Taekwondo Blog

The ability to set goals and then work to achieve them is an important life skill that can be learned through martial arts training. Taekwondo is an ideal method for honing the focus, concentration, and persistence needed to achieve life goals. Further, our system of earning belts provides motivation for working systematically and consistently to achieve goals.

Easy Goal-Setting

In our previous post, we discussed choosing one-word as a focal point for the year. Did you choose a focus word to set the tone for the decade? Have you taken action to bring your goal, focus, or intention into your life?

While Big Days (New Year’s Day, birthdays, Mondays) lend themselves to setting goals and starting projects, any day can be a great day to begin working toward a goal. There are many ways to set a goal, but a one-word goal can be a great motivator to keep us on track.

For example, if I choose STRONG as my one-word goal or focus, it helps me remember what I want: to be strong in body, mind, and spirit. But knowing I want to be strong is not enough. I need to take action to make my goals and intentions my reality.

Life Skills Learned in Taekwondo Classes in Novi, MI

At some point, everyone gets tired, discouraged, and takes a hit–either literally or metaphorically. And it’s okay to fall down. However, it is also important to get up and keep going. The difference between success and failure is taking action–over and over and over. That’s something we do in every martial arts class. By committing to a program, we develop the discipline, focus, and persistence needed to achieve martial arts goals and life goals.

Students may start Taekwondo training at any age–and experience the benefits at every age. By improving self-confidence and self-control, rehearsing martial arts techniques, and developing physical fitness, martial artists become more stronger, smarter, and more efficient, converting personal dreams into life-changing realities.

New Year’s Day less than two weeks away. And this January 1st begins not only a new year, but also a new decade — making NOW a perfect time to THINK BIG and lay out of plan for whom we want to be in the 2020s.

Here’s the thing though. While most of us will wake up on January 1 with a renewed determination to make 2020 our best year yet, waaayyyy over half of us will quit our resolutions by the end of the month. 

So if resolutions seldom work AND we want to make big changes, what’s the solution?

Set a One-Word Goal — and Take Action. 

You can think this through and analyze it. Or, perhaps a word jumped into your mind as soon as you read “one-word goal.”

Whether your word came to you immediately, or you chose it after careful analysis, you recognize it as yours. It might feel just right — but it may also feel a bit scary, leaving you with a sense of “I can’t be that.” It’s okay to stretch! Let your One-Word Goal set the tone for the year — and beyond.

Tone Set. Now what?

Many people have difficulty keeping the motivation and focus they need to achieve their goals, be they fitness milestones, school success, work targets, or personal dreams. Martial Arts Practice is an excellent be a tool for developing the focus and discipline to getting things done.

Martial Arts improve our lives in every aspect. By honing fitness and focus, building self-confidence and discipline, and developing speed and smarts, martial arts training transforms lives in a positive way. Training at Akula Taekwondo will build foundational skills that will set you up to achieve you new year’s goal and create a better life.

If your goal for 2020 (for yourself or your child) includes being STRONG, FAST, or FOCUSED, if you dream of being CONFIDENT, DISCIPLINED, and SUPER-FIT, join us on the mat at Akula Taekwondo in Novi, Michigan. With energetic instructors and a supportive community, showing up to make your resolution reality will become the highlight of your week.

We’re close to Farmington Hills, Farmington, Northville, Walled Lake, Wixom, and South Lyon. We welcome students from all surrounding areas, and hope to see you on the mat in January 2020.

Believe it or not, the holiday season is here! What is meant to be a time of celebration with family and friends can leave many feeling stressed, overloaded, overweight, and overspent. To help you find balance this holiday season, we put together three simple ways to help you truly enjoy this special time with loved ones.

Choose Gratefulness over Guilt

Many people feel a lot of guilt over the holidays. Guilt for eating too much, guilt for overspending, guilt for being too busy, the list goes on. Shifting your mindset to gratefulness will empower you to make better choices and find joy in this season. Enjoy the meals you’ve been looking forward to. Be grateful your loved one took the time and effort to make their homemade gravy and your favorite sweet potato dish from childhood. Be grateful you have the funds to buy your family gifts, or make something homemade.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and too busy, look at your calendar and decide which events you need to step away from. Be grateful for the option to shop online instead of in stores to save time and money. If you make a conscious effort to choose gratefulness, you’ll be in a much better place.

Remember The Bigger Picture

Everything can feel overwhelming when you assume the worst: all the food and extra weight gain, running around trying to buy presents, all the parties, etc. Remember the bigger picture. Yes, the holidays cover a span of a few weeks, but each event only lasts a few hours at most. One of the biggest mistakes people make during the holidays is turning a one-day indulgence into a six-week feast or a quick shopping trip into a weekend shopping spree. If you take a step back and remember the bigger picture, the parties don’t actually last for weeks on end, and the shopping might only take a couple hours at most, especially if you do it all online.

Make Self-Care a Priority With Exercise

The holidays are all about giving to others, but what are you doing for yourself? Self-care is important, especially during the busyness of the holiday season. If you’re already in a workout routine, make sure to keep it a priority to exercise a few times a week. If you haven’t started yet but would like to, there’s no reason to wait until the new year. Start now! One type of exercise we recommend is Martial Arts. Martial Arts is great for self-care not only because it helps improve physical fitness, but also mental and emotional health. Many people choose Taekwondo  because it burns calories and helps lose weight, and it also improves concentration, focus, and self-confidence. Joining a Taekwondo school now can reduce stress with the holidays and help keep you from gaining any unwanted weight.

We hope you enjoy the upcoming holiday season and implement these three simple ways to maintain balance in your life.