Welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast, we’re very excited to be sharing the first episode today and we want to jump right in and get started.
Episode 1 – The Importance Of Having A Goal
Although the topic for today’s episode was inspired by a lesson with some of our karate kids, the topic is equally important for people of all ages.
—- Transcript —-
Sandra: Hey everyone, this is Martin & Sandra Phillips, welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast. Today we want to talk about, ‘the importance of having a goal.’
Martin: We’ve noticed that everyone faces challenges in life, some big some small. But not everyone has a way to navigate these problems.
Sandra: It’s not always easy, but we’ve found that we always keep coming back to what we’ve learned from our years in the dojo.
Martin: And that’s what this podcast is about…
Sandra: Helping us all find the solutions to life’s problems…
Martin: Or even better yet, to remove the problems before they arise.
Sandra: This is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.
Sandra: Let’s say you wanted to help kids go back to school. I’m not talking about making their lunches and their beds. Not that kind of help. Let’s say you became aware of some kids struggling to get back into a routine after their holidays. They went back to school for their first week, and just had their tail dragging between their legs. What would you tell them? What would you advise them to think about?
Martin: What I’d tell them? Well, I’m actually going to throw it right back at you because you’ve got some really good ideas. You were talking about the kids the other day at the dojo, about going to the airport.
Sandra: Yes. I was looking at it in terms of, if you’ve got some kids who were struggling to get focused, or motivated or want to quit everything, in one of those lower states, I liken that to you being at the airport, and sitting there watching life go by. Watching the airplanes come and go. Watching the people come and go. You’re just sitting there and waiting. It was interesting to watch the kids’ feedback on that. It was like, “Huh, you mean in not having a goal, or a target, or a destination you’ve just got to sit and wait?”
Martin: They’re not getting on the airplanes, they’re just sitting there waiting for the airplanes?
Sandra: That’s right. They’ve started their school term. If they’ve got no actual destination, or goals in mind to achieve, they’ve pretty well just parked their butts on an airport lounge and just waiting for life to happen to them.
Martin: Waiting for something to happen.
Sandra: Yes, and getting very reactive about life. So when we go to an airport, we go there with a purpose. We go there with a destination in mind.
Martin: Normally you’d book the tickets before you even get there, and get a little bit ready.
Sandra: If it’s anybody, except for you, I would say that would happen.
Martin: [laughs] Oh, come on now. [laughs]
Sandra: I think it’s a thing where, yes, you’d want to know where you want to go. We were planting the seed in the kids’ minds in terms of, “Okay you’re at the airport, and we’ve got to get a destination, somewhere to go.” We looked at that in terms of school. You’re going back to school, you’ve got to be there, you’ve got no choice, it’s just how life works at this point in time, if they go to school, of course, or even homeschooling.
For this schooling block, what are they going to do? Do they just sit at the airport, and wait, and watch? Watch their mates having all the fun, and all the learning, and growth and all the joy that comes with learning and growing. Getting more confident with themselves, or are they going to choose a destination for themselves? It was really amazing. There were so many kids that said, “I’ve got to get a destination, I want to go fly on an aeroplane.”
Martin: How do you help somebody find a destination if they’re so used to sitting at the airport watching the planes come and go, and they’ve never actually created a destination or a goal? How do you help them do that?
Sandra: I think that is something they need to find for themselves, and just get back to what they’re curious about. What they want to learn. It might not be anything huge, it might be something just little for themselves.
I think that you had some ideas on that one before in terms of what motivates people to get into action and to get into the process of wanting to learn something.
Martin: Yes. I think everybody’s got that. At the end of the day, there’s two primary motivators here, you either want to move towards pleasure, or away from pain. If you’ve got something that is driving you nuts in life, most people want to move away from that. They want to move towards a place where they feel comfortable. They feel loved. They feel like they’re enjoying what they’re doing. Moving towards that pleasure, things that make you feel good, and moving away from those things that are painful. As you say, it’s probably a good place to start.
Sandra: I guess the challenge would be for anyone that’s listening today is to double-check, are you just sitting at the airport, waiting for life to happen around you, or have you got a clear destination?
Martin: Have you bought your ticket, packed your bags, and on your way?
Sandra: Yes, and get on that plane, and take actions, and just see where it takes you.
Martin: Thanks for listening to today’s episode of the Karate 4 Life Podcast.
Sandra: If you found this episode useful, please comment on our website karate4life.com
Martin: Share it with your friends via social media and don’t forget to tag us #karate4lifepodcast.
And if you’ve got a topic that you’d like us to cover in a future episode or questions about karate or life…
Sandra: Please send us a message, we’d be more than happy to share our thoughts.
Thanks again for joining us and stay tuned for the next episode which will be about ‘What makes a good student, both in the dojo and in life’.
Well done, what a team, thanks for this initiative. Its another way Sandra Shihan and Martin Shan are giving so much back to the community by sharing their talents that people can reap from without even being in the dojo. However, imagine what and how much you would learn and grow if you were in the dojo training with them!!!