Austin’s traffic is pretty bad. And it only promises to get worse. Density is increasing without the infrastructure to keep up with it. Thanks to our handheld devices, that density is being confounded by distraction. There is an intersection near TMAA that regularly has very serious accidents. Several times a week, the lights of emergency […]
Lifestyle
Dealing with High-Energy Kids
Martial arts has a reputation for helping kids with behavioral issues learn self-control, so parents will often come to our school seeking help. Over the past 25+ years, I have seen kids enrolled to help deal with a variety of issues. These include trouble with anger and/or fear, being bullied, difficulty concentrating in school, disrespectful […]
Should Your Child Do Chores?
My wife, Julie, and I have worked hard over the years to have a healthy and rewarding relationship. We have challenged each other in many unexpected ways and have both grown as a result. One of the things I learned from her, she began teaching me early in our relationship while we were in grad […]
Importance of Family Rituals
Every morning, I sit on the floor to meditate with my wife and daughter, Julie and Imma. We sit still for seven minutes. Regardless of how busy we are—or in how many directions our various schedules are trying to pull us—when Imma is finished getting dressed, the three of us meet in her room and […]
Willpower and Habits
Turning on the Autopilot As we move through life, we create patterns. Habits and routines allow us to do oft-repeated tasks efficiently and are typically performed without conscious thought. For instance, consider your daily commute. Driving the same route, day after day, week after week, it is unlikely that you make many choices regarding which […]
How do you teach your child good habits? Develop good habits for yourself!
Fables and tall stories that teach morality are a long-standing tradition in martial arts. One of my favorites is not actually from martial arts, but from the life of Mahatma Gandhi. The following is from “Gandhi, the man: the story of his transformation” by Eknath Easwaran: “During the thirties a woman came to Sevaram asking […]