Daily Reflections for Living Strong

What lesson is this moment meant to teach you? What new insight, what new wisdom is here right now for you to discover?

Look at where you are and how you’ve come to be at this point. Observe all that is happening in your world.

Dive into your deepest feelings. Explore and consider the frustrations, the joys, the pains and the pleasures.

All of it is seeking to tell you something. And the message is surely filled with rich meaning.

Every little detail joins with all the others in a dance of profound proportions. Reverently watch the motion, listen to the music, and take note of how it makes you feel.

This very moment brings with it the power to change you for the better. Look, listen, feel, experience and let life work its beautiful magic on you.

What can you do to give this day meaning that will extend far beyond your own worries and concerns? How can you live so as to make something beautiful and valuable flow out from you and into the lives of others?

If you stay too tightly wrapped up in the affairs of your limited ego, life becomes painfully empty. Yet you can escape that dreary prison in an instant.

Choose to give your own special meaning to life. Concern yourself not with what it will get you, but with how much beneficial influence it can have.

You are connected to a whole world of possibilities. Inject a unique and valuable vision into that world, and it can take on a magnificent life of its own.

Give meaning to life, and nurture that gift. Give meaning to life, and follow passionately where that meaning leads.

There are things you can create and express, things you can begin, things you can promote and develop that can come only from you. Let the substance of that meaning out into life, and know the joy that it surely will bring.

Intention can be a powerful force. For it is with intention that thoughts are transformed into results, that goals are achieved, that dreams are brought to reality.

The intentions you are following are the ones you really, truly have adopted and empowered with your commitment. What matters are not the intentions you merely talk about, but the ones you actually bring to life with your actions.

Every genuine intention leads to a result. Every intention puts you solidly on the path toward whatever you intend. The trouble is that your intentions so often are contradictory, and end up working against each other. For doubt and fear are intentions just as much as are confidence and desire.

Imagine for a moment what would happen if you could get rid of all those negative, self-defeating intentions. Imagine the spectacular results of giving free reign to your positive, creative, productive intentions.

The truth is, you are completely free to choose your own intentions, and the ones you choose will determine the results you get.

So choose those intentions that truly move you forward, and leave all the rest behind.

Until next time, be black belt strong and live life courageously!

Hi everyone this is Peter Liciaga, your Mount Laurel martial arts guy with your black belt strong morning brief.

Today’s podcast is dedicated to my amazing daughter, Alex. Alex recently launched her online business called, “Be You, Love You” – please take a moment today to visit her www.bit.ly/bylystore

Here are my thoughts on believing in yourself and BEING YOU & LOVING YOU …

You deserve to be more confident than you are. Your self doubts, fears and uncertainties are not as justified as you think.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Let go of those persistent doubts, fears and uncertainties, and let confidence take their place.

Whether you’ve ever even realized it, you are an achiever. Though occasionally life can make you feel helpless, you are actually someone who is very good at finding ways to get things done.

It’s not arrogant or presumptuous to believe in yourself. Matter of fact, it is an acknowledgment of reality and the starting point for making all of life better.

The fact is, you are skilled and resourceful, capable and experienced. When you want to be, you can be passionate, inspired, persistent and highly effective.

No one benefits when you hold yourself back. So go ahead, believe in yourself, give yourself the confidence you deserve, and do those great and wonderful things that are yours to do.

Believe in yourself and BE YOU, LOVE YOU.

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If you are enjoying these podcasts, please consider support it by order a t-shirt, sweatshirt or hoodie from our store at www.BlackBeltStrong.club/store.

The Power of Present Focus

When there is a lot to be done, it can be tempting to try and work on it all at once. Yet rarely is anything ever gained by taking that approach.

The most effective effort is focused effort. Do one thing and do it well, with total focus, until the job is done. Let go of your thoughts and worries about what comes next. Give your attention to the task at hand. Be present focused.

Jumping back and forth from one thing to another can waste much of your time and seriously weaken your momentum. The more there is to be done, the more important it becomes to solidly focus your efforts.

