June 2019 Character Development Program, Positivity

This month our theme is positivity. In our very first student creed, we state “I will develop myself in a positive manner”. This is a statement every student learns on their first introductory lesson and must memorize and recite to get their white belt. We focus a lot on developing a positive attitude in and out of karate and this month we’re covering it in detail. 

We’re first defining what a positive attitude or manner is and how it’s important for success in school, work and accomplishing goals. We are then talking about how to work on developing a positive attitude. One important thing we’ll bring up first is thinking good thoughts about yourself. It’s very easy to have negative self-talk when you’re feeling down, don’t do as well as you wanted to do at something, or feel inferior to others. We want to encourage students to not let these things get in the way of thinking positive things about themselves and believing they can do things. We can all practice reframing challenges so they are more like a goal than something we aren’t capable of. We’ll also talk about being grateful for everyone and everything you have because this is a great way to acknowledge positivity in your life. And lastly, an important part of creating a positive life is surrounding yourself with positive people and positive activities, like karate!