Selflessness...Paying It Forward

A true martial artist “gives for the sake of giving, knowing that we are making a positive difference in another person’s life.” --- Grandmaster B. Y. Kim

Grandmaster Kim is my mentor and guides me on living a Black Belt Life. In turn, this allows me to inspire my students to live a Black Belt Life. That is the way of the Martial Arts, teacher passing on knowledge to student, where the student becomes a teacher and continues the passage of knowledge to their students.

In an earlier posting, “...Budding Martial Artist,” there is a great story about one of my students paying it forward...giving back for the “sake of giving"...being selfless as a 6th Grader. And while I cannot take all the credit I believe I had a part in enhancing this awareness in my student. Each UMAC student is encouraged to perform selfless acts daily, like picking up litter, or cleaning up a mess...without being asked or told. And the number of daily selfless acts increases with each belt earned. A Yellow Belt should do at least one selfless act daily. An Orange Belt should do at least 2. And as a 6th Degree Black Belt I perform many selfless acts daily. No wonder I don’t get as much work done...Ha! Ha!

To inspire our students, UMAC looks for organizations where we can make a difference, involve our students and teach them about selflessness. Last year, UMAC hosted a Kick-A-Thon, where students raised money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, by acquiring donations to train and complete 1000 kicks. Doing a thousand of anything is pretty exhausting and this kicking exercise teaches perseverance and selflessness...and builds strength and endurance. Wow, what a great combination for a great cause.

Last year UMAC raised over $30,000 and this year our goal is even higher. Please come and support the UMAC Kick-A-Thon, Saturday, March 16, 2013, at Brookside Elementary School, Ossining. The program starts at 10 AM and in addition to the Kick-A-Thon, there is a full schedule of events, including raffles, exhibition team and championship competitions, and a lot of FUN.

“It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.” — Dalai Lama XIV

Look for my weekly blog every Monday providing insights on "Living a Black Belt Life" and please share this with your friends and family.