Do your child’s words become their thoughts…………….

“Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habits. Watch your habits for they become your character. And watch your character for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become. “

• - Margaret Thatcher

Our top mission at Ohana Karate is helping parent raise amazing kids. But how?

The simple answer is just “copy” what other successful parents and children do. One of the things we know all successful people have in common are the right “attitudes, habits and thinking”.

Of the three, the right thinking has to come first. Much like the food they eat, we have to make sure our child’s mind is well fed with thoughts that enrich and nourish. But just as eating too much junk food can make your child sick, the wrong thoughts repeated over time will adversely affect their mind and ultimately the course of their life.

I know this is hard to hear but school starts in just three week. So as we do ever year at this time we are about to feed your child’s mind with one of the most powerful nutrients. Our training theme for the next three weeks is “I love school!” You will hear your child say these special words dozens of times over the next few three weeks (you can help by repeating them too). I think it is important to explain why.

We believe your words become your thoughts…….and there are two phrases you never ever want to let your child say. We know that kids that struggle repeat two destructive phrases: “I can’t” (that is why we counter by saying “Try my best”) and “I hate school”.

Just as we can copy what successful people do we can equally avoid what the unsuccessful do. I cannot tell you the number of parents that bring failing teens to us to “fix”. They are in middle or high school, getting F’s in classes, disrespectful, fighting with their parents, have few friends, are unmotivated, and do not care about their future.

I feel for the parents because not only is this a nightmare for them but they feel helpless and utterly powerless to turn it around. The one thing all these struggling teens have in common is they repeatedly say “I hate school”.

You cannot say a negative word or think a negative thought at the same time as a positive word or positive thought. So to be proactive and keep those words from ever taking root in your child we will repeat “I love school” over and over until it sticks!

And it works, we often have those struggling teens. When we first get them to say “I love school” they resist and try to avoid saying it. The words just seem foreign to them after years of saying the opposite. But gradually something magical begins to happen. After about the fifth time when they know we are never going to give up on them they start saying those words “I love school”. They don’t feel the words yet but it is coming out of their mouths. More importantly their brains are hearing those words. Then the next week they start say it a little louder. Those words begin to come easier. We know we have broken through when one day they say “I love school” and we smile at them and they smile back.

So Margaret Thatcher said “your thoughts become your words” but we believe it may be the other way around…. “your words become your thoughts”.

So watch the words your child uses carefully. We do!

Thanks for letting us be a part of your family! Yours for rock solid (and right thinking) kids,

Sensei