away from you like water moving down a river bed. Do not allow it to reside in your consciousness for any amount of time or to become permanent. Release it as soon as it comes. “I can’t,” you may say. Your Silent Master says you can. No matter how intense an emotion it may be, if you immediately refuse to dwell on it and refuse to focus on it, it will have no staying power. Speed is the key. Act quickly to release it.



How is this different from covering up an emotion? You acknowledge that you are feeling it, but immediately let it flow through and away from you. You do not deny it, but you do release it.



Bear in mind that to some extent you may enjoy your negative emotional states. Be willing to admit that perhaps you’ve found them comfortable, familiar friends. Yes, on the surface you may say that it’s not fun being angry. But are you sure? Are you sure there are no payoffs such as, When I am angry I like the feeling of being “right”; When I am depressed, my husband pays more attention to me. Manipulating others through negative states is what I call emotional blackmail.



On the other hand, if you truly find yourself growing more and more uncomfortable with your negative emotions, if they are annoying distractions to this little flame of peace and well-being starting to glow within you, if you find yourself wanting to nurture even the smallest, most quiet feeling of self-appreciation, if you find yourself wanting, really wanting, to be happy within yourself, you are feeling your Silent Master. You have already met each other. You can know now that this little manifestation of real feeling is destined to unfold into the whole consciousness of love, peace, harmony, and creative power.

Writing in Sand

The Native Americans created sand drawings, knowing full well that ultimately the wind would blow them away. This is how I describe negative emotions that are held until something external happens to stimulate them or change them. We haven't determined to keep them, but likewise we haven't determinted to release them. This is an unstable emotional condition because we are not "in charge" of those emotions and we don't take constructive action to neutralize the negative feelings. Maybe the emotions will be discharged smoothly; maybe they won't. But their presence, until removed, is counterproductive and obstructive.

Carving in Wood or Stone

Perhaps you may have immortalized a romance between you and a girlfriend or boyfriend by carving your names in a tree trunk or in wet cement. The idea was to make the symbol permanent. You may have already carved some negative emotional states, such as anger, worry, resentment, fear, or sorrow, into your consciousness. These emotions are coming from either your conscious or your subconscious mind. You may have felt so righteously justified in feeling them that you accepted them and had no intention of letting them go. But whom does this really affect? It hurts only you. Perhaps when you adopted these negative feelings, you didn’t know that this option would eventually obstruct your growth.

Handling your emotions...

Do you ever have times when you feel like you are backed in a corner and there is no way out? When well meaning people give you advice, and no matter how positive they are and how much they want to help you, you feel like pushing them away? You feel like there is just no way out of your negative state of being?

I understand. You probably want to say, “Whatever you tell me, it’s all theoretically encouraging, but right now I feel depressed, or angry, or jealous, or whatever name your negative emotion has at that moment. But what can I do right now?

Well, it’s actually fairly simple. When you feel negative, first acknowledge that you feel negative. That may seem overly simplistic, but you’d be surprised how often you refuse to acknowledge that you’re feeling angry or depressed. There will always be some deeper, covert manifestations of ignored emotions – such as developing a headache instead of expressing your anger – and as an effective emotion dodger, you’ll say that the physical symptom is due to some other cause. Be very aware that you may have become quite expert at denying emotions, which creates quite a Pandora’s Box of physical illnesses, misdirected reactions, covert aggression, and inexplicable emotional outbursts. Also, ask yourself if you deny your good feelings as well. Many times trying to push away bad feelings causes us to push away all emotion, including our positive feelings.)

After you acknowledge the presence of the negative feeling, next remember that you have three options. Choose the third option and avoid the first two.