Hurried and scattered actions will rarely get you there any faster. Be patient, stay focused on one task at a time, and you’ll make the most progress.

Give your efforts the power of present focus and momentum. And watch spectacular things happen.

until next time… live black belt strong and have a great day.

Hi everyone this is Peter Liciaga, your Mount Laurel martial arts guy with your black belt strong morning brief.

Here are my thoughts on making a positive difference when there is negativity and darkness around you …

The darker it is around you, the more your light is needed. When you find yourself among others who are angry, hateful, resentful, discouraged, and cynical, that is when you can make the most difference by staying positively focused.

It is not easy. All too often we react to negativity by being negative. That just escalates the despair. Yet you can choose not to react. You can choose to follow your own course. Just because those around you act destructively, does not mean that you must.

When those around you are frustrated and impatient, make an effort to be extra calm and composed. When those around you are angry, strive to be the voice of reason and compassion. When those around you are discouraged, offer hope.

Be a difference, be the peace in the storm and you will make a difference.

Have a great day.

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If you are enjoying these podcasts, please consider support it by order a t-shirt, sweatshirt or hoodie from our store at www.BlackBeltStrong.club/store.

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It’s good to hope for the best. Yet it’s infinitely more effective to put your thoughts, actions, commitment and genuine love into actually bringing about the best in life.

Hoping, wishing and dreaming can be very positive experiences. It is important to remember, though, that these experiences are just starting points, not ultimate destinations.

You can very realistically experience what you hope for. The way to do this is to go beyond the hope, and to put your life into making that hope real.

Hope can matter very much, and have an extremely positive impact. The way to make it matter is to do something about it.

Give time, effort and substance to your hope, to your dreams, wishes and visions for life. If something is important enough to hope for, it is absolutely important enough to work for.

Experience how good it can be to feel the hope. Then experience how very much better it feels when you actually put your life to work into making the hope real.

4 Building Blocks for Raising Children – What do you think is involved in being an effective parent?

I’ve been working with parents in helping their children be more focused, disciplined and confident — and I’ve even helped their children to learn how to stand up to bullies. Today I will be sharing my top 4 Building Blocks For Your Child 

WATCH FULL VIDEO BELOW:

If you want to build self-discipline, you’d do well to listen to the words of Marcus Aurelius.

Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180, Aurelius is also considered to be one of the most important figures related to Stoicism – a school of philosophy that, among other things, focuses on the development of self-control.

Today I want to focus on a specific passage from his book Meditations, which deals with the issue of self-discipline. For Aurelius, discipline should stem from the fact that our nature as human beings is to work at something we truly care about.

Here’s the full passage…if you’d like to read it:

“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for—the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?‘—But it’s nicer here…’So you were born to feel ‘nice’? Instead of doings things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?‘—But we have to sleep sometime…’Agreed. But nature set a limit on that—as it did on eating and drinking. And you’re over the limit. You’ve had more than enough of that. But not of working. There you’re still below your quota. You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and what it demands of you. People who love what they do wear themselves down doing it, they even forget to wash or eat.Do you have less respect for your own nature than the engraver does for engraving, the dancer for dance, the miser for money or the social climber for status? When they’re really possessed by what they do, they’d rather stop eating and sleeping than give up practicing their arts.”

If you are a student at Dinoto Karate Center we’ll dig much deeper into self-discipline when you come to class, but until then, ask yourself – why are you doing what you’re doing? What do your goals drive you to do?

If you can consider these goals to be your nature, then you can focus on them and override your immediate desires to remain comfortable or lazy.

If you need help with discipline and you are not a student of martial arts, then give me a call at 856-235-0414 or visit our website at DinotoKarate.com

~ Master Peter Liciaga

One of the key jobs for a parent is to create a safe and stable environment for your child. When they feel safe they have freedom to grow, to test boundaries, and to explore. Otherwise, they are consumed by fear and anxiety. Over the next several days I will be sharing 10 ways to help make your child feel secure.

In this video I share the first of ten ways to help make your insecure child feel secure… listen and share your thoughts/ideas